USA Today’s Bullying Article Is Brutally Honest





She had beenbullied relentlessly at her school, mostly by other girls. She had suffered a failed romance that brought her into conflict with a female classmate. She had reportedly sunken into a fog of drugs and alcohol. And most sickeningly, even as she lay dying in the hospital, the bullying continued on her Facebook page. To make matters worse, police investigators have yet to rule the suicide a result of bullying, citing lack of evidence. . .


The article talks further about how his daughter comes in soon after he finds this information out and as he talks to her, he shares her reaction, which as expected is not very positive. The article asks if bullying is a problem without a solution. Is there really any cure to bullying that can be implemented and work?

I have asked this same question and while I believe awareness and good anti-bullying programs are very important and worthwhile, they are NOT a cure. If someone chooses to be a bully, they will find a way to be a bully to someone at some time. And the fallout of someone choosing to bully can have cascading consequences, as the article also points out.

Another recent story, which by far shows the bigger problem with bullying is the recent suicide of Kevin Jacobsen. His story is one that shows just how deep the damage from bullying can go. He wasn’t the bullying victim, but the father of a boy who killed himself due to the bullying he experiences. Mr. Jacobsen lost his 14-year-old son, Kameron, last year due to bullycide. In the following year, Kevin Jacobsen became one of the leading anti-bullying activists, creating an anti-bullying website and appearing with Marlo Thomas to discuss the issue. But his son’s tragedy took a toll on him and his family and he chose to end his own life as well. What can be said here for this tragedy following on the heels of another? What answer is there to this?

Mr. Kugler ends his article with a statement saying his article is without a solution and asks “does anybody have one?” After reading his article, I’ll have to think longer about an answer to his question. What do you think?