political bullying essay

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How the Bullying Tactics Politicians Use Affect Kids

There is a lot of talk about politics these days and you are likely to hear discussions just about everywhere you go, especially online. Not only are people spouting their views, but the politicians themselves have a lot to say about the people they are running against. And most of it is not very nice. In fact, a lot of it is downright mean.

But have you ever considered how all this rhetoric is affecting our children? They are hearing and absorbing a lot more than most adults realize they are; and when the political speeches contain bullying and inflammatory language, it can have a huge impact on kids.

Stop and think about it for a minute. Many young people will say they aspire to be president of the United States someday. And even if they don't want to be president when they grow up, many kids are in awe of the country's leader. But during an election, what are they learning from the people that are running for the highest office in the country?

Rather than learning to treat others with respect and dignity, children are observing the nation's top political leaders engaging in the very bullying tactics that kids at school use to climb the social ladder. 

Shouldn't our country's leaders set better examples than this?

Multiple polls show that most Americans would say yes. In fact, many have deep concerns over the loss of civility among people. They see a lack of respect in schools, workplaces, and especially in government. In fact, according to a poll by Weber Shandwick, 65% of Americans believe that lack of civility is a major problem in the United States. Meanwhile, 72% of Americans believe our government is the least civil place in America.  

In fact, nearly half of those surveyed are tuning out government and politics because of the incivility and bullying behavior that is present. And 83% of those surveyed believe people should not vote for candidates and politicians who are uncivil.  

Types of Political Bullying Kids See

Most of the bullying tactics that politicians use are the very same ones that middle school and high school students use, especially when it comes to relational aggression . While most politicians refrain from using physical bullying or sexual bullying , they do engage in verbal bullying, prejudicial bullying , and cyberbullying.  

They also use a number of tactics that can be found inside any high school in the United States. Instead of bullying dissipating during the high school years, it is a continuing trend resulting not only in workplace bullying but in political bullying as well.  

Here are the top five bullying tactics young people may witness during an election year.

Blame-Shifting

Bullies use blame-shifting when they want to deflect attention away from themselves. Likewise, political candidates often engage in blame-shifting. One popular example is to blame the person they are running against for everything from the economy, unemployment, and healthcare issues to racism, immigration, gun control, and freedom of speech.

The goal of the political candidate is to cast doubt on the abilities of another person by blaming them for something that needs to be addressed in the country. What's more, when one person blames another, they avoid taking responsibility for anything they may have done to contribute to the situation.

Name-Calling

Calling another person names is one of the oldest and most recognizable forms of bullying around. It is not uncommon to hear kids on the playground call each other losers and babies. They may even resort to calling other kids stupid and dummy.

While most adults would agree that name-calling is unacceptable, they seem to tolerate it from political candidates. In fact, many political candidates frequently call each other names. Even supporters get into the act, especially online. But if society wants to see an end to bullying, they need to demand that their leaders are setting good examples.

Reputation-Bashing

Sabotaging someone's reputation is one of the oldest political tactics in the books. Whether they use behind-the-scenes tactics or develop a smear campaign online, the goal is the same. The bully wants to draw their opponent's reputation into question. They may even go so far as to engage in public shaming.

Ironically, the same thing happens every day in high schools around the country. Whether it is a bully or a mean girl , the goal is to damage someone else's reputation so badly that they no longer pose a threat. Putting an end to this type of bullying in schools requires that adults live by the same standards they set for kids and teens.

Rumor Spreading

Often one of the more subtle forms of bullying, spreading rumors or planting gossip about someone is frequently used during elections. The only difference is that the political candidate's team plants stories among the media and online in order to cast their opponent in an unfavorable light.

Sometimes, these tactics are simply lies, other times they are partial truths. But the goal is the same and that is to cast doubt on another person's integrity and character.

Making Veiled Threats

While some politicians are very bold and direct in their bullying of other candidates, others are much more covert in their actions. They get their message across by making subtle threats that can later be explained away if someone calls them on it.

These threats might include everything from a subtle warning to an outrageous declaration of what might happen in the future. Threatening someone is an attempt to control the situation and is a very dangerous form of bullying.

The key to understanding bullying during elections is to recognize that political candidates are not above using the same bullying tactics that kids and teens use every day.

The problem is, they should be setting a better example than they are. 

How Kids Are Impacted

Research consistently shows that children and adolescents not only learn how to behave from watching television and viewing other types of media, but they also learn what is acceptable socially. Consequently, when kids see our nation's leaders bullying others, whether it is on television or online, they grow up thinking that this is an acceptable way to treat others, especially if they want to get to the top someday.

There also are some unintended consequences of election bullying. Here are the top three ways kids are impacted.

Political Bullying Causes Fear and Anxiety

According to an informal study conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the 2016 election year produced an alarming level of fear and anxiety among children. In fact, more than two-thirds of teachers surveyed report that students have expressed concerns over what might happen to them and their families after the 2016 election.

Moreover, a study conducted at Penn State shows that a child who witnesses bullying may have a hard time feeling safe even though they are not directly impacted by the actions of the bully.

The study's authors point out that witnessing bullying leads to a social mistrust that diminishes a child's faith in people and in society. While the Penn State study applied to witness bullying at school, many researchers believe that witnessing bullying in any arena would have the same impact.

Political Bullying Leads Kids to Mimic It

Countless studies show that children often mimic what they see on television. As a result, if political bullying helps future leaders gain votes or popularity, then a natural conclusion for some young people would be to use the same tactics to become popular at school. 

Meanwhile, the SPLC study reports that sometimes watching politicians will embolden students to use slurs, engage in name-calling and make inflammatory statements toward each other. And when confronted, they point to politicians doing the same thing as a justification for their actions.

Political Bullying Increases Bullying at School

The SPLC reports that more than half of those surveyed have seen an increase in uncivil political discussions during the 2016 election season.

In fact, teachers who participated in the SPLC study report an increase in bullying, harassment, and intimidation.

What's more, kids tend to use political statements or sentiments and repeat them at school, using them as weapons to harass and wound other students.

How to Cope

The key to reducing the impact of political bullying on kids is to be sure to put the actions of politicians in context for kids. Research suggests that when parents are involved with children and their television or online viewing habits, the impact of what they are watching is much less acute.

Talk to your kids about the bullying they see from political candidates. Point out what is wrong with the behavior and discuss how they should behave instead. 

Meanwhile, if you frequently discuss politics in your home or if you are a teacher discussing it in the classroom, use election time as a teaching tool about bullying. Also, monitor your own words.

While it is fine to express your personal views on any particular election, be sure you are respectful in doing so. And if you engage in political discussions online, avoid bullying others who do not agree with your views. Remember, kids are watching you for cues on how they should respond to and interpret political bullying.

KRC Research, Weber Shandwick. National Civility Survey . 2010.

Anti-Defamation League. The Link Between Political Rhetoric and Racial Bullying in School . 2019.

Wolke D, Lereya ST. Long-term effects of bullying . Arch Dis Child . 2015;100(9):879-885. doi:10.1136/archdischild-2014-306667

Lozano EB, Laurent SM. The effect of admitting fault versus shifting blame on expectations for others to do the same . PLoS ONE . 2019;14(3):e0213276. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0213276

Strasburger VC, Jordan AB, Donnerstein E. Health Effects of Media on Children and Adolescents . Pediatrics. 2010;125(4):756-767. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-2563

Costello MB. Southern Poverty Law Center. The Trump Effect: The Impact of the Presidential Campaign on Our Nation's Schools . 2016.

LaJeunesse S. PennState College of Education. Bullies and Bystanders . 2011.

Rodríguez-Hidalgo AJ, Calmaestra J, Casas JA, Ortega-Ruiz R. Ethnic-Cultural Bullying Versus Personal Bullying: Specificity and Measurement of Discriminatory Aggression and Victimization Among Adolescents . Front Psychol . 2019;10:46. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00046

Screen time and young children: Promoting health and development in a digital world . Paediatr Child Health . 2017;22(8):461-477. doi:10.1093/pch/pxx123

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StopBullying.gov. Get Help Now . Updated September 8, 2017.

By Sherri Gordon Sherri Gordon, CLC is a published author, certified professional life coach, and bullying prevention expert. 

Why bullying in politics is a matter of democracy

Lecturer, Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Sussex

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Rebecca Dobson Phillips receives funding from the ESRC. She is affiliated with the Green Party.

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Dominic Raab, the UK’s deputy prime minister, has become the latest figure in the government to be accused of bullying . Bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct are always serious matters. They can harm a victim’s personal and professional development and wellbeing, and create cultures of fear and intimidation. In political contexts, however, they have effects beyond personal health and institutional welfare.

The impact of bullying in political institutions has the potential to undermine liberal democracy itself. It can distort political representation, decision-making and the implementation of policies that affect the lives of the public.

When ministers bully civil servants there are clear consequences for the quality of governance. Ministers rely on civil servants to get the work of government done – a breakdown in this trust can have significant implications for society. As a civil servant stated in response to the bullying allegations levelled at Raab:

It’s shit for civil servants, but the overall culture is even shitter for the country.

Raab has denied these allegations.

The complaint that civil servants are vulnerable to bullying by ministers is a common one. Sir Gavin Williamson, former Cabinet Office minister, resigned at the beginning of November 2022 after denying allegations that he bullied civil servants and colleagues . The irony and potential hypocrisy involved in Williamson’s recent lead in the government’s anti-bullying campaign was not lost on the media, and his appointment resulted in reputational costs for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

In 2020 Priti Patel, the former home secretary, was also accused of bullying civil servants . Patel accepted the findings of a Cabinet Office inquiry into her behaviour and apologised . The Home Office paid £370,000 to settle a tribunal over her conduct, ultimately costing the tax payer.

However, there are broader social harms inflicted by bullying. Intimidation inhibits the ability of civil servants to speak truth to power and act impartially, affecting how well government policy is both formulated and implemented.

Bullying in parliament

In March 2022, an independent expert panel found John Bercow, former speaker of the House of Commons, to be a “serial bully and a liar” in relation to his behaviour towards House of Commons staff. MP Christina Rees lost the Labour whip in October 2022 for alleged bullying of constituency staff .

And Boris Johnson’s resignation as prime minister in July 2022 followed his handling of the Chris Pincher affair, when the deputy chief whip was accused of groping men. It emerged that Johnson had known about similar allegations but nevertheless appointed Pincher to a senior position of power and influence. Pincher subsequently quit as chief whip and apologised for his actions.

The power invested in the whips and its potential for abuse is well-known. In January 2022, William Wragg MP alleged that blackmail was being used by Conservative whips against his colleagues. And former Conservative MP Rory Stewart called the whole party system an “elective dictatorship”, with whips engaging in “blackmail and intimidation” to force party loyalty.

These tactics, while usually concealed within party machines, were highlighted in October 2022 during a “ chaotic fracking vote ”, in which Conservative Party whips allegedly “bullied and manhandled” MPs into backing former prime minister Liz Truss.

Why it matters

Multiple investigations over the years have confirmed that these are not isolated incidents but part of a wider culture . The impact this culture has on the freedom of debate, the representation of views, the quality of decision-making and the shape of public policy is impossible to quantify.

However, it’s clear that bullying can inhibit the ability of MPs and other parliamentary staff to represent their constituents and do their jobs effectively. Such behaviour is therefore a corrosive and even corrupting force in the political life of Westminster.

While anyone can be a victim of bullying, it is clear that it affects some groups more severely than others . In a political context, this can lead to a lack of representation of those more likely to be exposed to bullying, by undermining their willingness or ability to participate.

Allegations about sexual harassment in Westminster are common and overwhelmingly affect women. There are long-standing rumours about lists of bullies and sex-pests being circulated to new female MPs to help them avoid their advances. A culture that enables this kind of bullying can stymie the efforts and undermine the political aspirations of those subjected to it.

Despite earnest (if overdue) efforts , significant changes on paper, and some progress, institutional cultures interact with broader society and are notoriously difficult to change. Changing tolerance levels in parliament goes hand in hand with challenging tolerance for bullying and other forms of discrimination in society.

Evidence suggests that bullying has touched almost every kind of relationship in and around Westminster. This should alarm not only those concerned about the wellbeing of individuals but also those interested in the wellbeing of society, democracy, and our shared political future.

To counter bullying will take time, humility, and a clear signal from the top that these behaviours are not only unacceptable and personally harmful but also corrode liberal democratic institutions and values.

