America's Youth | The Extent of Bullying Is Exaggerated

Pity the poor bully. For decades he flourished, thanks to a national consensus that boys would be boys and a little roughhousing couldn’t hurt. We indulged the noogie, winked at the charley horse, and thought it sort of funny when the high school tough crammed the band geek into the locker. Poking, taunting, name-calling—at least in modest doses—were considered a normal, if sometimes trying, part of adolescent development. One gave up one’s lunch money not only in fear, but with a certain deference to the rules of the game.

“Onerous Culture of Bullying”
...

[The entire page is 2243 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass