Cyberbullying topic

[The Darkness]

I don't really know if this is in the right section, but move it if it is.

So, I was on tumblr the other day and I just had some ideas I wanted to write down on cyberbullying and I did.
Nothing really happened so I was like, fine.
Then, I noticed some reblogs from unpopular opinions (probably from long ago) about cyber bullying and I thought I should just submit my own.
Here's mine: http://the-unpopular-opinions.tumblr...ost/7563822978
BUT I supplied the post I made onto it: http://janeannabelle.tumblr.com/post...cyber-bullying
And added an answer from an anon at the end.
I got love and hate equally, but I still wonder, was I being harsh with my opinion? Like, I know how it is to be cyber bullied, and what helped me through it was what my mom always said: "Just ignore them". And I learned to be stronger as a person and face that.
Just a wonder on you guys opinions.

[Peppermint Tea.♥]

I think what's so scary about cyberbullying for some people is the fact that they don't know who it is. It's horrible to have someone hating on you and you not knowing who that is, and you may be strong enough to ignore words, but others might not be, particularly children. Yes, we need to teach people about bullying and how we need to stand up for ourselves, but we also need to offer support for those being bullied who can't cope with it. I've read things about myself online and I've cried. Yeah, I've got over it, but I needed help.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

I think one enormous issue is people have skewed ideas of what bullying is. On TH alone, people have said bullying is when you say a harmful comment to someone just ONCE. So I do think some people misconstrue whether they are being bullied, although many understand the definition of it. Some people (on TH and off TH) view trolling as sometimes a form of bullying, when it really is not.

To the OP Jane, I agree with your opinion, the youth need to be taught to be more independent. However, teaching them independence is only solving part of the battle, as they also need to be taught to have thicker skin. Even if the victims are children, they still should be taught this but there should always be an available resource for support. I think this support should be used if the bullying is moderate to severe, otherwise if someone wants support for minor bullying, I find myself unable to sympathize.

I was briefly cyber-bullied but I didn't cry for three reasons. First, I have thick enough skin to not let an anonymous person(s) make silly comments about me. In fact, for in-person bullying or harsh comments, I let them roll off me as well as give certain emotional responses that are unexpected, such as laughing at the bully and egging them on to actually say something I could be hurt by. It immediately shows the bully doesn't have the power over me as we're at about the same power level.

Second, I found the cyber-bullying pathetic. It shows immense cowardice because in an in-person interaction, the same things may not be said. Some of my friends were cyber-bullies although in-person, they probably wouldn't say the same things in fear they would have their face beaten black and blue. This is not to say those who are affected by cyber-bullying are even more pathetic because sometimes the bullying can escalate quite high, such as websites dedicated to the person.

Lastly, when comments are made, it's not just the intended receiver who views them, the entire world pretty much has the ability to view them, so everyone else can see the cowardice. In doing so, there's a much higher chance someone else may step in, although they may again be subject to the same comments.

[Peppermint Tea.♥]

I think that the younger you are, the more cyber bullying affects you. Now I'm older, I understand the cowardice of the bullies. When I was younger I didn't and I could just see people ganging up on me.

The Man and XXX Master, can I just clear something up? This might be a stupid question, but say the bullying is light teasing, nothing severe, but has gone on for a long time, would you offer sympathy? Also, a lot of the time victims of bullying have tried ignoring it, tried standing up for themselves and then finally go for help. Your idea of severe may be different that someone else's and to refuse support to a child who is being bullied can lead to worse problems for them later on.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

Originally Posted by DemolitionLover

The Man and XXX Master, can I just clear something up? This might be a stupid question, but say the bullying is light teasing, nothing severe, but has gone on for a long time, would you offer sympathy?

In that case it would depend what the person or victim has done to try to stop or deal with the bullying. Furthermore, it would depend on their reactions when the teasing started to the present. If they over-reacted and made a big fuss when the teasing started and kept that reaction, I would find it hard to offer sympathy. On the other hand, if they ignored it and weren't bothered by it until recently, I would find it less difficult to offer sympathy.

Originally Posted by DemolitionLover

Also, a lot of the time victims of bullying have tried ignoring it, tried standing up for themselves and then finally go for help. Your idea of severe may be different that someone else's and to refuse support to a child who is being bullied can lead to worse problems for them later on.

Very well, my idea of severe cyber-bullying is having one's computer or phone repeatedly hacked, inserting harmful texts or images, creating websites dedicated against a person that are routinely updated and made visible to the person, blackmailing the person, committing fraud or legal impersonation of the person, etc... .

True, refusing support can lead to worse problems in the future, however, I only stated this in reference to very minor cyber-bullying. This level of "cyber-bullying" isn't very harmful and is more of a temporary nuisance than anything else. In fact, this level would be so minor it may be incorrect to even call it a form of bullying. By not offering support for this level, the child is forced to maintain some independence and form thick skin. Of course, the age of the child is taken into consideration. For example, if it were my child and he/she was in early elementary school, I would want more support given due to their age but as they get older, they should get less support for this same level.