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• Conservative Party
• UK parliament
• Civil service
• Sexual misconduct

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154 Bullying Topics & Bullying Essay Examples

Looking for an exciting research topic about bullying? This problem is very controversial, sensitive, and definitely worth studying

🏆 Top 10 Bullying Topics for Research Papers

📃 bullying essay: writing tips, 🏆 best bullying topics to write about, ⚡ most shocking bullying topics to write about, ✅ simple & easy shocking bullying essay titles, ✍️ bullying essay topics for college, ❓ research questions about bullying.

Examples of bullying can be found everywhere: in schools, workplaces, and even on the Internet (in the form of cyberbullying).

In this article, we’ve collected top bullying research paper topics and questions, as well as bullying essay samples and writing tips. Get inspired with us!

• Direct and indirect bullying: compare & contrast
• The causes of bullying
• Classroom bullying and its effects
• Social isolation as a form of bullying
• Bullying and academic performance
• Passive and active victims of bullying: compare and contrast
• The role of social agencies in bullying prevention
• Public policy for bullying and aggression
• Bullying behavior and psychological health
• Aggressive children and their family background

A bullying essay is a popular assignment in various subjects, including psychology, sociology, and education. Writing an excellent paper on the matter requires more than just in-depth research and planning. Don’t worry; there are some tips that will make writing an essay on bullying much easier:

• Choose a topic that allows analyzing and interpreting the problem. Instead of merely describing what bullying is, try to dig deeper into its causes, consequences, and solutions. If your professor didn’t suggest any topics, you may research bullying essay topics online and select one that would be exciting for you to explore.
• Read sample articles and papers online to see how other students approached the subject. Notice the bits that work and don’t work, and write them out to make the process of creating your essay easier. If you’re struggling with finding enough examples online, you may want to expand your search to discrimination essay topics and materials.
• Research what scholars say about bullying. Articles in scholarly journals are an excellent source of information because they are usually trustworthy. If you’re still in school, your ability to navigate the library or online databases will also impress your tutor. As you start researching, you will find that there is a great variety of studies, and it’s challenging to find the relevant ones. Narrowing down your search would help you to do that. For instance, if you are writing a cyber bullying essay, try searching for social media bullying or online anti-bullying services.
• Include real-life experiences where relevant. Unfortunately, bullying is a common problem in many institutions, and if you haven’t experienced it, your friends or family members probably have. If your tutor allows personal input, explore real-life experiences with bullying. Note the effects, preventive measures that worked or didn’t work, and what a person used to cope with bullying. If personal input is not allowed, you could ask your friends or relatives for ideas and then find high-quality sources that discuss similar problems.
• If you can, be creative about it! A powerful bullying essay example draws from a variety of sources to present material in a creative way and engage readers. Hence, this might be an excellent opportunity for you to include images or graphs in your paper. For example, anti-bullying posters could complement the sections of your work that talks about solutions to the problem. Quotes about bullying coming from famous persons would also be influential, especially if you include them at the beginning of your piece. If you like drawing or painting, you could try to put some of your ideas in graphic form – this will definitely earn you some extra marks! Just make sure to check with your tutor to see whether or not creative input is allowed.
• Structure your paper well to avoid gaps or inconsistencies. It would be beneficial to create a detailed bullying essay outline before you start working. A typical essay should include an introduction, two to three main paragraphs, and a conclusion. The first paragraph of your work should consist of some background information, whereas the last one should restate the points and close up the paper. A good bullying essay introduction should also feature a thesis statement that shows what the piece is about.

These tips will help you to write top-notch essays on bullying, as well as on related subjects. Don’t forget to browse our blog some more to find other helpful materials, including essay titles!

