LE BILINGUE
Special Anti-Bullying issue December 2020
graphic from freepix.com
Ecole Jeannine Manuel Paris’ student newspaper
Editorial Dear Readers, Chers Lecteurs, Bullying is regarded as a major problem in most societies, affecting not only the youth but potentially everyone. It can impact anyone, and has disastrous psychological consequences for the victim. Defined as an aggressive or hurtful behavior which is repeated and predatory, it’s one of the greatest social issues of the modern age. It has only become more common in this technological era, simply transforming and adapting to new media, and thus increasing the chances of it happening not only inside one area of life, but throughout all spheres of it. However, in the last few years, awareness about bullying and its consequences has been increasing throughout the world, resulting in more initiatives aimed at fighting bullying. It has been classified as a crime against the fundamental rights of children, and is legally described as such in many countries. En France, on a peut-être tendance à oublier ce fléau de la société, et de ne pas prêter assez d’attention aux effets psychologiques qu’il engendre. Malgré les campagnes de sensibilisation lancées par de diverses organisations, ainsi que le gouvernement, le sujet semble moins discuté et plus tabou que dans les pays anglophones, rendant encore plus évidente la nécessité d’en parler. The Ecole Jeannine Manuel therefore decided to mark the national and international day against bullying, November 5th, by organizing a series of events to raise awareness about the issue among the students and school community. On that day, all students received and were encouraged to wear a bracelet symbolizing the different types of bullying, to show solidarity with the cause, and an hourlong webinar was organized with many members of the administration, to deliver a united message on the school’s will to fight bullying. Cet effort s’inscrit dans la volonté qu’a l’école de se rapprocher des ses élèves, en s’impliquant dans leur bien-être. Cette campagne, pouvant être englobée dans le slogan “Think, Dare, Share & Care”, cherche à lever le tabou quant à ces sujets qui nous affectent tous, et d’entamer une vraie et honnête discussion dessus. Cette journée n’est qu’une des actions prévues ayant pour but de faire prendre conscience sur le harcèlement, surtout en milieu scolaire. In light of all of this, we decided to dedicate a special edition of Le Bilingue to what is being done against bullying in our school and about the general theme of harassment throughout the world. While concentrating partly on the books, movies and works of art addressing the issue, we’ll also show the more concrete aspects of it. This is following in the administration’s commitment to fighting bullying and to making everyone at school comprehend how serious and intolerable such an issue is in our community. On this note, and on behalf of the editorial team, we hope you enjoy and learn from this special edition of Le Bilingue. De la part de l’équipe éditoriale, nous espérons que cette édition spéciale du Bilingue vous plaira et vous ouvrira les yeux sur les enjeux du harcèlement.
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Table of contents Different types of bullying explained ....................................4 Common misconceptions about bullying ..............................6 Beating bullying: school-wide initatives ................................8 Interview: the Anti-Bulling Club ..........................................11 A President bully ...............................................................13 Bullying: the aftermath .......................................................14 Can overcoming bullying make you stronger? ......................16 Movie reviews ...................................................................19 The Joy Luck Club review .................................................20 Reccommendations: books, movies and more ......................22
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BULLYING
the different types of bullying explained - Kate S.
Bullying frequently happens among teenagers all over the world. It mostly occurs to tease a person’s weakness, personality, race, or gender, and can simply be caused by jealousy towards a person. Sometimes, bullying can also happen for “fun”. No matter what the reason is, bullying can never be justified. There are many types of bullying, not only physical, but also verbal, cyber, social, and sexual. Bullying can cause depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, trauma, self-harm, or even suicide so it is important to know the different types of bullying, be able notice them, and prevent their spread. There are five main types of bullying:
PHYSICAL Bullying Physical bullying is a repeated action of hurting someone’s body. This is the most well-known and clearly visible kind of bullying and it actually occurs a lot among young people. It includes hitting, kicking, slapping, spitting, tripping, stealing, or even making gestures to embarrass a peer. According to parents.com, 37% of LGBTQ students were physically bullied by others.
Verbal Bullying Verbal bullying is hurting someone with words or making fun of them and it is the most frequently happening bullying around the world, as it can happen easily. Verbal bullying includes teasing, name-calling, taunting, or threats. Although it can appear to be less harmful than physical bullying, verbal bullying can also powerfully damage a person just as much. According to Dosomething.org, The most commonly reported type of bullying was verbal harassment which was 79% of all reported incidents of harassment.
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Social/relational Bullying Social bullying, also known as relational bullying, is an action or a movement to hurt someone’s reputation or relationships for the purpose of ostracizing them. This includes excluding someone on purpose, telling others not to be friends with someone, spreading rumors, and embarrassing someone. In the process of social bullying, all the types of bullying shown above can occur. Dosomething.org has reported that socialharassmentt was the second commonly reported type of bullying, with its figure of 50%.
