The story behind an upcoming case . . .

I just read Ian Parker's "The Story of a Suicide" in the Feb. 6, 2012, edition of The New Yorker.  It gives the story of Tyler Clementi, the gay young man who committed suicide at Rutgers after his roommate filmed a romantic encounter between him and another man, and Dharun Ravi, the roommate who Tweeted and IMed about Clementi and watched Clementi's actions via webcam.  The story Parker portrays seems very much like immature teenage abilities to respond with any sort of control leading to an unfortunate outcome.  It also is very unclear about at what point Clementi became upset enough to kill himself and why.  Ravi is now headed for trial on the charges he faces.  He refused to take any plea deal (including one that didn't require him serving time).  It will be interesting what sort of precedent this sets:  how far are we going to make this case a landmark case setting the stage for bullying?  Was it even bullying?  Was it just teenagers in a new environment trying to adjust to one another?  As a result of Clementi's death and other gay teenagers' suicides, the "It Gets Better" campaign was launched to help gay teenagers make it through the teenage years.  However, Parker's story also points at a class-based issue between Ravi and Clementi.  That aspect has all but been ignored in the press I read previously about this case.  It will be interesting to see whether that issue arises at trial and whether any of the lessons will be geared towards more igniting issues than just sexuality.  

Bullying

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, you've recognized the burgeoning problem of bullying, whether it be in middle school, high school, college, or beyond. It seems that with the internet, students are now without a safe haven, and the taunting has gone from being isolated to home room or study hall to being broadcast to the entire student body and the world through Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, among other mediums that I have no idea exist. Appropriately, scholars and law-makers have begun acting to prevent bullying and provide protection and recovery, in a sense, for the bullied.

In the Spring 2011 Vanderbilt Magazine, Sociologist Andre Christie-Mizell was highlighted for his work on the connection between parental neglect and bullying behavior by children. According to Christie-Mizell, "Our behavior is driven by our perception of our world, so if children feel they are not getting enough time and attention from parents, then those feelings have to go somewhere and it appears in interaction with their peers." Even more specifically, it seemed that children who felt that they did not have sufficient time with their fathers (again, this is the perception of the child) then had increased bullying behavior.

Given the chronic absence of fathers in many childrens' lives these days, if this research is correct, then it is no wonder that bullying has increased. Overall, the marriage rate has decreased and many women are bearing and raising children on their own. This has moved from being an inner-city, poverty-related situation to a situation that has become culturally-acceptable even in the suburban, middle-class neighborhoods.

Looking to a solution, Christie-Mizell suggested setting up a regular time for parental/father-child interaction, and doing so with purposeful intention. He described creating an environment where "children know they can expect this time" and depend on it.

Recognizing the current bullying problems American society is facing, the legal system has responded by creating statutes to define and provide remedies for bullying. In Ohio, bullying has been statutorily defined as "any intentional written, verbal, or physical act that a student has exhibited toward another particular student more than once and the behavior both: (a) causes mental or physical harm to the other student; (b) is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for the other student." The law applies to all public schools, and it requires all principals to respond and investigate incidents. According to the March/April 2011 Ohio Lawyer Magazine, parents should know their school's policies, their state's laws, and ensure that the school is following the laws. As for online bullying, the Ohio Department of Education Anti-Harassment, Anti-Intimidation, or Anti-Bullying Model Policy states that "harassment, intimidation, or bullying also means electronically transmitted acts also mans electronically transmitted acts, i.e., Internet, cell phone, personal digital assistance (PDA) or wireless hand-held device that a student has exhibited toward another particular student more than once . . ."

These new laws show a definite step in the right direction to begin addressing bullying. As someone who was bullied throughout middle and high school (and even in front of the study hall teacher every morning), it would have been nice to have some way to gain protection. My parents tried talking with the teachers and the principles, but nothing was done. I definitely did not want to draw more attention to myself, but school became unbearable. I was fortunate to survive and flourish when I moved away to college, but not all students are so lucky. Now is the time for parents and communities to take a vested interest in their children to prevent bullying and to apply salves to the wounds inflicted on victims.