Teachers Against Bullying February 2013 | Page 10

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE WARNING SIGNS OF A BULLY IN YOUR CLASSROOM

Student may involve themselves in physical or verbal fights

Student may have friends who bully others

Becomes increasingly aggressive

Frequents the principles office

Blame others for their problems

Will not accept responsibility for

their actions

Have acquired extra money or new belongings

Worry about their reputation or popularity

Imagine, waiting for the bus, minding your own business, and without warning, a perfect stranger walks up and slaps you in the face then posts the incident online. It’s called “happy slapping” and it has become a disturbing new trend.

Definition and origins

Happy slapping happens when an unsuspecting target or victim is physically attacked or provoked, in real life. An accomplice is standing by, photographing or videotaping the entire event. Camera cell phones are normally used in this method of bullying.

The image or video is later shared with friends, posted online or distributed electronically. Often the victim has no idea the incident was videotaped until later. The attacks are can be spontaneous and random, although sometimes the attacker does know his or her victim. This type of bullying is usually carried out by teenagers, targeting other children, although anyone of any age can be victimized.

The happy slapping phenomenon reportedly began in London in 2004. Early happy slapping incidents began as fairly minor pranks, hence the name "happy slapping". However, this bullying method is now rampant in our schools and we must ba aware of the phenomenon.

Did you say "happy slapping"?