In this article I read, Dr. Julie Lumeng, an assistant research scientist at the Center for Human Growth and Development at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor said that in her research, being overweight increased the risk of being the target of bullying by 63 percent. Previously, factors such as gender, race and family income levels, played more of a major role in determining whether a kid got bullied or not, but now it seems that it only matters if one is overweight. (I guess being overweight is more noticeable to bullies which can result in harassment and being bullied.)
She also went on to say that "If your child lets you know that he or she is being bullied, your first response should be to validate your child's feelings and let them know that it's not OK for someone to treat them like that" (Lumeng).
I totally agree with Lumeng that the first thing to tell one's child is that getting bullied is "not OK" because they are obese, or of a certian gender, race, or have a certain family income level. The parents as well as the children need to stand up and take action against the bullies and complain to higher authorities that harassment and getting bullied is unacceptable.
I will admit, I have been subject to harassment before and I have harassed others in the past and to this day I still see it happening at school (although we should act mature as seniors). I know you all see it to and may be subject to bullying or being bullied. Either way I want to know: What are some tips you have to help obese people survive against bullying? What are some health tips that can help one loose weight? How should this matter be handled at schools? Is America really becoming an obese nation? Should it be brought up to the national agenda as something we should focus on fixing? Will it have long term affects on our health and possibly affect our healthcare= more taxes?
Here's a picture which I find funny, yet disturbing (it's nothing gross I promise)
http://lahaiseslair.com/hovanes/files/2009/10/exercise-demotivational-poster.jpg
Monday, May 3, 2010
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6 comments:
They needed research to be able to figure this out?
Breaking news: Fat kids get made fun of in elementary school no matter what they do.
Now on to more serious business. I do remember reading an article about the same research posted here and it also recommended that educating kids about body weight might actually reduce the amount of bullying that happens in school. In AP psychology, we were told that education reduces prejudice. This recommendation seems to validate that claim.
Well I do feel like America is becoming an obese nation. As the years go by, statistics have shown that there are a growing number of obese Americans, and as for the bullying, bullying is always going to be a problem. People don't pick on just your weight, it's anything they see in you that they feel is out of the ordinary, and that is a problem that will take a lot of reconciliation, or may not ever be fixed. As for helping those that are obese who are being bullied, I personally think that exercise and fitness is the key. Not only does it help with weight management, but it releases endorphins which help with the overall mental state of mind, which can help boost confidence and self esteem.
Well.. getting bullied for being fat sucks, but what are you going to do about it? It happens ALL THE TIME, and everywhere. This kind of thing of impossible to monitor. Disgusting behavior like this tends to be looked down upon and there ARE disincentives for making fun of people in places like schools, but who's gonna stop a bully in downtown San Mateo? I'm not saying it's okay, but it certainly is inevitable. I actually have mixed feelings about this, because the authorities do need to perform tasks other than keeping bullies away from obese people, but then there are always those stories about how sad girls and boys kill themselves because of bullying and no one did anything about it when it was happening. I guess Lumeng was right about telling your kid that it's not okay for anyone to make fun of them, but that's not going to stop it. I guess the obese people just need to learn how to chime out the comments and not mirror that kind of behavior (karma.)
Like Michael said, the US is becoming an obese nation and when everyone is obese, there shouldn't be anyone picking on anyone!
I'm just joking about that, but the fact that kids are being picked on because of their weight is disgusting. Maybe it's because the image of being overweight is coupled with life style choices as well. People may get the image that because they are obese, that must mean they eat A LOT, they don't exercise, and other things. But the fact is that a lot of kids cant help it. They dont choose to be obese and making fun of them sure doesn't help them get any slimmer either.
It's definitely sad to hear about so many kids falling into depression or becoming self-destructive because of bullying. I have to agree with Britney though, this stuff is almost impossible to prevent. Although children are taught at a very young age to respect one another, as they mature they also pick up that bullying does amuse other people. So of course there are kids who bully for the attention and "respect" they get from other students. I think what's even more upsetting is the fact that bullying like this happens in school, even in class, around adults. I'm not saying it's their fault they don't know what's going on, but that bullying has become something taken so lightly and has become so common around school.
Btw, ironic choice in article choosing.
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