IMO, that's sort of on a par with a study that shows that dogs bark.
It's easy not to like bullying. I was subject to bullying as a kid myself. But one can also take a devil's advocate position and say that kids should learn to deal with it early, because they're going to face it all the time as adults and better learn to deal with it with classmates rather than with demanding dates, bosses, IRS agents, irate air passengers, officious public employees, cops, lawyers, spouses, and on and on.
While adults have generally (but not entirely) gotten over the slapping and hitting stages of bullying, the overall character of bullying is a basic characteristic of American life. I'm not registered for the NYT so can't read the details of the study you cited, specifically their definition of bullying, but intimidation and harrassment, in one degree or another, are common features of daily life.
It would be nice to stamp it out in schools. Very nice. But since a lot of bullying is basically kids emulating what they see in adult relationships, it's going to be a real challenge. |
