The Root of the Bullying Crisis: A Moral and Values-Based Issue

Strategic Insights -

President Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, hosted a summit at the White House to address the national bullying crisis, but efforts to curb bullying won't be effective without addressing the root cause: a lack of moral education and values in our nation's children. The problem is not just limited to schools, but also to the homes and communities where children are raised. The increase of bullying has been well-documented, with 50% of students admitting to bullying others and 47% saying they have been victims of bullying. The solution lies not in school-based empathy training or diversity education, but in teaching children moral character and empathy.

Key Takeaways:

  • The national bullying crisis affects 50% of students, who admit to bullying others, and 47% who say they have been victims of bullying (Josephson Institute on Ethics, 2010).
  • The rise of bullying is directly linked to a lack of moral education and values in our nation's children (White House Summit on Bullying Prevention).
  • Violent video games have been shown to impede the development of empathy and sympathy in children, leading to a decrease in moral reasoning (Simmons College study, 2011).
  • 70% of games played by children in the study contained mild violence, while 25% included intense violence, blood, and gore (Simmons College study, 2011).
  • Parents play a crucial role in instilling moral values in their children by monitoring their exposure to violent video games (Marybeth Hicks, personal experience).
  • The gay-rights lobby has rallied around the issue of bullying as a means to promote their agenda, but this approach does not address the root cause of the problem (gay-rights lobby).

Statistics:

  • 50% of students admitted to bullying others in the Josephson Institute on Ethics survey (2010).
  • 47% of students said they were victims of bullying in the Josephson Institute on Ethics survey (2010).
  • 70% of games played by children in the Simmons College study contained mild violence (2011).
  • 25% of games played by children in the Simmons College study included intense violence, blood, and gore (2011).
  • 71% of children ages 7 to 12 play games rated M for mature audiences (Simmons College study, 2011).

Sources:

  • Josephson Institute on Ethics. (2010). Declaration of Trustworthiness.
  • White House. (n.d.). Summit on Bullying Prevention.
  • Simmons College. (2011). Journal of Children and Media, 2011, Spring/Summer.
  • Marybeth Hicks. (personal experience)