Bullies

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." This simple chant has been repeated countless times over the years and many people believe it. Actually, it couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, words hurt more than sticks and stones most of the time.

When you think of a bully you usually think of a big kid who beats kids up for their lunch money. In truth most bullies use other weapons. These weapons include gossip and exclusion.

If you saw a small group of girls sitting at a lunch table by themselves, not letting other people sit with them, looking at other people and laughing, you probably wouldn't think anything was wrong. But, that group could be a clique. A clique is a small group of people, usually girls, that are exclusive about who they let in and how their members act and dress. For a time being in a clique can make you feel good about yourself. But probably sooner or later the other members will turn on you as soon as you make a mistake.

Another type of bullying is harassment. Harassment is continuously bothering someone no matter how many times they ask you to stop. Usually people who harass you know how to push your buttons. But, what most people don't know is that harassment is illegal.

"Human beings as a species are drawn to conflict." That one quote sums up the whole human species. But there are ways to stop bullies. For one, schools can actually follow up on their zero tolerance policy. Schools can also give anti-bullying classes. A few changes could have big results.