Cyberbullying Cyberbullying occurs frequently through social media such as Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp, and Snapchat, which are commonly used applications between teenagers. Sending demeaning or harmful text messages, spreading rumors, sharing embarrassing pictures or videos (which can even be fake or edited), and making online threats all constitute acts of cyberbullying. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, about “ 15.7% of high school students were estimated to be electronically bullied in the 12 months prior to the survey in 2019 ”.
Sexual Bullying Sexual bullying is any bullying behavior that is based on a person’s sexuality or gender. It could be both physical and non-physical that results in the others feeling uncomfortable and hatred. Using sexual words to put someone down is one of the most well-known as non-physical bullying. Inappropriate touching, sexual assault, and even rape is regarded as physical sexual bullying. An online survey from Stop Street Harassment found out that “81% of women and 43% of men have experienced some form of sexual harassment during their lifetime”.
Of course, these different types of bullying often go hand in hand, and that is when their effects can be the most powerful and destructive. That is why it is so important to detect harassment early on to then be able to put an end to it as fast as possible.
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BULLYING
common misconceptions about it
(graphics from freepix.com)
- Anna H.
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he CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) defines bullying as “any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths, who are not siblings or current dating partners, that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance, and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated.” Bullying has for centuries been a plague in our society. Many people assume that only a minor part of the population is bullied. That is in fact an inaccurate and all too common perception. According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, one-third of the world’s youth is bullied. The percentages vary by country but overall it is extremely common.
“If someone is being hurt physically or mentally by a person or group of people repeatedly, whether these individuals do it on purpose or not, it is bullying”
there are judicial consequences if you see a crime and don’t do anything about it. In everyday situations, you should not make yourself feel better by telling yourself that you can’t do anything about it. That’s never true. You can always do something about it. As the legendary American congressman John Lewis said “If Some misconceptions about bullying are that it must you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, be in groups and that if you find it cool and fun and you have a moral obligation to do something about it.” aren’t purposefully bullying someone it isn’t bullying. That is wrong. If someone is being hurt physically or Many people feel frightened of going against a larger mentally by a person or group of people repeatedly, group of people. they may not agree with what is whether these individuals do it on purpose or not, it being done but they will not do anything about it. It can indeed be hard to stand up to a group but to quote is bullying. John Lewis one one final time “You cannot be afraid to Another issue with bullying is that there are too many speak out for what you believe.” bystanders who do not realize that not doing anything is passive support. In France, in criminal cases,
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“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else�
- Judy Garland
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BEATING BULLYING
A series of school-wide iniatives and events - Alessia V.
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ullying is an issue that is far too widespread, affecting almost one in three children in the world and one in ten in France. Ever since 2015, the first Thursday of November has been the “Journée nationale de lutte contre le harcèlement scolaire”, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the devastating effects of bullying, all while working on the ambitious task of eradicating it in educational environments. Last year, UNESCO decided to declare that same day the “International Day against Violence and Bullying at School including Cyberbullying”
with victims of different types of bullying had been handed out and posters had been hung up all around the school for students to share their thoughts on.
Behind the scenes, planning and coordinating all the events of November 5th, was the newly formed Anti-Bullying Committee. It is made up of 14 people from all parts of the school, administrators, teachers, students, and parents, each offering a different perspective on bullying. Of its members, Ms. Lemaire — also Head of Adaptation — kindly agreed to speak to Le Bilingue about the committee itself as well as its November 5th was thus both the national and goals and actions. international day against bullying, an occasion the school observed through a variety of actions and The committee, which was formed this year out of a initiatives including a live webinar, posters and colorful desire to address the problem that is bullying, started ribbons. This day was also a first glimpse into the meeting in September. “If we were there,” said Ms. work of the Anti-Bullying Committee, whose projects Lemaire, “it was because we felt really strongly about extend far beyond this single day of raising awareness, this issue, and we had a lot of things to say and a lot of its goal being to address the issue of bullying in the reactions to share”. long-term. As the committee gathered thoughts and ideas from students, one of the main sentiments was that efforts to raise awareness about bullying had been both scattered and irregular, and had varied greatly from class to class. Some classes whose homeroom teachers were particularly committed to addressing bullying might explore it in great detail, while others might opt for a more brief overview of the topic. The issue of definitions also came up: even with identical materials or resources, there might be subtle, yet significant differences in what students heard, and therefore in their understanding of the concrete definition of bullying. “Every year, at school, all through the Collège and Lycée,” Ms. Lemaire explained, “there are all these different things that happen, usually a homeroom At 1:45 pm on Thursday, November 5th, the entirety decides to do something, but then not everyone of the school stopped for a period to watch a live knows about it.” So while one class might decide to, webinar featuring all the main members of the school for example, put up posters related to bullying, the administration, as well as teachers and students. Earlier scope of their actions remained inevitably limited. in the day, colorful ribbons representing solidarity
one of the anti-bullying posters
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“We wanted to get organized this year,” said Ms. Lemaire. Nothing had ever been done on a schoolwide scale, an issue the committee sought to address through a coordinated day of actions. The webinar was an attempt to remedy the lack of uniformity and consistency by delivering a strong and clear message to the entire school community. “We want people to understand. We want to get everyone on the same page. We want everyone to be really clear as to what the definition is,” Ms. Lemaire explained.
students handing out ribbons on november 5th
The 25 minute webinar, which was shown live to most classes in collège and lycée (a couple classes, especially older students in the T-building had technical difficulties viewing it live), featured most of the school administration as well as a number of teachers. “It was important that all the key people we would want you to come talk to were all in the webinar,” explained Ms. Lemaire “so you could see who we were and you could The answer to that question was, as is frequently the hear that we’re all giving you the same message, that case in multi-cultural environments, deeply rooted we’re all on the same page and that we all agree on in different cultural mindsets. “The Anglo-American what needs to be done.” perspective is more about your individual identity,” Ms. Lemaire explained, while “the French side is Together, they delivered a message on the importance more about universality, solidarity and community”. of addressing the far too common issue of bullying, So while the idea of students picking the ribbons that and provided a clear definition of bullying while also felt personally relevant appealed to some as a way reiterating the school’s stance on the matter. of creating dialogue around the issue of bullying, to others, it seemed to erroneously suggest that one This message of unity was one of the key aspects of could not demonstrate solidarity or empathy for the November 5th day against bullying, and also others’ experiences. manifested itself through the colorful ribbons which were handed out throughout the day. “The way to reconcile those two perspectives was to have all the different ribbons but to knot them and to The idea for this grew out of anti-bullying t-shirts that give them as a package,” Ms. Lemaire explained, “so had been sold by certain schools in Canada which even if your personal issue, or what you’ve witnessed, then donated the profits to associations that work to is cyber bullying, it doesn’t mean that you can’t also address bullying in schools. However, this idea had a be sympathetic with someone who has been pushed few issues, namely what to do with the proceeds — around in the playground.” much of the work around bullying in France is done by the government — and the fact that not everyone would buy a t-shirt, let alone wear it once the event ended. This inspired the idea of colorful ribbons which would each represent a different form of bullying; thus wearing one would show solidarity with its victims as well as a commitment to fighting it. This however raised the question of distribution: should each person pick the ribbons they felt were personally relevant, or should everyone wear the same ribbons?
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Another idea that grew out of the planning for the anti-bullying day was that of ‘expression boards’ which would feature rotating prompts for students to share their thoughts on. While a permanent form of these seemed complicated to maintain, they were used in the days and weeks following November 5th to gather students’ opinions. “We were hearing that students wanted more avenues to express themselves” said Ms. Lemaire, and these boards were thought up as a way to open constructive dialogue.
based than the first one. The period will start with a 5-minute student announcement, after which studentrun workshops aimed at providing tools to deal with bullying will be carried out in each class. These will be highly interactive, providing “time for students to discuss, interact and maybe try out the tools using skits” said Ms. Lemaire. The workshops on December 17th will also, according to Ms. Lemaire, help answer certain lingering questions, most importantly “what do I say and what do I do to stop hurtful behavior, and to create positive relationships and a more welcoming environment?” In this context, students and staff will be provided with multiple resources, all aimed at preventing and addressing bullying in and outside school. “We’re going to send out an FAQ that will answer many of the questions students asked in the survey,” Ms. Lemaire explained. “Some students still weren't quite sure about certain things so we want to clarify those, and answer student questions”.
students writing on the library expression board
And while a second, more in-depth survey will also be sent out, an abbreviated version of the results of the first survey - carried out after the events on November 5th - will be published, as well as a French version of the ‘We Care’ statement which was initially put out in September.
The posters that were put up throughout the school — in the courtyard, hallways, library and T-building — received a mixed response. Participation seemed to come mainly from the younger students, the boards in the library and in front of the cantine filling up with various thoughts and ideas. There was however not much on the Lycée side, as the poster in the T-building remained mostly blank.
There are also plans for a new mural to be painted in the courtyard soon after the end of the compos. Designed and created by an artistic team of 2nde students led by Mme Lacrosnière, the mural will be “a reminder of the kind of place we want to be”, as Ms. Lemaire put it. She also explained that “it will be colorful and positive and joyful, with this idea of unity and appreciating differences”.
The November 5th anti-bullying day was the first step of a broader initiative to address bullying at school. While the webinar focused on the “what” of bullying, the December 17th event will be centered on the “how”, i.e. tools and methods to deal with bullying.
While the mural is still in its planning phase, part of it might be something that everyone can contribute to, maybe through a fingerprint, handprint or brushstroke, “a way”, according to Ms. Lemaire, “for people to walk by and say ‘I’m part of this, I want to be part of this vision’”.
On that day, a period will again be reserved, the same one as in November (Thursday at 1:45 pm is the only moment when every student in collège and lycée is in class) but this time will be more discussion-
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INTERVIEW: THE ANTI-BULLYING CLUB - Talia C. & Melisa O. For this issue we had the opportunity to interview a member of the ‘Anti-Bullying’ club whose principles follow our understanding of the subject we are treating: bullying and its effects. By spreading awareness of this topic, the club not only reminds us that no form of bullying should be accepted within schools, but also in our everyday lives. Jihane B., a Terminale student and member of the ‘anti-bullying club’, took the time to answer our questions and described the ‘Anti-Bullying’ club’s creation and management.
What does this club consist of? Terminale students who have a responsibility to prevent this Was there a meaning behind the either directly or indirectly issue from happening as much been affected by bullying. We as possible. creation of this club?
believe that older students have Our club is the ‘Anti-Bullying’ a responsibility to ensure there Why did you create/join this club? Club, and our aim is to prevent is a healthy, safe environment We actually took over this club, bullying in school by raising in school. as it was created last year by an awareness of the topic. We ex-Terminale student named mainly target younger ‘collège’ Joseph. students who may not realize the impacts of their actions, As Terminale students, we especially since this is an age realize now that bullying did when bullying is most frequent. occur when we were younger Our goal is to intervene in but in a very subtle form, classes and deliver insightful meaning we did not recognize presentations on bullying so it for what it was. We have that collège students have a (graphic from freepix.com) therefore witnessed or felt clear idea of what bullying the devastating impacts of is and how to act if they ever What is the link between the bullying: low self-esteem, witness or are victims of members of the club? social isolation, unhealthy bullying. coping mechanisms, increased I think that what links us feelings of loneliness and How many people are in the club? is the fact that we all see sadness etc. To spare younger bullying as a central issue that children from going through What made people join it? is unfortunately present in all the same thing, we would like For now, there are 3 members schools. In order to tackle this to spread more awareness of the club: Jihane B., Lucile issue, we feel that as the Senior about the issue. This club was S., and Tess D.. We are 3 OIB students of the school, we have created in 2019, last year.
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What do you think the club and people In what ways do you think this club is whether that be a parent, teacher, sibling, or even through a bullying in general could do to spread awareness unique? hotline (the 3020 in France). on bullying?
(graphic from freepix.com)
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(graphic from freepix.com)
This club is unique because it is There are many things we could the only club in the school whose do in order to spread awareness main goal is to tackle bullying. We of bullying. For instance, making also are the only club, I believe, to informative videos and anti- intervene in younger classes. bullying posters to be printed in the school could certainly help. Moreover, we believe coming into classes and taking the time to explain bullying in both an informative and engaging way would also help. And lastly, this is something everyone can do, but we should create an open discussion around bullying so that students who witness and/or are victims of bullying feel safe to speak about it to adults.
What would you say to young kids who Do you think other students from school could join/take over this club? How did may experience or witness bullying? you enter this project?
First of all, I would tell them that they are far from being alone. According to the UN, 1 out of 3 teens is a victim of bullying today. Being a victim of bullying is never your fault, there is nothing ‘wrong’ Is there anything the club is doing in about you that could have caused particular to solve this issue? or justified what you went through. I would also urge them to speak to As mentioned before, we plan on someone they trust about the issue; intervening in younger classes so as I know it seems clichĂŠ, but speaking to engage a taboo-free, informative about it to a trusted adult is one of conversation with the students. the first steps in solving the issue;
As I said previously, we did not actually create this club, but we took over it. Tess and Lucile had had this project in mind for a while, and the moment I expressed my interest in joining the club they welcomed me with open arms. We could of course be open to new members joining, so make sure to contact us if you are interested!
A PRESIDENT BULLY - Elizabeth K. (opinion)
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n the 20th of January 2017, Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States. An outcry of protests followed, citing the president’s record of sexual harassment allegations, tax fraud, racial discrimination, and his, quite frankly, impressive record of bankruptcies. But it seems that even being elected President hasn’t stopped Trump from using his powers to intimidate, abuse or insult, whether it be through crepusculary, grammatically incorrect tweets or, more recently, malicious falsehoods regarding voter election fraud. As a kid, I was always told that we were all equal. That insulting someone was rude and disrespectful, and that girls are equal to boys. Yet it seems like America has been led by a man that did not have that moral education. Childish insults coming from a 74-year-old are now considered normal, and people fighting for racial justice are “THUGS”. Groping women is acceptable, even praised, behavior, and so is publicly tweeting that a woman is “unattractive inside and out”, something I would have been sent to the headmistress for back in primary school. And what about the lies? It is a basic principle that lying is bad and we are all taught at a young age to think before we talk. But it would seem that the President has not had the privilege of receiving this piece of advice. He has repeatedly made disputed claims that are widely considered to be false and regularly retweets dangerous conspiracies, the most famous one being the calls for Barack Obama to release his birth certificate and raising doubts as to its credibility (claims he later refuted). According to data from The Washington Post last updated on September
11th, Trump has made more than 23000 false or misleading claims over a period of 1331 days. This equals to around 17 lies a day. The average person is awake for around 17 hours a day. Trump makes one false statement per hour. ‘Don’t pull your friend’s hair’, ‘Don't touch somebody that doesn’t want to be touched’, not according to Donald Trump. The American People elected a President that has an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to his sexual misconduct allegations. In total, about 55 women have come forward with sexual misconduct claims, varying from non-consensual kissing to rape. He has denied all of these allegations, baselessly claiming they are an effort from the Clinton campaign to make him look bad. Lying and harassment? Hats off to you, Mr President. Does anyone really like losing? The obvious answer is no, but no-one seems to hate it quite as much as Donald Trump. The 2020 presidential elections were called by CNN on November 7th for Joe Biden. A month later, the incumbent has still refused to concede. Trump’s Twitter feed is now an endless sea of extremist retweets, uncorroborated ‘evidence’, and bad-mouthing of the election results. Lawsuits are pending in nearly all the states he has lost (obviously, poor Rudy hasn’t had time to fix his hair dye in a long time), and it’s quite a challenge to find a tweet that doesn’t have a Twitter warning for misleading or disputed claims. (image from pixabay.com)
How can we overlook the blatant abuse of power, harassment, and bullying he has been serving on a silver platter for decades? Donald Trump is a bully, and nothing more.
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BULLYING: THE AFTERMATH - Karina G.
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ith an increasing number of teenagers suffering from depression and anxiety, it is important to take a moment to think about why this is happening. What happened to the myth of teen years being the best of your life? Why are so many students subject to lack of self esteem and are sometimes even scared of going to school?
(graphic from freepix.com)
“one in five teens between 12 and 18 years old are the victims of bullying”
In reality, many people do not realize how powerful words are. It is impossible to know how a person truly feels about what is being said about them, and
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Mental health should never be overlooked. The manner in which people view themselves is key to feeling good and accomplished, so don’t be afraid to speak up. Reach out to someone when in need; no one is alone, even though bullies will try to make you feel like you are.
“Reach out to someone when in need; no one is alone, even though bullies will try to make you feel like you are.”
(graphic from freepix.com)
Growing up is always hard, but it is even worse to do so with bullies making you feel lesser than you really are. Alarmingly, one in five teens between 12 and 18 years old are the victims of bullying; whether it be physical, verbal, social or cyber, all forms of it end up destroying the morale and confidence of its victims. As Mark Zuckerberg once said, “people influence people”. Adolescents will start believing what is being said about them, creating insecurities and doubts concerning everything they do.
anyone has the power to bring others down — or up, thankfully — in one way or another, even by accident. Not only can this impact the victim’s selfimage, but unhealthy habits often arise from such behaviour: someone being criticized for their weight will likely lead to them developing an eating disorder, while someone whose intelligence is being attacked can be more inclined to give up on schoolwork, convincing themselves that they cannot succeed. It’s truly heartbreaking to see adolescents depriving one another of motivation and positivity.
“One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered.” - Michael J. Fox
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CAN OVERCOMING BULLYING MAKE YOU STRONGER? - Emilien M., Ulysse R. & Justin P.
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ullying is a significant issue in today’s society that affects one in four students globally and we can all agree that it needs to be stopped. Although many people struggle from the impacts of bullying, some who have been through this harassment claim that it has had positive long term effects on their character.
Carrie Hope Fletcher, a singer, writer, and actress states that her classmates repeatedly accused her of ‘showing off ’ and excluded her. After initially trying to resist this harassment, she eventually ‘just accepted being ostracised’. However, this may not be the case for the majority of victims who struggle to accept their exclusion. Fletcher has since used her experience to release videos and publish a book ‘All I Know Now’. This book offers advice for young teenagers who are also going through bullying. Therefore, she has used her experience to help others, showing that although she suffered, she overcame it and is in a better place. It would, on the other hand, be better if people didn’t have to go through this harassment in the first place, and there was never a need for this book. Michael Phelps is another celebrity who has used bullying to his advantage. The swimmer and 28 time Olympic medalist claims that it made him ‘stronger going through that’. In this situation, the athlete finds that overcoming bullying has helped him become a more successful and determined person. This is most likely exception to the norm, as many struggle after undergoing traumatic experiences of bullying.
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(wikimedia.commons.com)
Firstly, bullying through verbal and physical abuse, as well as cyberbullying, has contributed to the suffering of many students worldwide. Specifically, many renowned young celebrities have been through bullying at a young age and have decided to share their painful experiences.
“ Michael Phelps is a celebrity who has used bullying to his advantage. The swimmer and 28 time Olympic medalist claims that it made him ‘stronger going through that’. ” Verbal bullying is the most common type of bullying: the vast majority of people have probably been called names at some point in their life. Namecalling is based on many different factors but, most importantly, defaming people on their differences, however,our differences are what make us unique. People should learn to embrace their differences and not exclude others because of them. Imagine how boring the world would be if we were all the same? By being called names, some people may learn to accept themselves for who they are, and with their unique differences, strive in their path to success. On the other hand, this is not the case for most individuals. When one suffers constant verbal bullying, it still harms the victim in the long term and causes many psychological damages.
one of the anti-bullying posters
“ If you see bullying, flag it, report it, speak up. If you are a victim of bullying, be strong, speak up, know you shouldn’t have to deal with such treatment. ”
Cyberbullying is also a very common, albeit new, type of bullying which carries drastic effects. Fortunately, cyberbullying is also one of the easiest types of bullying to combat. Cyberbullying is generally carried out through social media, and if you are bullied online, a possible solution is to stop using social media. Being detached from it can be seen as a good thing, as social media is known to carry negative impacts on mental health. Also, some individuals who dealt with cyberbullying have said that it made them more resilient to hate and bullying which one can face in adulthood, therefore preparing them for real life. On the other hand, cyberbullying can be persistent and damaging, as people behind screens often take that as meaning they can say whatever they want. This is not the case. A lot of the time cyberbullying is combined with both verbal and physical bullying, which just deepens the wounds it leaves. Furthermore,
cyberbullying is present everywhere: on the internet, on your phone, you’re mindlessly scrolling through your Twitter feed, and bam, it’s right there. It can reach you in the safety of your home and can hence be detrimental to one’s self-esteem and confidence. In conclusion, it can be said that what doesn’t kill you can make you stronger in certain circumstances. Even though most are left broken from being victims of bullying, some still claim to have been positively impacted by the initially tough experience, enabling them to develop a thick skin. But these cases are rare and, in truth, the victim would have lived a happier life without it. So, yes, overcoming bullying can make you stronger, but you shouldn’t be broken in the first place. If you see bullying, flag it, report it, speak up. If you are a victim of bullying, be strong, speak up, know you shouldn’t have to deal with such treatment.
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“DO NOT JUDGE ME BY MY SUCCESSES, JUDGE ME BY HOW MANY TIMES I FELL DOWN AND GOT BACK UP AGAIN.” - Nelson Mandela
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MOVIE REVIEWS “Hors Normes” - Ulysse R.
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he French film ‘Hors Normes’ is a great humanist piece, which pays immense tribute to the struggle that people engage in every day in the service of people with autism. It is a rare and intense film, written as a call of appreciation for the few people who help those with autism often excluded by society. Hors Normes also offers great sympathy for the families, overwhelmed by the suffering of their children, whose disorders are so serious that no institution welcomes them. However, the two protagonists, played by Vincent Cassel and Reda Kateb, have been rescuing children and adults with autism from the austere corridors of the hospital. They offer entertainment and care for their patients, helping them carry out lives closer to normality. The film explores the continuous discrimination that people with autism suffer from and the lack of help they receive. The acting of the main characters, including Vincent Cassel, is brilliant, which helps the audience become immersed in the story. Overall, I would highly recommend the film as it offers an original perspective on an issue that is crucial and rarely explored.
“Wonder” - William M.
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onder is a movie released in 2017 and based on a novel by R. J. Palacio. The movie covers many important themes such as bullying, individuality and acceptance. The book is about a boy named Auggie who was born with facial deformities. His parents decided to send him to a private school after having been homeschooled his whole life. The movie shows the struggles that Auggie has to go through at school and how the other kids treat him. Although the film is aimed at younger audiences, it does a great job of bringing some light to the dark themes it deals with. From this movie, we learn just how brutal children can be but also that people can change for the better. This is a very important message as children but also, adults later in life, will judge a person on their first impression of them and sometimes never give them a chance. The creators of the movie do a fantastic job of creating a wholesome story about an issue that is otherwise very dark and sad. I would recommend this movie for families looking for a well-made, heartwarming story that shines a light on important topics that every child should learn about.
