From Bullying to Brutality

by PlantingSeedsFromUA

In the past decade we have heard of various school shootings throughout the United States.  A search on the internet using “school shootings” as the keywords produces over one million hits.  The rise in school violence, or the appearance of, has contributed to the increased interest in the sociological investigation of the violence that takes place in schools.  Research has supported the correlation between school violence and bullying.

In recent news, a 14 year old boy from PA was sentenced to a juvenile detention facility for planning a deadly school attack for what appears to be in retaliation for the constant bullying he received over his weight.  The teenager, who was being home-schooled at the time due to the bullying, had successfully assembled an arsenal; but a friend whom he confided in reported his plan to authorities.

This article highlights many issues surrounding school violence and bullying.  How culpable are schools in providing an atmosphere where bullying does not take place?  If a student has to be home schooled in order to insure her/his well-being, one must ask “Are the bullying programs in place affective?”  Of more sociological interest, there are distinct gender differences in how individuals react to bullying, with girls reactions marked by more internalizing behaviors and boys more externalizing behaviors.  What contributes to these gender differences?  Is there a covert curriculum built into the structure of the education system that reinforces and recreates male dominance and hierarchal masculinities?

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