People can get bullied for many reasons or for no reason whatsoever. Bullying can be very serious, or it can be as simple as name calling.
If you are being bullied, then make sure that you don't start thinking that the bully is right. If you do, it can damage what you think about yourself for the rest of your life. Everyone is different and should be proud of their unique qualities. Most bullies feel insecure, and decide to pick on people to make themselves feel better. If you are becoming a bully yourself, make sure you stop right away, and think about how badly you make people feel.
People get bullied for many different reasons. People can get bullied because of:
- How fast or slow they learn
- Their choice of lifestyle
- Being perceived as being too tall, too short, too unattractive, too thin, too overweight or too plain
- Their race or religion
- Where they live
- Who their parents or siblings are
- Their choice of clothing or hairstyle
- Who their friends are
- The way they speak
- The fact that they wear glasses or have braces
- Their disability
Make sure you're proud of who you are, because this is a great bully defense. If bullies know their teasing doesn't bother you, they'll give up after a while.
One example of bullying from a February, 2008 news story was about a kid named Larry King. He was murdered for being gay. It said in People Magazine (see citation below) that another kid killed Larry by shooting him in the head twice. The police think that Larry asked another boy to be his valentine. That shows how intolerant someone can be just because of someone's choice of lifestyle.
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