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THE JOY LUCK CLUB BOOK REVIEW - Julia N. The Joy Luck Club was first published in 1989, and is American author Amy Ruth Tan’s first novel. It is composed of a series of short stories she had written one after the other with no forethought, before she chose to bundle them up into a novel after her editor connected the dots: each story was about mothers and daughters. The anthology was later turned into a movie in 1993, directed by the “pioneer of AsianAmerican cinema”, Wayne Wang. Though The Joy Luck club has received criticism from many for spreading fallacious, untrue cultural stereotypes, I think it is a fantastic book. The first thing I thought when I saw The Joy Luck Club on the list of recommended books for my homeroom class was that the name was remarkable. The Joy Luck Club. The title alone made me smile and I'm glad that I picked it up. Despite some moments being a tad slow, this novel was a pleasure to read - a tapestry composed of different stories, each unique, yet intertwined. They all explore the sense of confusion young Asian-American girls feel and the inspiring mental strength the mothers express throughout the story.
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I won’t lie, I did — like many other readers — find that the stories sometimes got a little slow and weren’t always captivating but if you push past those moments and read on, I really do believe the book is worth the read. To address the issue of stereotypes, the novel is about women remembering their lives in China. It is based on memory and only memory. Something I have heard repeatedly in the past (and I think is very true) is that we remember negative experiences more than positive ones. This is because negative events usually generate more reflection and information is processed more thoroughly than for positive ones. Thus, despite the fact that Tan never lived in China, I believe she wished to show how certain aspects of Chinese culture might be overly violent and maybe even somewhat traumatizing for young children — particularly girls — who later remember these times vividly. Though I am definitely not an expert in Chinese culture, I don't think Amy Tan is spreading stereotypes since she herself has Chinese parents who would tell her stories of their time in China when she was a child. She explained in an interview that her mother left three daughters behind when leaving China, which
is exactly what Suyuan Woo (Jing-mei’s mother) does in one of the stories. I believe that through her writing Amy Tan transcribed her mother’s past life onto a page and that is what the novel is truly about. For those who haven’t read the book yet, The Joy Luck Club is about a group of four Chinese women who immigrated to San Francisco and meet regularly to cook traditional Chinese food and play mahjong. The story begins from Jing-mei’s point of view. Her mother has recently passed and she must take her place at the mahjong table and play with her mother’s friends who she calls aunties: Lindo, Ying-ying, and An-mei. They let Jing-mei in on a secret her mother had never told her: the story of her past. The novel goes on from there, weaving together sixteen stories, each from a different perspective. The book is cut into 4 parts, potentially symbolizing mahjong, which requires 4 players, but also balance, customs and traditions. We meet all these incredible women who struggle with various issues and throughout the novel we watch them grow and eventually succeed in overcoming them. Tan discusses many themes including, living up to your parents’ expectations, being lost between two cultures, sacrifice, sexism and power and finally, mother daughter relationships . It might not seem like it but I think the theme of harassment/antiharassment ties into this novel quite well since the generation of daughters who are exposed to American culture push their Chinese side away, ashamed of it in front of their American acquaintances. This often occurs among young Asian-Americans who are bullied for their different looks, habits, traditions and customs. They are afraid of being judged or even harassed by others and, desperate to fit in, suppress their Asian side in order to do so. I have many Asian friends who have told me they felt this way as children and are now shocked by their past actions, both towards themselves or their parents.
Something I particularly appreciated and I think is worth noting is how the novel addresses the topic of love. It does so in a very different manner than most books do: it speaks of the difficulties that come with it. The older women often had arranged marriages and from their stories we learn how back in China love and marriage were not considered to be their choice. They were merely financial affairs, ways to bond two families, sometimes decided before they had even been born. The younger generation shows us that overtime, love fades, that the opinion of their mother on their significant other hugely impacted them and that love is not just about being passionately enamored with your significant other. Throughout the story a recurring idea that the mothers try to make their daughters understand is that love is not just about liking a person, it is about fighting for the relationship even when things are going badly. It is about accepting the person for all their flaws and not giving up when difficulties arise. This topic is so often glazed over and seeing something so often ignored talked about like this was refreshing. To finish up, the thing I love the most about this book is when the mothers speak about their lives in China, their childhoods, the traditions. The stories are each so poetic and while some are joyful, most are heart-wrenching and painful. However, they are all symbolic and have a lesson that the women learn through their experience and try desperately to pass on to their daughters. I believe that this bond the mothers and daughters have is so intricate and special. Yes, on the surface, the daughters repeatedly make us readers understand that their relationship with their mothers is knotted and horribly complicated: they are afraid of them and never know how to please them. But when it comes down to it, it is clear everything the mothers do for the daughters is done out of love. Tough love. And that is quite possibly the greatest reason to do anything.