• The Problem of Bullying and Possible Solutions In general, bullying is a critical and complex issue prevailing among children; thus, it is essential to adopt different solutions to tackle it.
• Cyber Bullying Issue Therefore, the goal of this paper is to analyse who the victims of cyber bullying are and the influence it has on them.
• Bullying and Child Development Bullying is one of the common vices in schools that influences a lot of growth and development of children. Bullying also affects the ability of children to concentrate in school because they are always on […]
• Bullying and Its Effects in Society Secondary research is critical in the development of a background to the research, which helps in determining the validity of the problem and suggested research methodologies.
• School Bullying and Moral Development The middle childhood is marked by the development of basic literacy skills and understanding of other people’s behavior that would be crucial in creating effective later social cognitions. Therefore, addressing bullying in schools requires strategies […]
• Social Influence on Bullying in Schools The theory helps us to understand why the stronger members of the school population are likely to “rule” over the weaker members of the school as described in the social hierarchy concept in the theory.
• The Impact of Workplace Bullying The negative impacts of bullying in the workplace develop as a result of ignorance among employees regarding the vice, unreported cases, as well as the negligence of organizational leaders.
• Is Cyber Bullying Against Teenagers More Detrimental Than Face-To-Face Bullying? Social networking has also contributed greatly to the issue of cyber bullying especially in making it more harmful as compared to face-to-face bullying.
• Cyber Bullying and Positivist Theory of Crime Learning theory approaches to the explanation of criminal behavior have been associated with one of the major sociological theories of crime, the differential association theory.
• Verbal Bullying at School: How It Should Be Stopped This paper highlights some of the best practices that can be used by teachers in order to address this problem. So, this information can be of great benefit to them.
• Social Psychological Concepts of Bullying and Its Types Some of the factors that contribute to bullying include poor parenting, economic challenges, lack of mentorship, and jealousy among others. One of the main concepts used to explain bullying is that of parenting roles and […]
• Bullying in School Face-to-face bullying is an interesting area of study because it clearly demonstrates bullying in school. Students consider bullying as a school culture even though it is contrary to the school rules and regulations of schools.
• Cyber-Bullying Is a Crime: Discussion It is easy to see the effects of cyber-bullying but it is hard to find out who is the bully making it hard for authorities to pin the blame on the perpetrator of a crime […]
• The Issue of Bullying in the Schools It gives me joy to know that the issue of bullying is now a pubic affair since bullying stories were unheard of when I was growing up.
• Bullying on Social Media Platforms It is consistent and repeating, taking advantage of the Internet’s anonymity with the main goal to anger, scare, or shame a victim.
• School Bullying: Causes and Police Prevention It is for this reason that there has been need for the intervention of the community and the government to address the issue of bullying schools lest the school environment becomes the worst place to […]
• Moral Development and Bullying in Children The understanding of moral development following the theories of Kohlberg and Gilligan can provide useful solutions to eliminating bullying in American schools.
• The Effects of Cyber-Bullying and Cyber-Stalking on the Society In particular, one should focus on such issues as the disrespect for a person’s autonomy, the growing intensity of domestic violence and deteriorating mental health in the country.
• The ABC Model of Crisis: Bullying at School The next step is the identification of the nature of the crisis, and thus questions are as follows: Who is bullying you?
• Fights and Bullying Among Middle School Learners Alongside the positivist philosophy, the research adopted the survey strategy that involved the use of self-administered questionnaires to collect from the participants.
• Problem of Childhood Bullying in Modern Society To begin with, the family which is the basic and the most important unit in the society as well as the primary socializing agent plays a major role in shaping behavior of children include bullying.
• Bullying and Harassment in the Healthcare Workplace This paper is written to explore the origins of discrimination and harassment in the healthcare workplace. Bullying begins early in medical college and residencies; it has been referred to as an element of the learning […]
• Workplace Bullying and Its Impact on Performance Workplace bullying refers to a deliberate, repeated, and continuous mistreatment of a worker or a group of workers by one or more colleagues in the workplace.
• Bullying and Cyberbullying in Modern Society Cyberbullying among adolescents and teenagers is defined as the purposeful and repetitive harm done by one or more peers in cyberspace as a result of using digital devices and social media platforms.
• Incivility, Violence, and Bullying in the Healthcare Workplace The following step is to gather the team and communicate the necessity of change, assigning some individuals for the positions related to the change, in other terms, a support team.
• Bullying as a Relational Aggression This resistance has been one of the obstacles to eliminating the cyber bullying in the schools. Schools and districts have been involved in the Challenge Day activities where children are advised on how to handle […]
• Bullying in the Workplace Organizational leaders have an ethical obligation to ensure that they deal with cases of bullying within the workplace in a professional manner that demonstrates equality, honesty, and high sensitivity to the needs of others.
• Cyber Bullying as a Virtual Menace The use of information and communication technologies to support a deliberate and most of the time repeated hostile behavior by an individual or groups of people with the sole intention of harming others, one is […]
• Character Traits of Bullying Despite the fact that such characteristics may differ from child to child, it is the common feature of difference that makes the target children get noticed by the bullies.
• Bullying in Schools: Worldwide Study and Survey The parents were asked to rate the frequency of the bullying that their children experience and to describe the experience of bullying that their children went through.
• The Essence of Bullying: Healthy Societal Relations The aggressor frequently abuses the victim’s lower social standing to gain control of the situation and cause harm, which is another characteristic of the phenomenon.
• Bullying: Violence in Children and Adolescents Bullying is one of the most common manifestations of peer violence in children and adolescents. Prevention of bullying, cyberbullying included, has to occur in accordance with the IBSE Standards of social and emotional learning.
• Bullying, Its Forms, and Counteractions In addition, it is necessary to support those at the center of this bullying, as this can protect them from harmful effects and consequences.
• Effective Ways to Deal With Bullying in US Schools Teachers should ensure the bully is aware of the improper behavior, why it is improper, and the repercussions of the behavior.
• The Gay Teen Suicide & Bullying The article explains that the ones who survive may have access to extensive facilities, support, and status beyond their world of bullies, which sounds reasonable for me.
• Bullying in Nursing: Preventive Measures The prevention of bullying within the workplace is the responsibility of the leaders and managers. One of the significant principles which the leaders can implement is the behavioral code for the employees.
• Network Bullying: School Policy Framework The first step is to have a careful conversation with the student and an assessment by the school psychologist to ensure that there is a fright.
• How to Reduce Bullying in Senior Facilities One of the main reasons an individual may commit suicide due to bullying is because it may make an individual develop a negative self-image after the bullying incident. Some of the major bullying incidences that […]
• Active Shooter and Nursing Bullying Nurses should lock all doors and use tables and other objects to reinforce them to prevent any possibility of the active shooter getting to the patients’ room.
• Racist Bullying Among Black Students in US Universities This research focuses on the impact of bullying and racism among African American students in the country. What are the impacts of bullying and racism among Black students in U.S.universities?
• Bullying and Autism Spectrum Disorder In fact, bullying as a social phenomenon can be characterized as a social and interaction issue; therefore, it is possible to analyze the connection between autism and acts of bullying and inappropriate behavior.
• Eliminating the Problem of Online Bullying Eliminating the problem of online bullying is vital for improving the mental health of adolescents and young adults and allowing them to build their lives free of adverse external influences. It is possible to see […]
• Sexual Bullying in Schools and Its Influence The author states the difference in the mental and physical maturation of girls and boys as one of the core roots of the issue.
• Bullying in Healthcare and Its Consequences Nancy was big and the manager used that to tease her every opportunity she got. It was important to confront the bully and support the victim.
• Queer (LGBT) Teenage Bullying at School The importance of this source to the research is associated with the significant role that youth organizations have to play towards minimizing bullying among LGBT students.
• Bullying of Children: Misconceptions and Preventive Measures As a result, the density of shows and articles devoted to bullying creates an illusion that this event appears more often than it does in reality.
• Bullying Behavior and Impact of Hegemonic Masculinity Rosen and Nofziger applied a quantitative research design to explore the relationships between students’ bullying experiences and race, age, and socioeconomic status and identify the frequency of bullying.
• Bullying and Incivility in Clinical Setting The problem of bullying and incivility in a clinical setting can negatively affect the quality of care provided, so it needs to be managed.
• Bullying and Its Influences on a Person It is common for victims of bullying to develop mental health issues, as they were placed in stressful situations and had a constant fear along with depression in some cases. Making friends is one of […]
• Overview of the Problem of Bullying Undoubtedly, there is no way each person would be able to share and divide their opinion with everyone else because people are not identical, and they tend to have various perspectives.
• “Bullying in Schools”: The Aspects of Bullying In their article, Menesini and Salmivalli examine the current state of knowledge on the topic and thoroughly discuss all of the aspects of bullying.
• Analysis of Bullying and Parenting Style Since the given topic usually refers to children and adolescents, it is evident that their parents hold a portion of responsibility because the adults affect the growth and development of young individuals.
• Hate Crimes – Bullying More than two-thirds of children and adolescents experience bullying and more than one-fourth of them report extreme forms of coercion.
• Bullying Management: Mass Awareness Program Bulletin.”Teachers, trained to help to rebuild trust, confidence, growth, and commitment through mass awareness to arrest bullying in high schools”. The proposed mass action program is meant to promote awareness on the need to stop […]
• An Anti-Bullying Program Integrated With PRAISE by Ackerman I chose to describe bullying because of the importance of the topic and due to my personal interest in it. Education will eliminate most of the reasons for bullying and provide students with the E […]
• Bullying Through Social Media: Methods An Informed Consent Document will be provided to participants prior to the research, explaining the purpose of the study and promising to protect their identity.
• Bullying Through Social Media: Research Proposal The hypothesis of the study is as follows: the role of adolescents in a cyberbullying situation is interconnected with their psychological characteristics.
• Bullying Through Social Media In particular, inequality in the position of the persecutor and the victim is evident – the aggressor can be anonymous, and there can be many of them.
• Bullying of Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic Then, the principles of adult learning will be used to develop and implement an information product to improve the nursing workforce’s bullying awareness and the knowledge of healthy conflict resolution in the workplace.
• Bullying in Healthcare Organizations: Impact on Nursing Practice Bullying in business entities is a common phenomenon, but the extent of its influence on the “production process” in healthcare and medicine institutions is only beginning to be recognized.
• Workplace Bullying Among Nurses in the Acute Setting Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the frequency of conflicts between nurses and their colleagues and managers has increased significantly in my workplace.
• Bullying Perpetration Among School-Aged Children Mucherah et al.examined how the school climate and teachers’ sanctions against bullying relate to the risk of becoming a victim or perpetrator of bullying.
• Programming for a Year 5 Class on Bullying As a result, in Lesson 6, they will offer their project addressing bullying behaviour and present it to their class, which is the main aim of the Unit Plan.
• Injury and Violence Prevention: – Bullying The aim of preventing injury and violence from bullying is to enable the student to have a healthy social and physical life that will enable them to perform well in their studies and live healthily.
• Cyber-Bullying vs. Traditional Bullying: Its Psychological Effects The researchers presented the recent statistics in order to illustrate the negative social and psychological effects of cyber-bullying in contrast to the traditional bullying in schools.
• Bullying in the Workplace Old Nurse to New Nurse This unvoiced scourge in nursing is characteristically encouraged by the need of bullies to have a total control of a person. Resignation of nurses due to bullying can lead to shortage of nurses in hospitals.
• Bullying and Peer Abuse Especially at work, targets fear coming to work and this will have an adverse result in the efficiency of the staff in the hospital.
• Bullying in the Nursing Workplace Bullying in the nursing workplace, in this case, causes the one bullied to have a feeling of defenselessness and takes away the nurses’ right to dignity at his or her workplace.
• Cyberbullying and Bullying: Similarities While deciding on fitting and balanced sanctions, it is vital to reflect on the ways in which cyberbullying events differ in effect in comparison to other forms of bullying.
• Protection From Bullying: Methods That Work Because of this, it is vital that parents, teachers, and guardians educate themselves on the nature of bullying and work together to develop effective methods and strategies that would help to overcome the problem.
• Psychology: Social Media and Bullying The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issue of social media and bullying and express the author’s opinion on the matter.
• Bullying of LGBTQ Students in American Schools The chosen article focuses on the issue of bullying of LGBTQ students in American schools and its legal repercussions. The author shows that students who are openly gay or bi, as well as those who […]
• Workplace Bullying and Its Impact on People and Society The paper follows a traditional structure with the introduction and body paragraphs that provide essential information devoted to the problem, and improve the understanding of the concept of bullying.
• “Bullying Behavior Among Radiation Therapists” by Johnson and Trad The literature review encompassed a considerable number of sources pertinent to the study and recent enough to be relevant; all the publications were dated within the last fifteen years.
• Human Rights Issues in Australia: Bullying Among School-Going Age and Young People The focus of the topic of the day is on bullying. It is used to prevent or avoid the occurrence of a bullying experience.
• Bullying and Worker’s Harassment in Western Australia In most of the armed services in Australia, new recruits and women are commonly the victims of bullying and harassment despite the fact that it is unacceptable.
• Aggression and Bullying in the Workplace Investigation Aggression, the effects of which are often equated with the death wish, is an instinct like any other and in natural conditions, it helps just as much as any other to ensure the survival of […]
• Bullying: History and Mechanisms for Prevention Students are encouraged to not participate in bullying and to help prevent bullying of others through positive social reactions to incidences of bullying” and Sharing of Scenarios: “Each group will give feedback and share other […]
• Behaviour Management: Bullying The typical behaviors which I saw in the child who got bullied are: The victim of this bullying is physically weak and a soft-natured one.
• Conflict Resolution Tactics and Bullying This study is interesting to the extent that it shows how the social environment impacts the development of a child and how it shapes his or her conflict resolution techniques.
• School Bullying: Case Analysis Even today there is no generally accepted definition of bullying but it is thought that when an individual is for a long period of time is exposed to repeat negative actions and behavior by one […]
• Bullying in the Workplace as a Psychological Harassment Another form of bullying in the workplace is physical assault in the sense that if the workers are not at ease with each other and when the rules and regulations are not at all observed, […]
• “Adolescents’ Perception of Bullying” by Frisen et al. The second and the third aims of the study were “to describe how adolescents perceive bullies” and “to describe what adolescents believe to be important in order to stop bullying”, respectively.
• The Long Term Effects of Bullying in Elementary School Wolke and Lereya argue that the problem is that the majority of studies on bullying are cross-sectional and only use follow-ups after a short period of time.
• Anti-Bullying and Work Quality Improvement Initiative Given the specifics of the work of nurses, conflicts of this kind negatively affect both the whole process of work and the health of patients in particular.
• Workplace Bullying, Salivary Cortisol and Long-Term Sickness Absence The purpose of this cohort-based study was to investigate the extent to which cortisol levels were associated with sickness absence and the relationships between workplace bullying and sickness absence through the prism of cortisol use.
• Workplace Bullying in Australia It is possible to offer several recommendations that can reduce the risk of bullying in organisations. In this case, more attention should be paid to the absence of mechanisms that can protect the victims of […]
• Domestic Violence and Bullying in Schools It also states the major variables related to bullying in schools. They will confirm that social-economic status, gender, and race can contribute to bullying in schools.
• Staff Training as a Solution to Workplace Bullying Furthermore, it has an appeal to logos as the writer has facts about the prevalence of workplace bullying in the USA.
• The “Bully-Free” Initiative: Bullying in Education The students need to have a clear idea that bullying goes against the rules of the school and which actions may be considered bullying.
• Free Speech vs. Bullying Laws One of the topical aspects of modern democracy is the freedom of speech expressed in an ability to come up with personal ideas and the lack of restrictions on the right of expression through publicity.
• Gender and Bullying Issues in Nursing A lack of tolerance for workplace harassment and bullying is likely to lead to the deterioration of the situation and further misunderstanding and tension in an organization.
• Bullying and Cyberbullying Among Peers They are facing the dilemma of how to react, whether they have to fight a superior force of the enemy or to complain to teachers and parents, undermining their reputation.
• Bullying in Schools and Its Major Reasons As of now, the most important goal in research studies covering the topic of bullying in schools is to understand the mechanisms behind bullying promotion and prevention.
• Bullying Prevention Programs Some teachers and professors claim that their students cannot show their potential in their hobbies due to the limitations they experience because of bullies around them. As it is mentioned above, educators do not control […]
• Bullying and Its Impact Thus, the current paper is dedicated to the issue of bullying and its effects as well as anti-bullying practices as related to peer victimization.
• Dealing With Workplace Bullying According to the report presented by the University of Louisville, workplace bullying is a repeated action of one employee or a group of employees towards another individual or group. Dealing with bullying in the workplace […]
• Bullying Policies in Walton School District and Georgia University The sample bullying policy language in Walton School District is very similar to the language in the policy of the University of Georgia.
• Amanda Todd’s Bullying and Suicide Story She was fifteen years old, and her story created a major uproar in the press, as it showed the true nature of bullying and the effects it has on the person.
• Bullying in America: Causes and Prevention That is why it is important to pay attention to the reasons why bullying occurs and ways in which it can be reduced.
• Bullying, Facts and Countermeasures Whether it is the bully or the bullied, the parents will need to do a lot to see to it that their children are brought up in the best of the behaviors.
• Bullying as Social and Criminal Deviance The most important step in the student’s guide to research that I would need to analyze bullying is defining the topic.
• Bullying and Legislation in Australian Workplace According to the authors of the article, workplace bullying can be characterized as internal violence. According to the authors of the article, bullying is a widespread phenomenon and is a common attribute of many organizations.
• Bullying at Australian School: Causes and Solution The technological breakthrough that was witnessed in the late 90s and the early 2000s also contributed to the development of the phenomenon, sparking the concepts such as cyberbullying and online bullying.
• Workplace Bullying in The Playground Never Ends The primary reason for becoming a bully is primarily seen in fear to lose authority or formal positions in an organization and have more institutional power than that of the targets.
• Bullying and Suicide in High Schools The main limitation of this research is that the scholars surveyed the victims more often. The victims of cyberbullying also had a tendency to be depressed and contemplate suicide.
• School-Aged Children’ Bullying Behaviors It is due to this that the work of Janssen et al.sought to show just how potentially damaging this behavior could be and the potential psychological repercussions it could have on young children due to […]
• College Students: Suicide and Bullying-Methods The analysts used this tool to report the mood of the participants by posting quizzes, which the students answered while filling the questionnaire.
• Childhood Bullying and Adulthood Suicide Connection In this regard, the seriousness of the issue is depicted in research results that indicate that at least 50% of children and youth in the US have experienced bullying situations as either bullies or victims […]
• Girl-To-Girl Bullying and Mean Stinks Program The positive results can be achieved by the implementation of the multiple educational programs, the increase in public awareness, and promotion of the values of the healthy relationships.”Mean Stinks” is exactly the program with the […]
• Association of Parenting Factors With Bullying The lack of the parental support is the main cause of students’ deviant behaviors at school, including the cases of bullying, and those parents who pay much attention to developing their career cannot provide the […]
• The Problem of Workplace Bullying In particular, this paper will include the discussion of the research articles, reports and case studies that describe the causes of workplace bullying and the strategies used by companies in an effort to overcome it.
• College Students: Suicide and Bullying The misconception that bullying is a minor issue among college students has contributed to the high number of students who suffer because of bullying.
• Homosexual Students and Bullying Specifically, the section addresses the prevalence of bullying in schools and the level of bullying in bisexuals, gay males, and lesbians.
• Social Psychology of Violence and Bullying in Schools Bullying is a common phenomenon in schools and it is reported that it results in violence in learning institutions in the end.
• Bullying and Suicide: The Correlation Between Bullying and Suicide Nonetheless, the extensive research shows that the correlation exists and bullying is one of the risk factors for development of suicidal ideas in adolescents.
• Nature of Bullying In this paper, central focus is going to be on the nature of bullying of children in my hometown, Orlando Florida, how it can be solved, and most importantly; establishing the importance of having knowledge […]
• Cyber Bullying Reduction Program Table of Activities Activity Significance Assembling parents/guardians, students and teachers to announce and explain the program in the institution To enlighten parents/guardians, students and teachers about the rules and regulation enacted due to the threat […]
• Cyber Bullying Prevention in Learning Institutions: Systematic Approach To start with, the students are provided with ways of reporting their concern to the educational institution, and when the staff members of the institution receive the report, they evaluate the information together with the […]
• Discouraging and Eliminating Cyber Bullying Resources Role of the resource/input Statement forms To facilitate information transfer to the staff Counseling Personnel To arm students against the problem Bullying report system To create efficient internet enhance report system Regulation implementation documents […]
• School Bullying: Methods for Managing the Problem The investigation of relevant studies on the methods for stopping school bullying reveals that the most effective ways of eliminating this type of behavior include providing training for teachers, encouraging students to participate in the […]
• High School Bullying Effective Responses Emphasis will also be made on the kind of audience to read this article because the contents of this study need to be at par with other similar articles in the journal to be selected.
• Bullying and Suicide Among Teenagers Specific objectives Analyze the causes of bullying among teenagers in the country Analyze the effects of bullying among victims, perpetrators and by-standers Analyze the relationship between bullying in school and suicide among teenagers in the […]
• Social Bullying in Jeff Cohen’s “Monster Culture” It is clear that his part of character is mostly dominant in the childhood stages, as children are not able to develop a sense of morality and predict the consequences of their actions.
• Cyber Bullying and Its Forms The difference between the conventional way of bullying and cyber bullying is that in conventional bullying, there is contact between the bully and the victim.
• Problem of Workplace Bullying Authority intervention should occur when the employees fail to respond to awareness intervention, and thus decide to continue with their behaviors.
• Problem of the Managing Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace Employees in an organization have a specific role that they are supposed to play and this means that there might be shortcomings which should not lead to bullying.
• Does Bullying Cause Emotional Problems? However, the current study was relevant because of this design, for the scope of the study covered as well as the results were accurate, and the conclusions drawn were correct.
• Ban High School Bullying A number of stakeholders contribute to the high prevalence of bullying in American schools. Schools that ignore bullying are a big part of the problem and they need to be held accountable.
• The Problem of Bullying While most states in the United States of America have laws to protect people from bullying, the federal government is yet to enact an anti-bullying law.
• Ethical Case: Facebook Gossip or Cyberbullying? The best option to Paige is to apologize publicly and withdraw her comments. The final stage is to act and reflect the outcome of the choice made.
• Bullying on the Rise: Should Federal Government Enact Federal-Bullying Laws? This paper will thus use both primary and secondary data to discuss the prevalence of bullying in schools and whether the federal govern should enact federal laws to curb the social vice at school.
• Bullying in the Schools Furthermore, the law states that training should be done to the teachers as well as the other members of staff on how to deal with bullying and the law also needs the schools to report […]
• Troubled Adolescent due to Bullying His lowered self-esteem would make him to observe the common behaviours of the older boys quietly and accept the situation as a cultural practice.
• Workplace bullying: does it exist?
• What are the three key elements of bullying?
• How does bullying affect those who observe it?
• Direct and indirect bullying: what is the difference?
• What families do bullies typically come from?
• Aggressive children: what is their future?
• How to prevent bullying in schools?
• School bullying and domestic violence: is there a connection?
• Cyberbullying: how to prevent it?
• What can parents do to prevent their children from bullying?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Media-Driven Political Controversies May Increase Bullying

