National Context
School bullying is an issue that greatly affects the American school system. According to “School Bullying Statistics” (2013): School bullying statistics in the United States show that about one in four kids in the U.S. are bullied on a regular basis. Between cyber bullying and bullying at school, the school bullying statistics illustrate a huge problem with bullying and the American school system.” This shows how bullying is affecting the United States. “Teens in grades sixth through 10th grade are the most likely to be involved in activities related to bullying. About thirty percent of students in the United States are involved in bullying on a regular basis either as a victim, bully or both,” stated the "School Bullying Statistics", 2013. Primarily we can see that bullying occurred in early stages of adolescence and then the issue progresses even more throughout the year.
There are many stories of bullying that occur in the United States. One bullying incident happened in Vermont in 2003. Ryan Halligan was a victim of bullying. He was a student at a middle school in Essex Junction and ended up committing suicide due to rumors and harrassment alleging that he was gay. Ryan’s father writes:
“A few days after his funeral I logged on to his AOL IM account because that was the one place he spent most of his time during the last few months. I logged on to see if there were any clues to his final action. It was in that safe world of being somewhat anonymous that several of his classmates told me of the bullying and cyber bullying that took place during the months that led up to his suicide. The boy that had bullied him since 5th grade and briefly befriended Ryan after the brawl was the main culprit. My son the comedian told his new friend something embarrassing and funny that happened once and the friend (bully) ran with the new information that Ryan had something done to him and therefore Ryan must be gay. The rumor and taunting continued beyond that school day … well into the night and during the summer of 2003” (Halligan, 2003).
What is so heart-breaking about this tale is that there was a life lost in this tragic story. It is surprising to see people go so far to make a rumor up and judge him for his seualxty; Everything was just a rumor, and all because he was allegedly seen as someone different than the rest.
There are many stories of bullying that occur in the United States. One bullying incident happened in Vermont in 2003. Ryan Halligan was a victim of bullying. He was a student at a middle school in Essex Junction and ended up committing suicide due to rumors and harrassment alleging that he was gay. Ryan’s father writes:
“A few days after his funeral I logged on to his AOL IM account because that was the one place he spent most of his time during the last few months. I logged on to see if there were any clues to his final action. It was in that safe world of being somewhat anonymous that several of his classmates told me of the bullying and cyber bullying that took place during the months that led up to his suicide. The boy that had bullied him since 5th grade and briefly befriended Ryan after the brawl was the main culprit. My son the comedian told his new friend something embarrassing and funny that happened once and the friend (bully) ran with the new information that Ryan had something done to him and therefore Ryan must be gay. The rumor and taunting continued beyond that school day … well into the night and during the summer of 2003” (Halligan, 2003).
What is so heart-breaking about this tale is that there was a life lost in this tragic story. It is surprising to see people go so far to make a rumor up and judge him for his seualxty; Everything was just a rumor, and all because he was allegedly seen as someone different than the rest.