Happy slapping—a new kind of bullying?

Happy slapping is a craze in which people, often young people, slap a stranger who has no idea this is going to happen.

The attackers use a cell phone to film the attack. Then they pass the video from cell phone to cell phone, and sometimes even post it on the Internet.

Concern about this fad is rising because some of these attacks have been violent. Many people consider this a new kind of bullying and fear it will become a problem in schools.

Two BBC online articles discuss this phenomenon:

Does happy slapping exist?

Concern over spread of slap craze


Send your ideas.

• Why do you think some young people find it fun to assualt people in this way?
• How can this kind of bullying be prevented in school environments?

Comments

[Sandra McLeod Humphrey]

I love your illustrations! Have you given any thought to listing some resources for parents and kids to help them deal with the bullying problem?

[Felicia]

I am starting an organization to combat bullying. I would like this to become a national organized movement and need to find people to be on board with this movement. I lost my 13 year old brother many years ago to suicide because he was being bullied. If you are interested in being part of this organization, please e-mail

I have a plan in place, but need to have people on board to help out.

[Jake Phenon]

I find it very disappropriate to bully someone when he is innocent. It can destroy your life! Jake 6 years old

[Nate p.]

I think all schools should have a bullying program in place so that other people do not commit suicide. take phoebe prince for example. don't judge an individual by his/her race, color, or nationality. let's love one another as we are.

[Alicia Patterson]

I think all schools should have cameras that can see and hear everything. that way the school staff can see and hear for themselves while keeping the students identity anonymous. Stop bullying bullying kills. I think that everyone should know that there is only one way to love

[Jessie Tompkins]

Message
Subject: RE: School Bullying
Posted By: Jessie Tompkins
Comment:
As an employee of the Montgomery Alabama Board of Education, I reported gang bullying and threats against me and other students and nothing was done. Actually the Board voted to fire me after I filed a police report. I further went to the media after the police report went missing. To complicate things, the Alabama Education Association (AEA) the states teacher union quit during my hearing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=457KMceLrxw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIVSW2n2Bno&feature=related

[Atlantica gold]

I think that young people are doing this kind of bullying to have fun. Maybe some of them are playing a joke on people and don't think about the bad consequences. To stop this problem in schools, I think it is important to ban cell phones in schools.

[Metin2 yang]

This is a problem in schools. I think it is important to ban cell phones in schools.

[Elem Teacher]

I recently read the book Strike One! by Andrea Prostko with my 4th grade class, it was very well received!! It is about 3 young boys: one is the kid who bullies, one is the victim and one is the friend who watches and must decide how to react. My students loved it!! And the book club discussion guide at the end was an excellent conversation starter. We had an excellent class discussion about bullying and the way we treat others. Kudos for this book!!

[AB]

Please document these events..........be able to prove they are true..........do not slander, the truth is the truth........ and then post the Family Tree of the Bully. List the entire family and their place of employment and where they all attend school, be sure to use the city, county and state.

Peer disapproval has always been the best medicine for such behavior. I bet when the parents get a taste of the humiliation, it will stop or at least slow down.

When someone does a search for this issue on google, etc., we will then see the name of the bully and the family, school, place of employment and any other available information. I would probably even list their address and the cars they drive. Let us put a stop to this.

[Air Jordan]

It's really a useful idea. I have been frustrated by them for a long time. Thank you very much for continuously posting effective tips. It really does me a great favor.

[Andre]

It really depends on the situation. Some people are insecure and use bullying as a way to make themselves feel better about their own insecurities, but in other situations it is more a form of peer pressure. If people look down upon someone, most likely the bully will say something to impress or make everybody else laugh at what they did, which I guess in a way is still to make themselves feel better. They probably don't think of themselves as a bully, but instead feel that being mean to other people is funny or will get laughs, often times they don't think about the effect that it actually has on the victim that they choose.

[Dania]

Well I used to be a victim of bullying back when I was in school. I don't know why I was picked on. I watched something a few years back on bullying.They went in to how bullying can be caused by a lot of different things ranging from abuse in the home to, as you put it, low self esteem. But as to what they feel when they are bullying people, well I'd imagine that they would feel powerful, in control and dominating. I've read of a few adult bullies who only did it for the sheer enjoyment of watching others suffer. But anyway, that's about as in depth as I get.