Divisive political issues are correlated with an uptick in bias-based bullying..

Posted May 15, 2019

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Bias -based bullying among youth increases when controversial voter referendums (e.g., marriage equality) arouse divisive political discourse and receive polarizing media coverage before a statewide election, according to a new study. This paper, " Proposition 8 and Homophobic Bullying in California, " was published online May 13 in the journal Pediatrics .

Stephen Russell , chair of the Human Development and Family Sciences Department at The University of Texas at Austin, was the senior author of the paper. Mark Hatzenbuehler , associate professor of sociomedical sciences and sociology at Columbia University, was the paper's first author.

For this study, Russell and Hatzenbuehler—along with co-authors Yishan Shen of Texas State University and Elizabeth Vandewater of UT Austin—used a quasi-experimental design to compare rates of homophobic bullying before and after the statewide voter referendum in California known as, " Proposition 8: Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry (2008) ."

The researchers found that homophobic bullying peaked in the months leading up to the "Prop 8" vote but declined after the November 8, 2008 election, when widespread media coverage of the " same-sex marriage" debate subsided. As the authors explain, "This research provides some of the first empirical evidence that public campaigns that promote stigma may confer risk for bias-based bullying among youth."

More specifically, Russell and colleagues found that the rate of homophobic bullying increased from 7.6 percent during the 2001-02 school year to 10.8 percent in the 2008-09 school year when the Proposition 8 referendum was on everybody's mind.

This uptick in homophobic bullying among California students between 2001 and 2009 is noteworthy because trends for other types of bullying associated with race or ethnicity , religion, and gender all declined during the same period. The good news: After peaking in 2008-2009, the rate of homophobic bullying in California has steadily decreased over the past decade.

The researchers also examined the potential impact of school initiatives designed to prevent bullying and bias. Notably, they found that rates of homophobic bullying in schools that had a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club were lower during the 2008-2009 school year.

"Public votes and voter referendums on the rights of minority groups occur in approximately half of U.S. states," Hatzenbuehler said in a press release. "Our findings suggest that the public discourse surrounding these votes may increase risk for bias-based bullying."

An accompanying commentary about this new study, titled, " LGBT Policy Discourse and Prevention of Homophobic Bullying ," was also published online in the May 13 issue of Pediatrics . In this commentary, Valerie Earnshaw (who was not involved in the original study) and her co-authors write:

"It has been theorized that public campaigns that promote stigma act as contextual and ecological factors that drive bias-based bullying among youth, which, evidence reveals, results in lasting psychological and physical harm. Yet to date, research on associations between these public campaigns that promote stigma and rates of bias-based bullying has been limited. In their innovative article, “Proposition 8 and Homophobic Bullying in California,” Hatzenbuehler et al. address this critical gap in the literature."

In a statement, Stephen Russell concluded, "Policies and campaigns related to bathroom bills or immigration—these can be concerning in how they affect the health and well-being of youth. The public health consequences of these very contentious and media-driven discussions are more important than we knew." He also said, "The data are telling us that straight kids are getting bullied for this, too. It's all about what the bullies perceive."

After reading the press release about this new study on Proposition 8 and homophobic bullying in California that was published online yesterday in Pediatrics , I was curious to learn more from Stephen Russell about his team's research. In an email, I asked Russell these questions:

Christopher Bergland : How can adult political activists—who self-identify as belonging to a marginalized group but are no longer in school or subject to bias-based bullying among youth—most effectively advocate for government policy changes in the public arena while simultaneously minimizing the risk of triggering a backlash that might harm younger members of their group during heated "us against them" policy debates on social media and other media platforms?

Stephen Russell : This is a great point: Any form of visibility might create backlash. Yet the issue here is not that people are advocating for their rights, but that a group was being specifically targeted. The debates about Proposition 8 were based in limiting marriage – and the rhetoric was based on longstanding tropes of homophobia. So I would say that advocating for your own rights or the rights of other marginalized people is not the same as working to maintain a status quo that excludes some people.

CB : Did your research identify any ways to defuse potential antagonism between " ingroups and outgroups " (e.g., straight students vs. LGBTQ students) when " Proposition 8: Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry (2008 )" was a hot-button voter referendum topic in California?

SR : Unfortunately we can’t answer those questions with these data. Questions about homophobic bullying have been asked in the California Healthy Kids Survey for more than 15 years – but only for the last few years has the survey included a question about LGBTQ identities. So one point about this study is that we don’t know whether youth who report homophobic bullying are LGBTQ themselves – but other studies show that many straight youth experience homophobic bullying.

CB : Can you elaborate on the data from your research that identified an increase of homophobic bullying before the Proposition 8 vote, but also showed that straight kids were getting bullied as a result of this LGBTQ-related policy discourse? What were some of the dynamics surrounding straight students in California being bullied around the time of the Prop 8 voter referendum regarding marriage equality in 2008?

SR : Just based on the sheer numbers, the spike in homophobic bullying undoubtedly included straight students as well as LGBTQ students. One of the things we have known for a long time is that anti-LGBTQ slurs are common in many schools, and “fag” is a catch-all insult for boys in middle and high school. It isn’t a surprise to me that those forms of bullying or harassment increased – for LGBTQ as well as straight students – during the time of heightened public debates about marriage for same- sex couples.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Did the Media-Driven Controversies Relating to ACT UP (circa 1989) Create Unintended Short-Term Harm to LGBTQ Youth?

The latest study on the uptick in homophobic bullying associated with media coverage of same-sex marriage legislation caused me to question if my political activism with ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) 30 years ago may have had any unintended adverse consequences for gay teens during that era of intense stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. The final section of this post is a first-person narrative that reevaluates possible ripple effects of my political activism three decades ago through the lens of the latest research by Hatzenbuehler et al., 2019 .

In the late 1980s and early '90s, I was a vocal member of ACT UP New York . Our motto was "Silence = Death." We were fighting for our lives via nonviolent civil disobedience and took to the streets to protest/advocate for government policies that would address the epidemic and fund HIV/AIDS research. During this Reagan era of politics , HIV and AIDS were highly stigmatized; most national politicians wouldn't even say these acronyms.

Although I'm unaware of any research on adverse ripple effects created by ACT UP, I realize now, after reading the new paper " Proposition 8 and Homophobic Bullying in California ," (2019) that our outspokenness and media-savvy "gay rights" activism may have created an uptick in bullying among youth, especially in zip codes outside of Manhattan.

ACT UP protests (along with our posters, buttons, and T-shirts) were consciously designed and "marketed" with slick graphics to make headlines in the local and national news and to stir up controversial media buzz that brought awareness to our life-or-death mission. For example, on December 11, 1989, the New York Times reported, " 111 Held in St. Patricks AIDS Protest ," about ACT UP's Die-In that shut down Fifth Avenue traffic in front of the cathedral on the Upper East Side.

As a public health advocate and political activist, learning about the increase of bullying among marginalized youth when a controversial voter referendum puts their stigmatized group in the media spotlight creates a conundrum. One might ask: Is it worth it to vehemently fight for equal rights in a media-driven way, if you end up hurting a younger generation of people you're actually trying to help by putting these potentially divisive issues in heavy rotation on FOX, CNN, or MSNBC?

As a former ACT UP member, this study caused part of my mind to momentarily question our media-driven methodology. A little voice in my head asked, "Should we have refrained from using guerrilla marketing and politically-charged Gran Fury graphic-based campaigns or artwork by Keith Haring (1958-1990) designed to raise awareness, push people's buttons, and propel ACT UP's mission into the national media spotlight?" After a half-second of thought, my answer to this question is a resounding, "No! The masterminds of ACT UP did a brilliant job."

In the short-term, ACT UP may have created some unintended ripple effects that unwittingly hurt members of the local and global gay communities who were in vulnerable situations at the time. But in the long run, if we'd stayed silent, it seems that many more people would have died from AIDS-related complications over the past 30 years. Ultimately, the ACT UP movement moved gay rights forward for future generations—much like the Stonewall Riots in New York City did for the international gay community 50 years ago.

The latest findings about homophobic bullying in California during Proposition 8 have unearthed community-based collectives that seem to reduce bias-based bullying during media-driven political controversies. In particular, school initiatives that promote intermingling between ingroups and marginalized outgroups (e.g., GSA clubs ) can help to safeguard LGBTQ+ students and reduce bias-based bullying.

If you are interested in joining a GSA network in your state, visit the National Association of GSA Networks .

Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, Yishan Shen, Elizabeth A. Vandewater, and Stephen T. Russell. "Proposition 8 and Homophobic Bullying in California." Pediatrics (First published online: May 13, 2019) DOI: 10.1542/peds.2018-2116

Commentary by Valerie A. Earnshaw, Camila M. Mateo, and Sari L. Reisner. "LGBT Policy Discourse and Prevention of Homophobic Bullying." Pediatrics (First published online: May 13, 2019) DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-0903

Christopher Bergland is a retired ultra-endurance athlete turned science writer, public health advocate, and promoter of cerebellum ("little brain") optimization.

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How to Handle Political Posts on Facebook

Sherri Gordon, CLC is a published author, certified professional life coach, and bullying prevention expert. She's also the former editor of Columbus Parent and has countless years of experience writing and researching health and social issues.

Adah Chung is a fact checker, writer, researcher, and occupational therapist. 

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• Why Political Talk Can Be Stressful

The Impact of the 2016 Election

• Effects of Social Media

Tips for Discussing Politics on Facebook

Do you ever get tired of political posts on Facebook? Everyone has one—that Facebook friend who posts obnoxious and sometimes offensive political statements, articles, and memes every day, multiple times a day. You know—that friend with a strong opinion about anything and everything political.

The increased negativity in political discussions is one reasons why many people are increasing tired of seeing political posts on Facebook and other social media sites. Civil discussions can be an opportunity to learn more about other people's experiences and opinions as long as they occur at the right time and place.

At a Glance

Feeling sick of all the hostility, name-calling, and bullying is normal. Patience can help (up to a point), but you may find that you need to scan, ignore, move on, or sometimes even block certain posters who just can't seem to keep their conversations polite.

Why Discussing Politics on Facebook Can Be Stressful

Even if you agree with their political views, you cringe at the inflammatory way they state their opinions. If you find yourself in this situation, you are not alone. In fact, unfriending someone for their political views is fairly common.

According to a study by Pew Research Center, nearly 20% of social media users have blocked, unfriended or hidden someone because of their political posts online.  

