A Victim Fights Back

Casey Heynes was constantly bullied. The 16 year old Australian native has been described as "a gentle giant." He was ridiculed endlessly for his size, and would simply just walk away. This was the story for about three years, until one day, he drew a line, and his bully crossed it. Casey, as he calls it, "snapped" and picked up his bully, who was actually significantly smaller than him, and literally slammed him to the ground. A fellow student got the whole thing on video tape, and the vid went viral almost instantly, with over one million views. Casey has been hailed as a hero to victims around the world, and has gained tons of support. There has even been a video game made in this boys honor. 

The Story of Phoebe Prince

One of the most infamous stories of cyber bullying is that of Pheobe Prince, a 15-year-old girl who had moved from Ireland to a small town in Massachusetts. She began dating a popular jock, and a lot of girls became jealous. Phoebe got ridiculed on facebook and myspace, also at school. One day, as Phoebe was walking home from school, the girls who were bullying her drove past and threw an energy drink at her head as they shouted more mean things to her. When Phoebe got inside, she hung herself in her closet, for her 12-year-old sister to walk in and find. Phoebe was supposed to be going back to Ireland in a few weeks to visit her father. She did make it back to Ireland eventually, however it was in a casket. Kevin Cullen reports, “Phoebe’s family decided to bury her in County Clare. They wanted an ocean between her and the people who hounded her to the grave.” Six teens have been hit with multiple charges in this case. 

Observations Found After Surveying College Students

5 out of the 7 who responded to the survey reported never being bullied or being a bully

·      7 out of the 8 students who took this survey report not being in a clique in middle school

·      When asking why one wasn’t in a clique, 3 out of the 6 that responded say that had a wide variety of friends. One stated they  didn’t have friends, and two saying there were not cliques in their schools

·      2 out of the 8 students report always noticing others being mean to those who were different in middle school, while 2 report never noticing this, and 4 reporting sometimes

·      2 out of 8 say that being part of a clique was very important in middle school, while 5 out of 8 say it was sort of important and 1 saying it was not important at all

·      Peoples responses to why they think people are bullies include:

-       They want to make themselves feel better by picking on vulnerable people

-       Kids are going through a time of figuring out who they are

-       People want to fit in and putting others down makes them feel “cool”

-       They are immature

·      2 out of 8 think that bullying was the cool thing to do in middle school while 6 believe it was not

What To Do

Think your friend/student/child is being a victim of bullying or a clique? Here are a few signs to look for:

The child is:
-Sensitive
-Socially withdrawn
-Regularly complaining about a headache or stomach pain, to avoid going to school
-Passive
-Anxious
-Not sleeping well or having many "bad dreams"
-Avoids social gathering or activities

Here are some tips to help that child no longer be a victim:
-Tell them to talk to someone they trust, a teacher, counselor, parent, or even a good friends' parent.
-Make a journal of every event that has happened, without exaggerating or making up things. Bring this to the proper authority figure (principal, teacher, bus driver)
-Saying "NO" is more powerful than some think. Have confidence when saying this.
-Do not give the bully want they want, which is often power over their victim. Sometimes, the most simple thing a victim can do, is ignore the bully and ask for help.

Works Cited

Works Cited

"  Bullying in Middle Schools: Prevention and Intervention - Middle School Journal  ."   National Middle School Association - the association for middle level education  . N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. <http://www.nmsa.org/publications/middleschooljournal/articles/january2006/article2/tabid/693/default.aspx>.  This was an awesome place to start research. It have clear, concise definitions, and led us to more research questions.

" From the archive, 21 April 1999: 'Trench coat mafia' blamed for massacre | From the Guardian | The Guardian ."  Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk . N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/jul/23/archive-trench-coat-mafia-1999>.  This article is about the Trench Coat Mafia Massacre that occured on April 20th, 1999 at a high school in Denver, Colorado. During this terrible time, two students who were part of this clique threatened jocks who were wearing polos and baseball hats. The day resulted in a shooting, with 15 deaths and 24 injuries. This article explains the local horror it created and how the town coped with this tragic event.

"Casey Heynes – A gentle giant who had enough." Casey Heynes – A gentle giant who had enough. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. <http://www.caseyheynes.com/>.  This is a true life account of a boy, Casey Heynes, who had been bullied for years. One day, he had finally had enough and actually body slammed his attacker, and it was all caught on video. The video has gone viral now, and Casey is being called a "hero" to bullying victims around the world.

