Bullying and terrorism, are they one and the same?
Back in the early 90’s, growing up in the inner city and attending the Detroit Public School system, there were an array of challenges such as peer pressure and being accepted by new students that occurred for young adolescents for both males and females of all races.
Unfortunately, the aspect of bullying was the most common of them all.
Usually, it is at the hands of older students who may feel somewhat superior because of their age or popularity but in this day and time, it has gotten more serious. With social media being one of the main factors in initiating and spreading the hate of their peers, it should be carefully monitored with consistency because more children and teenagers, regretfully, are being taught to hate individuals because of their race, gender, and lifestyle.
It has become a deterrent and hostile learning environment that has been going on without proper attention in many schools — not just in Metro Detroit but across the nation. The psychology of a young person may lead them to the point of going beyond the retaliation of words to cause greater harm not just to the perpetrator but to innocent bystanders.
One striking example is the 2021 Oxford High School massive shooting where several people were killed and injured. One must bear in mind what propelled Ethan Crumbley, a 15-year-old, to commit such a heinous crime.
Only assumptions can be made that a person of his stature may have been bullied and alienated from his peers or the treatment he may have received at home. It took a grave incident like Oxford and many other school shootings to finally zero in on the problem, who is truly responsible, and what necessary steps could be taken to avoid another massacre of this magnitude.
Hate and racism are never hereditary, especially when you have fourth graders using derogatory terms for other races and bringing candy to school only later to find it was marijuana edibles.
Who is going to call foul on this matter? What are the parents of these students doing to prevent this kind of behavior?
Sadly, many parents, along with teachers and principals have become apathetic towards the subject of bullying and tend to shift the entire responsibility on to the parents.
But they should never turn a blind eye or a deafening ear to the warning signs of hatred, racism, and constant harassment by their students. Both the parents and faculty should be held accountable for the safety of the children and stern discipline should be taken at the very sight of maltreatment.
The lack of collaborative efforts between teachers and parents should greatly be enforced before other casualties transpire.
One striking example is the 2021 Oxford High School massive shooting where several people were killed and injured. One must bear in mind what propelled Ethan Crumbley, a 15-yearold, to commit such a heinous crime.