This fact should not be surprising. Civility in politics has been decreasing for a long time, and many people seem to be losing patience with the rhetoric.

A representative survey by the Pew Research Center found that 85% of American adults believe the overall tone of political conversations and debates has become increasingly negative in recent years.

Much of this increase in online bullying , shaming, and political bullying has to do with the changing culture and the ability to insult others on the Internet. These insults are often made through the use of blogs, social media, and more.

Consequently, it is not surprising that people have become much freer with their use of words. This has become painfully apparent in recent years as religious and political disagreements become more and more volatile.

While many people have embraced the freedom that social media provides, just as many are simply fed up.

While research suggested that negativity had been on the decline in the years before the 2016 election, the divisive political race appears to have become a turning point in the tone of U.S. politics. During the 2016 election, both candidates engaged in name-calling and other bullying tactics.

For instance, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton called people who supported the Republican presidential nominee "deplorables," and said they were irredeemable. Meanwhile, Trump labeled Clinton a "nasty woman" and called her "Crooked Hillary."

Even the supporters of each candidate engaged in bullying tactics. On social media, Clinton supporters shamed Trump supporters by calling them racists, homophobes, xenophobes, and other labels. On the Republican side, supporters yelled "Build that wall," chanted "Lock her up" at rallies and posted similar sentiments online.

A 2023 study concluded that the tone of U.S. politics became more negative during the 2016 campaigns. The study involved analyzing the tone of 24 million quotes attributed to U.S. politicians during the 2016 election.

The results indicated that the tone across all parties became increasingly negative. However, the study also found that this effect dropped by 40% when Donald Trump's quotes were omitted—suggesting that certain prominent speakers were disproportionately responsible for the rise in negative language. 

There is no doubt that the campaigning and debates in 2016 ignited tempers, unlike any other presidential race, has done. And while there has always been some mudslinging during elections, the 2016 election was much more volatile, much more personal.

How Social Media Has Affected Political Discourse

Many believe that passionate disagreements are far more prevalent because of the ease and influence of social media. Moreover, social media empowers people to say things they would never say to someone's face. Much of this concerns the fact that they can hide behind a computer screen.

As a result, during the election season, people on social media were not just ranting about how much they disliked the candidates. In many cases, they also took it a step further.

They also ranted about how much they disliked anyone who might support an opposing candidate, often engaging in name-calling, shaming, labeling, and sometimes even threats of violence. It was cyberbullying at its worst.

And while most would argue that people have a right to speak their minds, is bullying through social media really free speech? Most would argue that, in some ways, the mean-spirited posts, the labeling, and the name-calling actually silence free speech.

It creates a hostile political climate where people avoid saying what they really think for fear of being judged or labeled.​

Research suggests that self-censorship has increased in recent years. Many worry that sharing unpopular opinions will alienate others and lead to social isolation.

Additionally, when people do not talk about their views or why they believe a certain way, they start to make assumptions about what others believe. This often causes them to think that they are being judged. They also assume that people are displeased with them or disagree with them.

Yet, they have never talked about what they genuinely believe or asked why their friends believe the way they do. As a result, there is a lot of hostility and frustration based solely on assumptions.

Why People Share Political Posts

So why are people so eager to share their pressing political opinions in such a public way? Political discussions do have the power to shift opinions, and people may feel more compelled to share their opinions (and attempt to change the minds of others) when they think that the subject is morally urgent. It's why hot-button, often controversial issues often draw more attention than topics that are likely to affect your day-to-day life.

If you are someone that would rather see posts about a person's dinner than their monologue about a political candidate, here are some sure-fire ways to navigate the lack of digital etiquette  on Facebook without losing your sanity.

Take a Minute

When it comes to social media, it is easy to fire off a response before you really think about it. Resist the urge to react instead of respond. Slow down and take a minute. Scroll past the post and read something else. The goal is to avoid posting something equally inflammatory and then later regretting it.

Remember, even if you delete your comment later, you can never truly make it go away. So put on the brakes.

A thoughtful response, or even no response at all, is a much better approach in the long run.

Not only does asking why allow for greater understanding, but it also broadens your own perspective. Just be sure to ask in a way that doesn't put your friend on the defensive.

You don't want them to feel like they have to justify their feelings to you. Instead, keep the focus on the issues.

Additionally, it might be best to have this type of conversation offline and in person. This way, you can actually see the emotions they are expressing rather than trying to assume you know by interpreting their words.

A lot of interpretation is lost online. It is risky to assume you know what someone is feeling when all you have to go on are a few typed words.

If you do not understand why a friend feels so strongly, ask them. Find out how this impacts their life. Sometimes it helps to view the world through a different lens.

Ignore, Scan, or Move On

Sometimes the best way to deal with cringe-worthy political posts is to simply scan through them and move on, especially if the post is simply a rant laced with name-calling and labeling. An even better option is to ignore them altogether.

Remember, you cannot control what your Facebook friend posts online. And you probably won't be able to change their mind or even get them to see your side of things. But you can control how you respond.

If reading their posts irritates you, ruins your day, or causes you anxiety, then it is healthier for you to ignore them. Do not allow another person's blanket bullying statements to impact you and your day.

Utilize the Hide or Block Options

Fortunately, Facebook offers some options for dealing with the deluge of political bullying that takes place online. One option is to "hide" or snooze your friend. With this option, you remain friends but you no longer see their posts in your newsfeed.

Many people appreciate this option because they do not want the drama of unfriending someone online, but they also do not want to see their blatantly inappropriate posts any longer, either.

Of course, the other option is to unfriend the person and even block them from friending you again. This option should only be used in extreme cases where you no longer hope to have contact or a relationship with the person.

It is very hard to salvage a friendship once you have unfriended or blocked them on Facebook.

Remember Who You're Dealing With

If you are friends with this person online, chances are you have some sort of relationship with the person. So when you see something that is unsettling, take a step back and look at the big picture.

Is your friend going through a tough time right now? Could these political posts have something to do with a bigger issue in their life?

Try to be empathetic and remember why you are friends with this person in the first place. However, if your friend's political views define who they are is as a person and it gets under your skin, you have some evaluating to do. Is this person a toxic friend that you should avoid, or is their friendship worth an effort ?

Set Some Limits

 If you find yourself getting too worked up about other people's political posts and subtle bullying online, it might be a good idea to take a break. You need to protect yourself from the negative feelings these posts create in you. As a result, you may want to limit the time you spend on Facebook or take a break from it altogether.

Or maybe the answer is to avoid engaging in any political discussions online.

If you find that you absolutely have to say something in response to all the negativity online, consider journaling your responses but then never posting them. In this way, you have released your frustration by formulating a response, but you have not offended anyone (or ticked off your employer) by actually posting it.

Check Your Answers

Remember, there are a lot of unsubstantiated articles and information online. Make sure that if you do post a response to a political post, your post is factual and can be verified.

You don't want to contribute to the plethora of misinformation and conspiracy theories that are floating around on Facebook. Ensure that your post is factual, accurate, and not offensive.

Remember that your goal should become a conscientious poster, not just someone who shares sensationalized stories because of their shock value.

The last thing you want to do is to become just like your obnoxiously political friend. After all, you need to protect your online reputation.

Rainie L, Smith A. Social networking sites and politics . Pew Research Center. 2012.

Pew Research Center. Public highly critical of state of political discourse in the U.S .

Külz J, Spitz A, Abu-Akel A, Günnemann S, West R. United States politicians' tone became more negative with 2016 primary campaigns .  Sci Rep . 2023;13(1):10495. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-36839-1

Smirnova M. Small hands, nasty women, and bad hombres: hegemonic masculinity and humor in the 2016 presidential election . Socius . 2018;4:237802311774938. doi:10.1177/2378023117749380

Olaniran B, Williams I. Social media effects: Hijacking democracy and civility in civic engagement .  Platforms, Protests, and the Challenge of Networked Democracy . 2020;77-94. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-36525-7_5

Menzner J, Traunmüller R. Subjective freedom of speech: Why do citizens think they cannot speak freely ? Polit Vierteljahresschr . 2023;64(1):155-181. doi:10.1007/s11615-022-00414-6

Gibson JL, Sutherland JL. Keeping your mouth shut: Spiraling self-censorship in the United States . Political Science Quarterly . 2023;138(3):361-376. doi:10.1093/psquar/qqad037

Eriksson K, Vartanova I, Strimling P. How does political discussion frequency impact political moral opinions? The moral argument theory of opinion dynamics .  Front Psychol . 2022;13:915252. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.915252

Cooke AN, Bazzini DG, Curtin LA, Emery LJ. Empathic understanding: Benefits of perspective-taking and facial mimicry instructions are mediated by self-other overlap .  Motiv Emot . 2018;42(3):446-457. doi:10.1007/s11031-018-9671-9

By Sherri Gordon Sherri Gordon, CLC is a published author, certified professional life coach, and bullying prevention expert. She's also the former editor of Columbus Parent and has countless years of experience writing and researching health and social issues.

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'Dude, I'm Done': When Politics Tears Families And Friendships Apart

Tovia Smith

If you find yourself fighting with a friend over politics, or frustrated and furious with your nearest and dearest over whom they're supporting for president, you're hardly alone. A recent survey shows just how much the nation's bitter political divide is causing social splintering and taking a toll on friendships. Even decades-long relationships have been caving under the pressure, giving new meaning to "social distancing."

"I did straight up say, 'Dude, I'm done. Lose my number,' " said Shama Davis from Los Angeles, recalling when he "unfriended" a guy he'd been friends with since high school 25 years ago.

"I just hung up on my end and proceeded to just block him in every possible way," said Joni Jensen from New York, still fuming over the guy she felt compelled to dump.

And betraying just a tinge of regret about cutting off his cousins, Ricardo Deforest of Tampa, Fla., conceded, "I hate to say it because family is everything," before unabashedly proclaiming, "I disowned them. In my mind they're not family anymore."

I Can't Work With You! How Political Fights Leave Workplaces Divided

They are among the many Americans for whom political rifts have deepened. It's one thing to disagree about something such as tax policy, they said. But they see their differences now as ones of basic morality, core values and character, and that cannot be overlooked.

Davis, 42, a consultant who is Black, said he simply could not abide his friend downplaying police brutality, and harping instead on the looting and violence happening amid the mostly peaceful protests.

"I told him, 'If this is your attitude, we can't be cool anymore,' " Davis said. " 'I don't respect you now. I don't. Because people are really dying.' "

Jensen, a retired professor, also sees it as a moral absolute. As a sexual assault survivor, she said, she couldn't stand it when the guy she'd been close to for 40 years was being cavalier about the allegations against President Trump's then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. ( Kavanaugh vehemently denied the sexual assault allegations.)

"He was going off like, 'Oh, you drank the Kool-Aid,' and 'Kavanaugh didn't do anything,' " she recalled. "It made me sick. If this is his core ethics, I don't want that kind of person in my life."

A Nation Is Riveted As Christine Blasey Ford Testifies

Conservatives can be just as quick to spurn the liberals in their lives who clash with their core values, such as life and liberty — which is the biggie for Deforest.

"They sold our country out," Deforest, a 61-year-old steelworker, said of those on the left of the political spectrum. "This election is about the soul of what America is. You can't be a free country and be a socialist state at the same time."

He said the acrimony he's feeling from what he calls "hardcore Trump haters" was as much a factor in his decision to cut them off as their differences that gave rise to it.

"All they can do is say, 'Trump is a racist. Orange man bad! Orange man racist! They're blowing spittle, and [their] veins popping out of their heads," he said. " Yo soy Latino . But [they assume] I'm some sort of horrible racist because I like Trump. It's ridiculous!"

Jocelyn Kiley, associate director of research at the Pew Research Center, said political polarization is more intense now than at any point in modern history. Nearly 80% of Americans now have "just a few" or no friends at all across the aisle, according to Pew. And the animosity goes both ways.

"Democrats are a little bit more likely to say they'd end a friendship" Kiley said. "But Republicans may be less likely to say they have friends on the other side. So it may not be all that differential."

Another recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute shows that 8 in 10 Republicans believe the Democratic Party has been taken over by socialists, while 8 in 10 Democrats believe the Republican Party has been taken over by racists. The report is aptly named titled "Dueling Realities."

Tania Israel, a professor in the counseling, clinical and school psychology department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said she's seeing more of those kinds of distorted views in the workshops she runs on cross-the-aisle conversations. The rancor is rising, she said, as both sides "tend to view the other as being more extreme than they actually are."

