Singer Josh Groban.In this report, Groban recalls being bullied for his early interest in musical theatre:"Josh Groban was barely 10 when his parents ignited his love of musical theatre, needing only a VHS copy of "Sunday in the Park with George" and a ticket to "Cats."If only the kids at school had been so supportive."Something happens in that summer between sixth and seventh grades where kids all of a sudden grow way the hell up or not at all," Groban reminisced during a recent interview in … [Read more...]
Boy hassled by bullies in film has new life.
Bullies got more than they bargained for when Alex Libby, one of the students in the 2001 "Bully" documentary, flowered and began to thrive in a new school. Tho Alex still has the flattened nose and Asperger's that triggered much of his earlier bullying, he's a confident happy kid these days.Columnist Tony Leys of the Des Moines Register wrote this follow-up story on Alex recently. Here it is in its entirety: Bullies find unintended consequences of their acts. Alex Libby, who was featured in … [Read more...]
Facebook gives $200K to study cyberbullying, dating violence.
This story is an important development, given that Facebook is clearly a major vehicle for cyberbullying. An Indian-American researcher is heading up the study.It's fitting, or karmic, to post this story since I've just finished visiting Delhi, Varanasi, Agra, and Jaipur in India. Wonderful country!"Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D., a cyberbullying expert, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Florida Atlantic University has received … [Read more...]
Cyberbullying——actresses Willis and Patridge talk.
Last March and early April, I blogged about cyberbullying and featured Monica Lewinsky's Ted Talk about it. Well, two more celebs have weighed in about being cyberbullied: Rumer Willis (daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore) and Audrina Patridge (reality star and TV personality).Cyberbullying – The Fastest Growing Faceless Crime.As I noted in prior blogs, Patti Agatston, PhD— from www.cyberbullyhelp.com—defines cyberbullying as "using the Internet or other digital devices to send or post … [Read more...]
What is cyberbullying? What to do about it.
Some people scratched their heads when Monica Lewinsky, of blue dress Clinton-DNA fame, came out swinging against cyberbullying recently. Among other things, they wondered what the heck is "cyberbullying?" According to the Cyberbullying Research Center says it's "willful and repeated harm" inflicted through phones and computers. In short, it's that cafeteria name calling and bullying in a new guise, ranging from barrages of teasing phone texts to group sites online dedicated to sexually … [Read more...]
Monica Lewinsky fights cyberbullying. Hero, villain or fool?
Monica Lewinsky made news again a week ago. Yes, that White House intern whose famous blue dress caused President Bill Clinton—and perhaps a future president, Hillary Clinton—so much distress. Lewinsky has reinvented herself of late as the poster child for cyberbullying victims. Utilizing the AIDs and ebola epidemic term for the first victim, she claims she was the "ground zero patient" of cyberbullying. Taking a stand against cyberbullying. These words—from Alexandra Schwartz' New Yorker … [Read more...]
What determines heroes, villains and fools?
Obama's recent State of the Union speech tried to address, among other things, the problem of wealth inequality in America.* Charles Blow's New York Times column** the day before Obama's speech described how hard (and expensive) it is to be poor. While much of the reaction to Obama's proposals focused on wealth-transfers, other redistribution efforts, and increased government regulation, some of it dealt with more abstract notions of how people are compensated in various ways in society. … [Read more...]