For as long as bullying has been a problem, there are still misconceptions about it. In order to clear things up, here’s a table of Myths vs. Truth.
| Myth | Truth |
|---|---|
| Bullying is when someone is physically hurt. Words cannot hurt a person. | In reality, there are four types of bullying: verbal, physical, relationship and cyber bullying. Each category of bullying can affect someone just as much as the other. Words can hurt just as much as a punch to the face, and sometimes leave a more serious aftermath. |
| “_____ could never be a bully.” | People are not always who you think they are. Parents have a hard time accepting this fact, but it is possible for their child to do hurtful things. Everyone makes mistakes, but the brightside is you can learn from them. |
| Bullies are simply bad people. | There are various reasons why people bully. Maybe they feel jealous of the person they are targeting, or they are trying to escape their own problems. These reasons do not make the bullying acceptable, though. |
| No one can be a victim and a bully. | Roles change very often during high school. Someone could be a bully in the seventh grade, but realize just how cruel their behavior is and change into an anti-bullying activist by the tenth grade! There is hope for bullies to stop harassing people. |