Another thing conservatives and liberals have in common, she said, is that they all suffer from big blind spots when it comes to the morality of their own side. They tend to view themselves as eminently fair and right, and the other side as irrational.

Case in point: Explaining his politics, Deforest noted, "When I say all these things, I think I sound fairly reasonable," while declaiming the other side with, "There's something wrong with these people."

Jensen, meanwhile, is just as certain, upbraiding the guy she was arguing with as "brainwashed."

A little more listening to understand, a little less trying to convince, and a lot more intellectual humility would do everyone a world of good, said Israel, who's also the author of Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide, Skills and Strategies for Conversations That Work .

Civility Wars

In these divided times, is civility under siege.

"We're flattening people out in terms of our view of them," she said, "and we're not really seeing the full complexity of people on the other side."

It's exactly what Jon Langford, 28, a Georgia truck driver, said he experienced when his brother, who is gay, wrongly assumed the worst about him.

"He went off on me saying essentially I'm a racist and a homophobe just because I'm a Trump supporter. No ifs, ands or buts. And he completely cut me out of his life," Langford said. They haven't spoken in years.

Now, Langford said, he's determined not to do the same thing to his friends across the aisle, including his best friend, who supports former Vice President Joe Biden. As Langford sees it, no one has a monopoly on morality.

"I could assume that anybody that supports Biden is a firm believer that it's OK to murder a baby," he said. "But I don't."

Another conservative, Judith Margolis Friedman, may be one of the few who can claim that she's managed not to lose any friends over politics. But she said that's because she kept her political views secret for fear of "social suicide."

"I would politely nod and go along to avoid conflict [...] with people whose relationships I valued," she said.

Instead, Friedman vented in a secret Facebook group that she said was a "safe space" where she could "commiserate with other people who also feel shut out from their regular life because of their views."

But this month, Friedman couldn't take it anymore and " came out of the closet ," deciding that if people dumped her over her politics, "they weren't real friends after all."

She's hoping friends will give more weight to the person they've known for years, than whom she chooses to vote for.

When Dating In The Era Of Divisive Politics, Both Sides Stick To Themselves

"If someone expresses a more conservative worldview, they're immediately called a Nazi and a racist and a misogynist and a homophobe and everything under the sun," Friedman said. "I'm none of those things. I'm just a normal friggin' person who has a different point of view."

At the other end of the political spectrum, Jeff Marinstein, a business and technology consultant from Connecticut, has also been trying to get past the ever-intensifying invective and insults from "friends."

One, in particular, kept attacking him as a "libtard," among other things. Marinstein no longer talks to that guy. But with another, he's trying a new strategy to save the friendship, suggesting they keep talking, just not about politics. So far, it's proving harder to enforce than he thought.

"I'm still getting this nightly stream of New York Post articles and memes [mocking] Democrats, and I simply respond with a funny line that says, 'This post violates our agreement not to talk about politics,' trying to creatively send the message that I just don't want to engage," he said.

Whether the strategy ultimately works or not, Marinstein said, he wonders whether it may ultimately be doing as much harm as good.

"It just feels like the healthiest thing for me to do at the moment [is] to lower the temperature and to not continue these toxic conversations," he said. "But I suppose the risk is that I'm just retreating into my own information bubble with people who think just like me."

Indeed, experts said it's more conversation — not less — that's needed, if the nation is to heal its blistering divide. But it has to be healthy, productive conversation. And Israel, who runs the workshops on civil discourse, said the first step must be to take it off social media and talk in person instead.

"The only useful comment that you can make on somebody's social media post is 'Can we find a time to talk about this? I'm interested in hearing more,' " she said.

• Republicans

5 Essays About Bullying

There have always been bullies, but in more recent years, society has become more aware of the impacts of bullying. With the rise of the internet and social media, cyberbullying has also become a serious issue. In 2018, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics reported that ⅓ of young teens worldwide recently experienced bullying. Overall, boys are at a higher risk than girls – 32% compared to 28%. However, in countries with the most incidents of bullying, girls experienced more. Bullying can drive young people to suicide, self-harm, and other tragic consequences. Here are five essays that shed light on the issue:

“The Origins of Bullying”

Author: Hogan Sherrow  | From: Scientific American Sherrow opens his guest post on the Scientific American blog with the story of Jamey Rodemeyer. At age 14, the teen posted messages online describing the pain he endured from bullying and then took his own life. Sadly, this is not uncommon. In this 2011 essay, Sherrow explores why people bully others. Where does this type of behavior come from? To address bullying effectively, we need to understand the roots of bullying. He first defines bullying and presents evidence that bullying is something found in every culture. Sherrow describes it as a “part of the human condition.” Things take a turn into other species as Sherrow asks the question, “Is bullying unique to humans?” Based on research, bullying-like behaviors are found in other animals, including other primates.

This essay presents interesting scientific research on the root of bullying and how it’s evolved in humans. Hogan Sherrow is an assistant professor of anthropology at Ohio University and the director of the Hominid Behavior Research project.

“Instagram Has a Massive Harassment Problem”

Author: Taylor Lorenz | From: The Atlantic This essay opens up with the story of someone who experienced Instagram harassment. At age 14, Brandon joined Instagram to share about his life and rare condition. Soon, he was bombarded with hateful messages, including death threats. It ruined his high school experience. Brandon’s story is just one of countless others where people – often very young teens – are bullied through Instagram. The platform does not have a good track record on monitoring or addressing the bullying. This contrasts sharply with the polished image it projects and markets itself with. While sites like Youtube and Twitter have had bigger dealings with harassment, Instagram seems like an oasis for the internet. What is it doing exactly? According to users who have faced horrific threats, not much. Author Taylor Lorenz is a former staff writer for The Atlantic.

“Shame and Survival”

Author: Monica Lewinsky | From: Vanity Fair Bullying often occurs in a bubble, like a middle school or a social media site, but for Monica Lewinsky, the harassment played out on a much larger scale. In 1998, the 24-year old became the center of a presidential scandal. There were countless jokes made at her expense. Even while Bill Clinton emerged relatively unscathed, the shame followed Lewinsky for years. In this feature from 2014, she recounts her experience with public humiliation, how difficult it was to move on, and the concern she feels for young people today as cyberbullying becomes so prevalent. The essay is a great example of the long-term impact of humiliation on a national scale. Monica Lewinsky is a TV personality, former fashion designer, speaker, and social activist.

“Bullying In the Age of Trump”

By: Emily Bazelon | From: The New York Times Published in November 2016, this op-ed takes a brief look at how bullying evolved with the election of Donald Trump. The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks harassment and hate speech. Since President Trump’s election, they’ve reported a surge in bullying incidents. What this teaches us is that while bullying is always around, it can increase based on what’s going on in the culture. When someone who exhibits classic bullying behavior is put in a position of power, it sends the message that their behavior is acceptable. Emily Bazelon is the author of “Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy” and a staff writer for the New York Times Magazine.

“Bullying has an impact that lasts years” 

By: Anita Sethi | From: The Guardian Written in recognition of Anti-Bullying Week, this piece describes the author’s personal experience with bullying and its lasting effects. As a child, Sethi experienced physical and emotional bullying. How bullies use language can be the most hurtful. The first thing they often do is take a victim’s name, so dehumanizing them is easier. Years after the bullying, a person’s mental health can suffer lasting consequences. What can be done? Teaching empathy is key. Anita Sethi is a writer, journalist, and contributor to Three Things I’d Tell My Younger Self.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

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3 Theories That Help to Understand Bullying

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This chapter will entail a review of theoretical frameworks that are typically utilized to understand and address bullying, including an ecological systems framework, social learning, cognitive behavioural, attribution, lifestyles exposure and resilience frameworks. The complexity of bullying demands that more than one theoretical lens be used to help understand this phenomenon and to inform effective prevention and intervention strategies and programs. An ecological systems theoretical framework serves as an overarching umbrella within which the complex factors and interactions that influence bullying behavior can be examined and addressed. Innumerable theories can be applied within an ecological systems framework—at different times, sequentially or simultaneously.

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Political pressure is great. Bullying MPs like me at home is utterly wrong

The right to demonstrate is vital in a democracy. But protests outside my house put me at immense risk

L ast week, someone didn’t just wish me to feel pain now. Their hope was that in the afterlife I would experience eternal suffering. Ten out of 10 for flair. Someone once sent me an email about which of my orifices they would like to pour molten metal into – it was all of them, described in glorious detail.

I have a special file of restraining orders – I felt weird putting them with my other important documents. It didn’t seem fitting to file them next to my sons’ birth certificates. Multiple men have served time in prison for attacks or threats of attacks on me. One remains in prison today, serving a 10-year sentence for various crimes against me and others.

Every now and again, the story of aggression and abuse of MPs comes back around. This time it is thanks to parliamentary procedures, which considering it usually hits the headlines when one of us is killed, is a blessed relief. The rhetoric is usually that nothing has changed and things are getting worse. As someone who has faced threats, violence and abuse since the moment I was elected, I simply cannot agree.

I am not saying that levels of vitriol have improved – they haven’t. Seemingly binary issues in parliament, such as Brexit and now the war in Gaza, cause the security temperature to rise. Being a woman who speaks out against violent men is a more constant source of heat.

What has changed, and to me it is unrecognisable, is how seriously we take this issue and how systems and processes have improved for MPs to report and be supported. Eight years ago, when I complained about the molten metal guy, nothing was done; this week my afterlife complainant was dealt with so swiftly I was the one being chased by police for communication, not the other way around.

The systems for protection have improved even if the threat hasn’t, and that is in no small part thanks to Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the Commons . He is more obsessed with my security than I am. I don’t say this to defend him in the current furore, I say it as a member of parliament who has been considered high risk for nearly a decade. Improvements that he fought for, that he worked on, mean that today I feel safer, or at least when I am scared there is somewhere to turn for an efficient service.

It would be churlish of me not to recognise that I am under less pressure than some of my colleagues and friends, because I resigned [from the Labour frontbench] to vote for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. I have not been such a target of ire – although I haven’t, as I never do, escaped it completely.

However, I have started to feel a little uncomfortable about how that pressure is being written about in our papers. There is a difference between feeling political pressure and feeling scared of threats and attack. Political pressure should not simply be tolerated, it should be expected. I have spent my career trying to train the public to win campaigns and fight for their rights.

I stood on the stage at the million-strong People’s Vote march and said to a crowd of passionate remainers that I would not tolerate them calling my constituents who voted for Brexit stupid or gullible. They weren’t, and treating them as such was unhelpful to the campaign as well as just arrogant. I will not tolerate the same now about my constituents who are passionate, as we all are, about wanting the deaths in Gaza to end. They are not a mob, they are people who care about something and are using the powers they have to fight for it. When that spills over to criminality and threat I call the police, as I did when my office was attacked during the endless Brexit votes.

There must be rules and boundaries about this, so listening to the representative from Just Stop Oil on the radio last week, gleefully calling for people to campaign outside MPs’ houses, was almost enough to make me side with oil giants. Protest peacefully at my work by all means – my job is to represent the public – but if campaigns spring up outside my home, the level of security I would need for that not to put me at immense risk from elements that the peaceful protesters wouldn’t be able to control would be untenable. It is a dangerous and counterproductive campaign plan.

I’m tired and tearful about the threats and violence. Lines have been crossed from peaceful democratic pressure to a dangerous threat, but if we allow the latter to damn the former then the threat to our democracy would be even greater. Protest to your heart’s content – just do it with convincing words and leave the molten metal and hopes of eternal pain at home.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at [email protected]

• House of Commons
• Commons speaker

More on this story

Not acceptable for protesters to target MPs in their homes, says Stella Creasy

‘Dark day for politics’: MP Mike Freer’s constituents’ shock at decision to quit

Harriet Harman urges party leaders to address MPs’ safety

Stella Creasy says police ‘green lighting’ trolls to target politicians’ children

‘It could be your next-door neighbour’: how female MPs cope with misogynistic abuse

‘I felt I had to’: SNP’s Karen Adam on revealing she was abused as child

Labour calls for inquiry into MPs’ safety be extended to councillors

Nadine Dorries commits to online safety reforms in memory of David Amess

Councillors demand better protection from abuse and death threats

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Cyberbullying: Playground Politics (and Worse) in Cyberspace

• First Online: 30 June 2019

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• Paul R. Smokowski MSW, Ph.D. 3 &
• Caroline B. R. Evans 4  

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Cyberbullying is the act of using electronic means (e.g., e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms, websites, gaming sites, cellular phones) to threaten, humiliate, insult, exclude, or intimidate others. However, given unique aspects of virtual communication (e.g., lack of vocal intonation, facial expression, body language) it is sometimes difficult to identify cyberbullying. Further, the three central features of traditional bullying (e.g., bullying not using electronic means), repetition, power imbalance, and intent to harm are complicated by the nuances of cyberbullying. This chapter discusses the definition of cyberbullying as well as defining the roles in the cyberbullying dynamic and explaining the different methods (e.g., exclusion, flaming) and means (e.g., text messaging, e-mail) used to cyberbully. The devastating consequences of cyberbullying on cybervictims, cyberbullies, and cyberbully-victims are discussed as well as the commonalties between cyberbullying and traditional bullying.