Chicao, Illinois, DePaul Univeristy. "    The Adolescent Society Revisited:  Cultures, Crowds, Climates, and Status Structures in Seven Secondary Schools.." Journal of Youth and Adolescence 36.6 (2006): 1023-1035. Print.

"Cliques." Massachusetts General Hospital Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.massgeneral.org/children/adolescenthealth/articles/aa_cliques.aspx>.  This article is about the benefits and problems that go along with cliques. It explains what a clique is, the different types of cliques people may see, and why people choose to join them. This article also shares a clique's relation to a gang, and a real life incident of when a problem involving a clique resulted in death.This artcle also goes into full detail of how kids who are not accepted into cliques may feel, and what it does to their self-esteem.

"Cliques." How Cliques Make Kids Feel Left Out. N.p., 3 Feb. 2010. Web. 1 Apr. 2011. <http:/http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/friend/clique.html/>.  Cliques are also a huge social issue in middle school. This gives some stories of what kids went through and what exactly goes through these bullies' minds. 

"Cliques - TheSite.org." TheSite.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.thesite.org/sexandrelationships/familyandfriends/friendships/cliques>.  This article is about what exactly a clique is, what types of cliques there are and what they do, and where one may find a clique. It also explains the pro's and con's of being part of a clique, which is very insightful. There is a section on how to avoid the pressure of cliques at the end, which is a very helpful source for anyone in need of help in this area.

Dubuss, Mary Kate. "Learning Is Not Just The Three R's." The Metro Daily News 5 (2005): 1-56. Print.

GOODNOW, CECELIA, and SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER. "Nasty clique behavior among girls draws new attention - seattlepi.com." Seattle news, sports, events, entertainment | seattlepi.com - seattlepi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2011. <http://www.seattlepi.com/default/article/Nasty-clique-behavior-among-girls-draws-new-1087613.php#page-2>.  This article is about a group of middle school girls who speak out about the "mean girls" that bully them. The girls explain how the mean girls use inappropriate and mean words and will harrass them in the hallways. Experts share their thoughts on why girls this age act the way they do, and what can be done to stop this. 

Linn, Margaret, Linda Jeffery, and DeMond Miller. "Middle School Bullying as a Context for the Development of Passive Observers to the Victimization of Others.." Journal of Emotional Abuse 2.2/3 (2001): 14, 143-156. Ebsco. Web. 21 Mar. 2011.

Meltz, Barbara. "Middle School Cliques-A Common Challenge." The Boston Globe 6 (2001): n. pag. Ebsco. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.

Schoen, Sharon, and Alexis  Schoen. "Bullying and Harassment in the United States.." Clearing House 83.2 (2010): 68-72. Print.

"The Facts About Bullying."  : : Parenting Bookmark - Where Parents and Experts Share Advice. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. <http://www.parentingbookmark.com/pages/articleMB04.htm>.  This site gave lots of facts about bullying, which was really helpful to our research.

"The untouchable Mean Girls - The Boston Globe." Boston.com - Boston, MA news, breaking news, sports, video. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. <http://www.boston.com/community/moms/articles/2010/01/24/the_untouchable_mean_girls/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed5>.  This is a very sad story of the consequences of cyberbullying, and will hopefully help open kids eyes of the seriousness that goes along with this topic.

WIlson, Jan . "Left Out." Newsbank 4 (2010): 1-40. Ebsco. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.

"test2.html." STOP cyberbullying: Cyberbullying - what it is, how it works and how to understand and deal with cyberbullies. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. <http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/what_is_cyberbullying_exactly.html>.  This cite talks about a more recent type of bullying, cyber bullying. This is becoming quite the epidemic, and is even driving kids to unfathomable ends, taking their own lives. 

 bcronin. "Cliques in Middle School; School Cliques Harmful to Girls." Find Health, Education, Science & Technology Articles, Reviews, How-To and Tech Tips At Bright Hub - Apply To Be A Writer Today!. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. <http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/66164.aspx>.  This really gave a look into the quiet bullies-girls. Middle school girls are more into vocal bullying and relationship bullying, which is not the typical physical type of bully most people would think of.