FEATURES
THE BULLIES BEYOND THE PLAYGROUND
PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL STILL ISN’T SAFE FROM BULLYING Text by WILL QUEEN Art by DIANA CONNOLLY
L
ATE ON JAN. 27, Palo Alto High School students experienced an unexpected incident of bullying. Using a Tumblr blog named “Palo Alto Gossip Girl,” an anonymous student posted sensitive information about the personal lives of Paly students, and encouraged students to send in gossip about their friends. The reaction was immediate and aggressive. Some students talked about how entertaining the gossip was, while others took the opportunity to speak out about the power that online bullying can have over someone. Many empathized with the victims. In the past couple of years, the Internet has come to play a huge role in the social interactions between teenagers. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr have revolutionized the methods of bullying. One in seven people on the planet now have a Facebook account. Twitter now has 500,000,000 registered Twitter accounts. Tumblr has 101,000,000 active blogs. Add these all up, and what do you have? A breeding ground for negative speech and imagery. Although Paly often seems too accepting and inclusive for bullies, the truth behind the numbers is startling. When Verde conducted an online survey among Palo Alto High School students, asking them to respond to several questions about bullying at Paly, 54 percent of responders considered bullying at Paly to be prevalent. “It’s difficult for students to grasp this idea of bullying because for some people,
including myself sometimes, we subconsciously think that actions can only be categorized as bullying if they’re incredibly severe and obviously destructive,” sophomore Claire Liu says. “I think there is bullying at Paly, we just don’t realize it’s bullying, and we don’t want to label people as bullies because it feels like too severe of a title.” Of the 138 survey takers, 77 percent said they knew someone who has been bullied during their time at Paly. Just over a third of people say they have been bullied, and three out of four people have allegedly witnessed it happening. Some argue that because of Paly’s reputation as a very accepting and responsible community, bullying is minimal. In such an education-focused area, blatant bullying may consequently be seen as unintelligent and ignorant. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. “I think the severe self-esteem problems that bullies often possess could possibly be the result of growing up in such a demanding and seemingly perfect community,” Liu adds. “Worrying that they won’t be able to fill expectations that might be set for them. Of course, I’m no expert, and bullying is everywhere, even in less competitive and ‘driven’ communities. “I feel like the most common type is bullying for not being smart enough, as strange as that may sound,” one senior says. “I was bullied sophomore year by three people in one of my classes,” another unnamed senior says. “They kind of ganged up on me. I don’t want to mention names, but the three of them teased me for having an eating disorder when I didn’t even have one. They were so rude. It was sickening
IN OUR SCHOOLS Survey takers were asked if they have been bullied while at Paly, or if they knew someone who has been bullied. The results are below.
People who have been victimized by bullies
People who know someone who has been victimized by bullies
31