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Smokowski, P.R., Evans, C.B.R. (2019). Cyberbullying: Playground Politics (and Worse) in Cyberspace. In: Bullying and Victimization Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20293-4_5

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Bullying — Bullying In Schools: Causes, Effects, And Solutions

Bullying in Schools: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

• Categories: Bullying Youth Violence

About this sample

Words: 1534 |

Published: Dec 16, 2021

Words: 1534 | Pages: 3 | 8 min read

Works Cited

• Bradshaw, C. P., Sawyer, A. L., & O'Brennan, L. M. (2007). Bullying and peer victimization at school: Perceptual differences between students and school staff. School Psychology Review, 36(3), 361-382.
• Espelage, D. L., & Swearer, S. M. (2003). Research on school bullying and victimization: What have we learned and where do we go from here?. School Psychology Review, 32(3), 365-383.
• Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2018). Cyberbullying fact sheet: Identification, prevention, and response. Cyberbullying Research Center.
• National Bullying Prevention Center. (2021). Resources. https://www.pacer.org/bullying/resources/
• National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Student reports of bullying and cyberbullying: Results from the 2020–21 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. US Department of Education.
• Olweus, D. (2013). School bullying: Development and some important challenges. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 751-780.
• Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2020). School climate 2.0: Preventing cyberbullying and sexting one classroom at a time. Corwin Press.
• StopBullying.gov. (2021). Prevent bullying. https://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/index.html
• Thompson, F., Smith, P. K., & Rigby, K. (2022). Addressing bullying in schools: Theory and practice. Routledge.
• Ttofi, M. M., & Farrington, D. P. (2011). Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: A systematic and meta-analytic review. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 7(1), 27-56.

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Analytical Essay: The Reasons for Bullying

Bullying can cause real misery and depression to the extent that it can destroy people’s lives. As a result, bullies are often greatly disliked and punished harshly, as they should be, but it is also important to understand the reasons for bullying so that the bully can be helped too. While we all know that it is important to help the victims of bullying, the bullies need to be helped too, or they will continue to be unhappy and will probably go on and bully others. This is one of the solutions for bullying .

One main cause of bullying is for bullies to try and make themselves look big in front of other people. They think that if they pick on somebody smaller and weaker than them, then they will look bigger and stronger by comparison. Bullies usually do this for popularity, even though people usually fear them rather than actually like them, by making themselves look ‘good’ in front of friends and potential friends. Differently, but also for popularity, other people also bully others because of peer pressure, perhaps because their friends are bullying someone and they do not want to be cast out from the group for not joining in.

Both of these causes really come down to a lack of self-esteem, and this in itself can have a number of different causes. Many bullies have been bullied themselves, which is why it is important to always help the bullies as well as the victims. They have been belittled by others, so they then have to try and prove that they are better than someone else so that they don’t feel that they are below everyone.

Many bullies also have a very unhappy home life, and then bully for a number of different reasons. This home life could be the cause of a lack of self-esteem, especially if they are abused by their parents, or they could be bullying for other reasons. It could just be that they have never been taught how to behave correctly because they have never had any positive role models, or their parents are nasty to them so they just think that it is completely normal. In other cases, people start bullying because they are acting out and trying to get attention. This is often the case with children and young people who feel ignored by their families and want to get their attention in any way possible.

All in all, there are a numerous different reasons for bullying, and they vary from person to person. It is important to understand a bully’s personal motives though, because only then can we help them and stop them from hurting others.

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Cyber Bullying Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on cyber bullying.

Cyber Bullying Essay: In today’s world which has been made smaller by technology, new age problems have been born. No doubt technology has a lot of benefits; however, it also comes with a negative side. It has given birth to cyberbullying. To put it simply, cyberbullying refers to the misuse of information technology with the intention to harass others.

Subsequently, cyberbullying comes in various forms. It doesn’t necessarily mean hacking someone’s profiles or posing to be someone else. It also includes posting negative comments about somebody or spreading rumors to defame someone. As everyone is caught up on the social network, it makes it very easy for anyone to misuse this access.

In other words, cyberbullying has become very common nowadays. It includes actions to manipulate, harass and defame any person. These hostile actions are seriously damaging and can affect anyone easily and gravely. They take place on social media, public forums, and other online information websites. A cyberbully is not necessarily a stranger; it may also be someone you know.

Cyber Bullying is Dangerous

Cyberbullying is a multi-faced issue. However, the intention of this activity is one and the same. To hurt people and bring them harm. Cyberbullying is not a light matter. It needs to be taken seriously as it does have a lot of dangerous effects on the victim.

Moreover, it disturbs the peace of mind of a person. Many people are known to experience depression after they are cyberbullied. In addition, they indulge in self-harm. All the derogatory comments made about them makes them feel inferior.

It also results in a lot of insecurities and complexes. The victim which suffers cyberbullying in the form of harassing starts having self-doubt. When someone points at your insecurities, they only tend to enhance. Similarly, the victims worry and lose their inner peace.

Other than that, cyberbullying also tarnishes the image of a person. It hampers their reputation with the false rumors spread about them. Everything on social media spreads like wildfire. Moreover, people often question the credibility. Thus,  one false rumor destroys people’s lives.

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How to Prevent Cyber Bullying?

Cyberbullying prevention is the need of the hour. It needs to be monitored and put an end to. There are various ways to tackle cyberbullying. We can implement them at individual levels as well as authoritative levels.

Firstly, always teach your children to never share personal information online. For instance, if you list your home address or phone number there, it will make you a potential target of cyberbullying easily.

Secondly, avoid posting explicit photos of yourself online. Also, never discuss personal matters on social media. In other words, keep the information limited within your group of friends and family. Most importantly, never ever share your internet password and account details with anyone. Keep all this information to yourself alone. Be alert and do not click on mysterious links, they may be scams. In addition, teach your kids about cyberbullying and make them aware of what’s wrong and right.

In conclusion, awareness is the key to prevent online harassment. We should make the children aware from an early age so they are always cautious. Moreover, parents must monitor their children’s online activities and limit their usage. Most importantly, cyberbullying must be reported instantly without delay. This can prevent further incidents from taking place.

FAQs on Cyber Bullying

Q.1 Why is Cyberbullying dangerous?

A.1 Cyberbullying affects the mental peace of a person. It takes a toll on their mental health. Moreover, it tarnishes the reputation of an individual.

Q.2 How to prevent cyberbullying?

A.2 We may prevent cyberbullying by limiting the information we share online. In addition, we must make children aware of the forms of cyberbullying and its consequences.

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The US didn't feel safe enough to raise a kid, so we moved to Japan

• Trevor D. Houchen and his wife were living in Atlanta when they found out they were expecting.
• He and his wife felt it would be unsafe to raise their child there and decided to move to Japan.
• He finds Japan more affordable, safe, and is happy to be living near his wife's family — but he's scared of bullying.

My wife was already six months pregnant when we agreed she would leave the US and have our baby in Japan . I would join a few months later.

We'd been living in Atlanta for about seven years when we found out we were expecting. She's Japanese, I'm American, and we met in LA.

We both started getting nervous about what our life would be like living with a child in our one-bedroom apartment in Atlanta, a city where the crime rate is 122% higher than the national average, according to Gitnux , a market data website.

I had been working two jobs at the time, so it also felt like my wife was going to have to be home alone without any family support for too many hours of the day.

The final decision came at the beginning of her third trimester. Some bleeding led to a one-night stay at a hospital in Atlanta. The shockingly high hospital bill — we're still battling it out with our insurance company — came next.

So, on the last allowable day for a pregnant woman to fly , she got on a plane to Japan.

My pregnant wife flew to Japan on her own to have our baby, I followed

I was in the middle of semesters at two different colleges — Georgia Technical College and Georgia Gwinnett College — as an adjunct professor, and leaving my students right then wasn't an option. We decided I'd finish the semester, close shop on our apartment, and then fly out to Japan to meet my newborn. He'd already be four months old by the time I got there.

After my wife arrived in Japan she texted me from her parents' home in Yokosuka — about an hour south of Tokyo by car— and said she'd made it safely and was glad to be back "home."

But I was "home," or so I thought. I spent the next four months teaching, packing, and selling all the stuff we'd accumulated over the years in Atlanta. I wrapped up the semester, and flew out to meet my son.

Having our baby in Japan was the right decision

When I arrived, my wife was living comfortably with our son at her parents' house. The cost of delivering our baby had been 650,000 yen, or $4,186. Of this amount the Ministry of Health covered 500,000 yen — a government co-pay for babies born to a parent enrolled in the national health insurance. The extra 150,000 yen we covered was for the private room my wife opted for, otherwise, there would have been no out-of-pocket expense.

In Japan, the cost of delivering a baby in a hospital ranges between 400,000 to 600,000 yen, or $2,552 to $3,827, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare . In the US, according to a survey by Perterson-KFF (formerly known as Kaiser Family Foundation) and based on data between 2018 through 2020, the average cost of childbirth for an insured mother is $18,865. While for insured mothers the majority of that is covered, out-of-pocket payments are still $2,852, on average.

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My wife was ecstatic to be back in her country and getting help from her parents and sister with our son.

When we would take our son for walks in his stroller, older Japanese men and women would often smile, bend down low to get a close look at our son, and say, "kawaii ne," "he's cute isn't he," in Japanese. The warmth and feeling of safety on the street made us feel like we'd made the right decision.

Day care is affordable in Japan

Our son is now one and we've started talking about putting him in Houkien, government-subsidized day care for kids 5 and under. Last year, the Japanese government announced that by 2025 day care for all children 6 months to 2 years old will be free, per The Japan Times .

At these day care centers kids receive health checks and they are run by certified caregivers

According to Care.com , the average cost of childcare in Atlanta is $19.56 per hour, adding up to over $3,000 a month. We wouldn't have been able to afford that.

Safety is no longer a concern

I regularly see children no older than five or six taking the subway in Tokyo by themselves, which I find impressive. After 8 months, I still get lost almost every day trying to navigate the busiest subway system in the world .

In Atlanta, we had heard gunshots at least a few times a week and few parents let their kids do anything on their own before turning 12. I wasn't allowed to take the subway by myself in New York City — where I grew up — until I was 15.

The crime, danger, and ruthless nature of the life I had known in the US just doesn't exist to any discernible degree here in Japan , especially in Yokosuka, where we live. By contrast, even though Atlanta's rate has dropped, in 2023, there were 135 homicides recorded . In contrast, I couldn't find a record for a single murder in Yokosuka in 2023.

Even with the US Naval base right in the middle of the city, Yokosuka is low-key, quiet, safe, and family friendly.

When it's time for junior high, I'd prefer my son go to school in the US

I'm all for our son going to elementary school in Japan . I want him to learn to speak Japanese fluently and feel safe enough to enjoy his childhood to its fullest. I'm also happy he's able to spend his formative years near his grandparents.

But beyond elementary school , I'd rather our son go to junior high and high school in the US. As a professor myself and after a 20-year long career in education, I have read studies that note the lack of critical thinking taught in Japanese high schools.

The Japanese proverb " deru kugi wa utareru" means "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down." My interpretation of this is, "don't be an individual," learn to be exactly like everyone else.

And then, there's the bullying. In a 2022 survey by the Japanese government, 681,948 cases of bullying were recorded in Japan's schools, per The Mainichi . As a biracial child in Japan , I would be anxious about the difficulties my son would face.

Like everything in life, there are pros and cons, but for the time being, my wife and I are happy to raise our son here in Japan where it's safe, nurturing, and affordable.

Watch: Why childcare has become so unaffordable

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Israel-Hamas War Poses Tough Questions for K-12 Leaders, Too

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The Israel-Hamas war that is roiling U.S. college campuses is also creating conflict, albeit less turbulent, in pockets of K-12 education across the country.

