week 8: post 1

The term bully has changed drastically over the past two decades.  When I was growing up, a bully was someone who used muscle and force to abuse others.  Today, bullying can be physical, verbal, relational, and with the increasing popularity of the internet and social media, cyberbullying has become prevalent.  The victims today are also different then they were 15 years ago.  The children who are bullied today are picked on because of their vulnerability and their tendency to isolate themselves.  These victims are typically loners with few to no friends and are chosen by bullies because they are easy targets.  In contrast, the bullies of the past would choose their victims based on physical attributes and appearances.  There are many differences between how people perceive bullies in today's society and how they have been perceived in the past.  They have different effects on everyone but regardless of how people are bullied, it has a profound effect on how children develop into adulthood.