High school issues are favorite topics for authors. Even in the movies, high school issues are favored topics of writers and directors. High school is a setting for a diverse spectrum of characters with colorful personalities and unforgettable memories of those four years. A nostalgic example might include the large, scruffy, brutish classmate who fiercely sticks out his large, pudgy hands at a small, frail child, shouting, “Give me your lunch money!”

Bullying has spread and grown from its original meaning. Online and emotional bullying has occurred in several schools, with hundreds of students being harassed and hassled daily. According to SafeYouth.org, “…females [use] more indirect and subtle forms of aggression than boys” employing methods such as gossip or encouraging others to exclude another girl. Often times students’ Myspace pages are used as targets for harsh and offensive comments, as well as spreading rumors throughout the school. When compared to several problems in the world such as the Iraq War and the crisis in Darfur, is bullying so serious that it should have its own collection of novels discussing tips, stories, and even movies depicting such?

On the one hand, although Bread.org states that 854 million people are hungry and about 16,000 children die from hunger related causes, bullying has lead to serious situations in schools, such as the shootings of Columbine in Jefferson County, Colorado, and Success Tech in Cleveland, Ohio.

“Here, we don’t have world hunger so we should care,” says chemistry teacher Mrs. Beigi. Over the past few years, there have been a great number of shootings that occurred throughout the country. In fact, as stated by Infoplease.com.last February, there were shootings at Louisiana Technical College in Louisiana, Mitchell High School in Tennessee, E.O. Green Junior High School in California, and Northern Illinois University in Illinois. All ended with the shooter committing suicide. Some think this accelerated violence may be caused by bullying.

“Bullying is a private thing rather than world hunger which everybody knows about,” comments Megan Mendelsohn. ’09. Increasing security may help, but is it really enough to solve this problem? How can we create a peaceful learning environment? How do we defend ourselves from bullying?

Providing the subject of peaceful compromise with plenty of media attention may allow many victims of bullying to learn proper defense methods, rather than have them seek extraordinary means, such as bringing a weapon to school.

“People who bully other people believe that they are better than others and eventually end up doing much more damage,” states Tia Clifford, ’11. By creating books and novels, and possibly releasing movies on the subject, the signs of bullying can be thwarted before a serious problem submerges.

“Bullying is the first step which can then lead to international violence,” observes Sydney McPherson, ’11. Although bullying may not permanently eliminate school shootings, as this issue may not always be the root cause, the threat of “revenge” or “retaliation” can be decreased by addressing these issues and putting a stop to them. “There’s not much here at Beaumont, but at other schools bullying happens and people keep it on the down low,” comments Melissa Militello, ’09.

The problem with high school bullying doesn’t seem to have the same importance as more serious issues plaguing our society today. As stated by About.com., 55,000 Iraqi insurgents have been killed since the start of the war. As of May 2007, 2,555,000 Iraqis have been displaced. Also, millions of innocent people face either displacement or murder in Darfur, Sudan. About 1 million people still living in Darfur continue to face these and other dangerous threats. “Bullying is a sad reality and impossible to fully prevent, but international violence causes much greater damage,” remarks Kristina Collins ’10.

Students at Beaumont School have opinions about the attention placed on bullying. “There are small schools everywhere but we’re in a big world. We need to take action now to stop international violence,” notes Leah Adams, ’11. Is it really worth it to make movies and books based on the same themes when many lives are rapidly and devastatingly claimed? “If you’re getting picked on, how does that compare to starvation? At least you have a home and food. You have the support of others,” says Kelli Medsker ’09.

Students who responded implied that adults need to be more trusting of adolescents of today and to focus on bigger issues that need attention. Yet a student wished to remain anonymous when she said, “People need to stop complaining about bullying. It’s not that big of a deal. There are others worse off than themselves and they are much happier!” If it is not a big deal, why was she too insecure to allow her name placed next to her words?

Although school shootings are dangerous, violence is everywhere and no place is virtually safe. Bullying may not always lead to serious situations. These conflicts may be resolved quickly and easily.

Both issues carry a particular amount of importance, depending on the person. Bullying can equal international violence in that it can worsen and lead to destruction, pain and death. It can spread and worsen, and massive security measures are required to ensure the safety of the general population. The fact is bullying is not as serious as genocide or war. It does not always lead to problems. Society may be focusing on this issue because of its extreme paranoia about safety. No matter what the belief, the truth still stands—action needs to be taken to solve both issues.