No one likes to be called a bully. Nevertheless, it’s a serious and wide-spread problem in many schools and workplaces around the world. It can cause anxiety, stress, depression, self-harm and worse.
On today’s podcast, you’ll learn words and expressions connected to bullying so that you’ll be able to understand this topic a bit better and talk about it effectively in English.
Vocabulary
Bullying: The act of intimidating or mistreating someone weaker or in a vulnerable position.
to bully / a bully
Cyberbullying: Bullying that takes place over digital devices like smart phones, computers, and tablets.
Harassment: Aggressive pressure or intimidation.
Victim: A person harmed or affected by bullying.
Perpetrator: A person who carries out a harmful, illegal, or immoral act.
Intimidation: The act of frightening or overawing someone, especially to make them do what one wants.
Resilience: The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. (to build resilience)
Bystander: A person who is present at an event or incident but does not take part.
Support system: A network of people who provide an individual with practical or emotional support.
Self-esteem: Confidence in one’s own worth or abilities. “Bullying can severely damage a person’s self-esteem.”
Social isolation: The state of being alone without contact with others.
Intervention: The action of becoming intentionally involved in a difficult situation to improve it.
Confide in: To share a secret or something private with someone you trust.
Reach out: To make contact with someone, especially for help or support.
Peer pressure: Influence from members of one’s peer group.
Assertiveness: The quality of being self-assured and confident without being aggressive. “Teaching assertiveness can help children stand up to bullies.”
Zero tolerance: A policy of not allowing any violations of a rule or law. “Many schools have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying.”
Bullying at School
Verbal bullying – saying or writing mean things. Including:
Teasing
Name-calling
Inappropriate sexual comments
Taunting
Threatening to cause harm
Social bullying – hurting someone’s reputation or relationships. Including
Leaving someone out on purpose
Telling other children not to be friends with someone
Spreading rumors about someone
Embarrassing someone in public
Physical bullying – involves hurting a person’s body or possessions. Including:
Hitting/kicking/pinching
Spitting
Tripping/pushing
Taking or breaking someone’s things
Making mean or rude hand gestures
Cyberbullying – Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of digital technologies.
It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones.
Cyberbullying includes:
Spreading lies about or posting embarrassing photos or videos of someone on social media.
Sending hurtful, abusive or threatening messages, images or videos via messaging platforms.
Impersonating someone and sending mean messages to others on their behalf or through fake accounts.
Discussion
Have you ever bullied anyone? Why did you do it? How did you feel?
Have you ever been the victim of bullying? How did you feel?
Do males bully more than females?
What can schools, teachers and parents do to prevent bullying?
How can bystanders help stop bullying?
…and now it’s your turn to practise your English.
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The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’