Some high school students have walked out to join nearby campus protests in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. A walkout at a New Jersey high school was postponed after pushback from local elected officials. In the District of Columbia, a high school Arab-student group has sued over alleged censorship of its pro-Palestinian club activities on campus. But there have been no reports of student encampments or occupations of any K-12 buildings.

“High schools across the country should understand that students have a right to talk about controversial issues in school, even during the school day, as long as they are not disrupting the educational process or violating the rights of other students,” said Arthur B. Spitzer, senior counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia, which is representing the Arab Student Union at Jackson-Reed High School, a public school.

Meanwhile, some Jewish students and groups allege incidents or patterns of antisemitism by their classmates or teachers and inadequate responses by school administrators.

This week, the spotlight will shine on questions of antisemitism at the K-12 level when a U.S. House education subcommittee grills leaders of three school districts.

“Jewish teachers, students, and faculty have been denied a safe learning environment and forced to contend with antisemitic agitators due to district leaders’ inaction,” Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., the chairman of the subcommittee on early childhood, elementary, and secondary education, said in a statement. “This pervasive and extreme antisemitism in K-12 schools is not only alarming—it is absolutely unacceptable.”

The committee will hear from David Banks, the chancellor of the 915,000-student New York City school system; Karla Silvestre, the board president of the 160,000-student Montgomery County school district in Maryland, which is just outside the nation’s capital; and Enikia Ford Morthel, the superintendent of the 9,000-student Berkeley Unified School District in California.

Each district has had episodes of alleged antisemitic conduct since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. In the New York City borough of Queens, pro-Palestinian students allegedly rampaged through the halls of a high school after they learned a teacher had attended a pro-Israel rally. In Montgomery County, there have been numerous reports of schools being vandalized with antisemitic speech and symbols, including swastikas.

A federal complaint and much debate in a progressive city

As for Berkeley, two national groups have filed a lengthy complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s office for civil rights, or OCR, alleging that school officials have not taken action to stop bullying and harassment of Jewish and Israeli students.

“Over the past four months, BUSD has knowingly allowed its K-12 campuses to become viciously hostile environments for Jewish and Israeli students,” says the Feb. 28 complaint filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, in Washington, and the Anti-Defamation League, in New York City.

The 32-page complaint includes numerous detailed allegations, including that students have directed antisemitic comments to their Jewish and Israeli classmates, that teachers have organized pro-Palestinian walkouts, and that administrators ignored complaints.

On Monday, the groups filed an expanded complaint , asserting that after the February filing, the “already hostile environment … took a turn for the worse,” with violent graffiti appearing on school grounds, cyberbullying of a student whose parent spoke out against antisemitism, and other incidents.

“We’re seeing a lot of bullying and harassment at the K-12 level that seems to be at least tolerated by administrators,” Marci Miller, a senior education specialist with the Brandeis Center, said in an interview. “The perpetrators aren’t being punished.”

In the Berkeley district’s only public comment on the OCR complaint, Ford Morthel said in a March 29 community message that “we take these and all complaints very seriously.”

“I want to again affirm that BUSD schools and classrooms must be spaces that are welcoming and humanizing,” the superintendent said. “I believe that being a diverse community dedicated to Equity and Inclusion requires deep listening and ongoing reflection—curiosity, compassion, and courage. As such, we do not consider this OCR complaint as an adversarial process but rather an opportunity to further examine our practices, procedures, and policies, ensuring compliance with federal laws and that we truly are advancing the district’s mission and values.”

The OCR complaint and debates over teaching about the Israel-Hamas conflict have been a source of regular public comment at Berkeley school board meetings, with some pro-Palestinian students and teachers pushing back against charges of antisemitism.

Xaro Kaufman, a senior at Berkeley High School who identified herself as Jewish, said at a March 6 meeting for which video is posted on the district’s website, “Make no mistake, if you are currently uncomfortable with your teachers and peers being pro-Palestine, it is not because they are antisemitic. It is because your views on Israel cloud your ability to see the genocide which is being committed.”

Speaking at the same meeting, Christina Harb, a Palestinian-American teacher at Berkeley High, said: “This is a war, clearly, on Palestine’s entire existence, and a parallel war is happening right here in our district. ... A small group of very entitled parents who are uncomfortable with the reality of what’s happening, are trying to conflate the issue of Palestine with the issue of antisemitism, undermining the seriousness of both issues.”

Students walk out, or try to, in several places

Elsewhere around the country, students have engaged in walkouts to join pro-Palestinian college campus demonstrations and encampments. In Chicago, several hundred secondary school students marched to the University of Chicago on May 1 to show support for Palestinians in Gaza. A few days earlier, in Austin, Texas, several hundred high school students walked out of classes to join demonstrations at the University of Texas flagship campus.

Aaron Terr, the director of public advocacy for the Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said the recent conflicts have been reminders to school administrators that students in public schools have First Amendment rights “that follow them into school.”

“Students in school are free to speak, hand out fliers, and wear expressive clothing, as long as it doesn’t disrupt school,” he said. “Walkouts are another matter. Schools can punish for walkouts if they substantially disrupt school or if they are in violation of school attendance policies.”

Some student groups get pre-approval for walkouts, and sometimes administrators show leniency for short-term walkouts, Terr said. It isn’t clear whether recent walkouts have led to school discipline.

At Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees Township, N.J., students were planning a walkout in support of a ceasefire late last month. But local public officials, including one who has expressed strong support for Israel, voiced concerns about the plan, including that it was scheduled at the same time as the Jewish holiday of Passover. Some walkout organizers have expressed the view that they were censored, and three students have said they were suspended after clashing with the principal over the plan.

“That example looks pretty concerning,” said FIRE’s Terr, adding that the cancellation “would implicate the First Amendment.”

Conflict over a documentary film and club activities

In the lawsuit involving the Arab Student Union at Jackson-Reed High School in Washington, the club’s members allege that administrators have kept them from holding the same kind of activities that other recognized student clubs promote.

The school barred the club from showing a documentary critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, canceled the club’s Palestinian Culture Night, prohibited the students from distributing literature that depicted Palestinian cultural symbols, and barred the club from handing out stickers that read “Free Palestine,” the suit filed in federal district court alleges.

“That kind of non-disruptive communication is protected by the First Amendment inside a public high school,” said Spitzer, the ACLU lawyer representing the club. Although the club was eventually allowed to have its Palestinian Culture Night last month, the suit seeks an injunction allowing the club to hold another such night before the school year is out and to show the documentary “The Occupation of the American Mind” to any Jackson-Reed students willing to watch it at a club event, he said.

“The fact that some speech may make some people uncomfortable is not a reason to say it is not protected,” Spitzer said. “Making people who disagree with you feel bad is what the First Amendment is all about sometimes.”

A spokesperson for the District of Columbia Public Schools said the district does not comment on pending litigation.

Gretchen Brion-Meisels, a senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education who teaches courses on youth voice, youth participation, and school culture and climate, says K-12 students who are becoming active in the debate over the Israel-Hamas conflict are seeking outlets to have intelligent discussions and share their views.

“High school students, like all students, deserve places and spaces where their voices can be heard, and also supports and structures for having complex dialogue across perspectives,” she said. “Students deserve access to the complex histories of the lands that they inhabit. Restrictions on whose histories are told, and in whose voices, undermine young people’s capacity to engage in democratic dialogue.”

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Coming Soon to Little Island: An Arts Festival With Powerful Backers

The mogul Barry Diller, who paid for the park, will finance a summer season of music, dance, theater and more, shaped in part by the Broadway producer Scott Rudin.

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By Javier C. Hernández

Little Island, the $260 million park on the Hudson River that opened in 2021, was imagined as a haven for innovation in the performing arts. But the park’s cultural offerings — mostly sporadic, one-off works — have so far fallen short of those ambitions.

Now Barry Diller, the billionaire media mogul who paid for the park, is setting out to deliver on the original vision, financing a robust, four-month annual performing arts festival on Little Island, the park announced on Monday. He is doing so with the guidance of Scott Rudin, the film, television and theater producer who retreated from public view in 2021 amid accusations of bullying by workers in his office.

Diller said in an interview that he and his family foundation were prepared to spend more than $100 million over the next two decades on programming. The festival, one of the most ambitious artistic undertakings in New York City in recent years, will promote new work in music, dance, theater and opera. Nine premieres are planned this year for June through September, including a full-length work by the choreographer Twyla Tharp, and an adaptation of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” in which the countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo will sing all of the leading roles.

“I want people to enjoy the originality and adventure of Little Island,” Diller said. “I want it to produce a smile.”

Rudin, a friend of Diller’s and a longtime adviser to Little Island, was not mentioned in a news release on Monday announcing the creation of the festival, but Diller said he was intimately involved in its planning.

“He’s engaged in almost every discussion we have about the programming,” Diller said. “It started with him. It was his project.”

Rudin said in an interview that he hoped to help Little Island realize its potential. He has not spoken much publicly since apologizing in 2021 for “troubling interactions with colleagues” after former employees accused him of abusive behavior. (Since stepping back from Broadway and Hollywood, Rudin said he had been working on projects with friends, including some movies and plays.)

“I’m the cheerleader here,” Rudin said of the new festival, “trying to help them get the people they want to have work here, and in a way, try to gently help them figure out how to structure it.”

“This is the ultimate finish of something that I was part of starting,” he added.

Diller has described his vision for Little Island as a “park and performance space in equal measure.” The park has hosted a flurry of music, dance and comedy performances since its opening; the inaugural summer featured more than 160 performances. But Diller felt the quality had been lacking.

“We did literally 500 different things the first year,” he said. “None of them — I don’t want to be insulting to people — none of them really very good or particularly ambitious. I mean, they were all over the place, but they were basically kind of ‘let’s just entertain the folks.’”

Last year, Diller hired the director and producer Zack Winokur, who had been recommended by Rudin (the two had worked to stage pop-up performances during the pandemic). Winokur now oversees programming as the producing artistic director.

In an interview, Winokur said that the festival, which will focus largely on artists based in New York and feature more than 100 performances, would generate new work at a time when many cultural institutions are slashing budgets, staff and programming. Tickets will cost $25 for performances at Little Island’s amphitheater, which seats 687; entry will be free for shows at the Glade, the park’s 200-seat space.

“I hope that this is of incredible utility and of incredible service to artists who live here — to be making bold new work at a time when it’s difficult,” Winokur said. “And I hope that it will be delightful, entertaining and provocative for audiences.”

To open the season in June, Tharp will present “How Long Blues,” with new music by T Bone Burnett and David Mansfield. Tharp said in an interview that the experience of creating a piece for a new space has been daunting — and invigorating. Diller has recently shown up at rehearsals, she said.

“He’s being very brave about everything,” she said. “He likes to know how things work. He likes to know the machinery that’s underneath the product.”

In September, Costanzo will star in a 90-minute adaptation of “The Marriage of Figaro.” In an interview, he said he was excited by the possibilities of the park, which he described as “uniquely artistic in its construction.”

The summer lineup also includes “The Oyster Radio Hour,” a live three-act radio show that tells the story of oysters in the Hudson River, by a team that includes the composer Angélica Negrón and Yo-Yo Ma’s Our Common Nature initiative.

The bass-baritone Dav­óne Tines and Winokur will present a project about Paul Robeson, the pioneering singer, actor and activist. And Henry Hoke’s novel “ Open Throat ,” about a mountain lion who identifies as queer and lives in the hills surrounding the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, will come to the stage.

Diller said the festival, which also features comedy and jazz, was a response to what he described as a loss of artistic vitality in New York since the pandemic.

“This great city, which used to be so filled with so much creation, really suffered coming out of Covid,” he said. “We don’t want to bring stuff from someplace else. We don’t want to be a retread of anybody else’s work.”

Diller and his family foundation have committed to financing Little Island’s operations for 20 years. That commitment extends to the festival, he said.

“We’re just lucky enough that we don’t have any constraints really,” he said. “We’re not impractical idiots, I hope. But we do have the ability to make it up and have it come out there.”

He said public art can bring people unexpected pleasure.

“We’re not curing a disease here,” he said. “But when you just see people walking across the city to Little Island, they begin to smile. And when they leave, they're smiling. How could you not love that?”

Javier C. Hernández is a culture reporter, covering the world of classical music and dance in New York City and beyond. He joined The Times in 2008 and previously worked as a correspondent in Beijing and New York. More about Javier C. Hernández