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
Books, movies, tv shows, musicals on the theme of bullying or discrimination - Melody Z.
Books:
Où est passée Alice? Dans cette petite histoire policière publiée en 2020 par la Préfecture de Police de Paris, Juliette et Sacha mènent une enquête pour retrouver leur amie Alice. Au cours de leurs aventures, elles seront introduites aux thèmes du harcèlement, du cyber-harcèlement et des risques sur Internet ainsi que le respect de la diversité. Becoming Nicole For this heart-wrenching novel about identity and acceptance, written by Amy Ellis Nutt and published in 2015, the author did extensive research to translate this true story to text in the most accurate way possible. A couple lives serenely with their adopted twin boys until they start to notice a deep difference between them. One insists that he is actually female. Will this new reality tear the family apart? Face Face written by Benjamin Zephaniah and published in 1999 is a novel about a boy named Martin whose face was badly burned after an unfortunate accident. He struggles to accept his new appearance and has to deal with problems from his friends and relatives. Six contre un Dans ce roman écrit par Cécile Alix et publié en 2018, Ludo est victime de harcèlement scolaire. Il ne sait pas comment s'en échapper, il ne sait pas à qui et comment demander de l’aide. Ses proches se mobiliseront-ils pour lui venir en aide? Cat’s Eye Cat’s Eye was written by Margaret Atwood and published in 2011. In the novel, Elaine returns to Toronto for an art exhibition in her honor. On her journey, she reminisces about her tough childhood full of betrayal and trauma. Will she accept her identity and work through her issues? The art of being normal This novel follows the unlikely friendship that blossoms between David, a closeted trans teen, and Leo, the new kid in town who doesn’t want to attract any attention, when the latter defends David in a school fight. Ruby tête haute Cet album a été écrit par Irène Cohen-Janca et publié en 2017. Une maîtresse raconte à ses élèves l’histoire de Ruby, première enfant noire à intégrer une école de blancs en Louisiane dans les années 60. L’auteure souligne l’hostilité des blancs envers les noirs et la lutte continuelle contre la discrimination.
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Les Petites Reines Les Petites Reines est un roman écrit par Clémentine Beauvais et publié en 2015. Trois adolescentes, Mireille, Astrid et Hakima, partent pour Paris à vélo après avoir été publiquement humiliées par les élèves de leur lycée. Sweet sixteen Dans ce roman publié en 2013, Annelise Heurtier s’inspire des “Neuf de Little Rock” et décrit la première rentrée scolaire de neuf élèves noirs dans un lycée de deux mille cinq cents blancs en 1957 dans l’Arkansas. Ma réputation Écrit par Gaël Aymon et publié en 2013, ce roman suit Laura, collégienne qui préfère traîner avec les garçons que les filles. Mais elle est repoussée et isolée par son groupe d’amis lorsqu’elle n’accepte pas de devenir la petite amie de Sofiane. Sa rencontre avec Joséphine la sauvera-t-elle de ce harcèlement injustifié? Proud Proud is a collection of stories, poems, and art by members of the LGBTQ+ community compiled by Juno Dawson and published in 2019. Each piece gives a unique, thought-provoking, sometimes emotional, sometimes funny, perspective on the broad theme of pride.
Books + adaptations: Matilda (novel & movie & musical) Originally written by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake and published in 1988, this fantastically comedic children’s novel was adapted for the screen in 1996 by director Danny DeVito and finally brought to the world of musicals by Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin in 2010. It tells the story of a young girl, intelligent beyond her years, who is quite literally surrounded by idiots. Threatened by her wondrous mind, her relatives mock and shame Matilda. Will she find herself an ally on her first day of school? Stargirl (novel & movie) Stargirl is a coming of age novel written by Jerry Spinelli that explores the hardships of fitting in and figuring out who you are. It’s recently been made into a movie by Disney, directed by Julia Hart and released March 13th, 2020. In this story, we follow Leo who’s understood that to live in peace you must not stand out, but when Stargirl arrives, defying every rule of the high school hierarchy, can he continue living his life in the shadows? The Hate U Give (novel & movie) Starr is a sixteen-year-old who lives in a poor neighborhood but goes to a prestigious high school when she witnesses the shooting of a childhood best friend. Relevant as ever, the novel was written by Angie Thomas and published in 2017. In 2018, the movie adaptation by George Tillman Jr. was released.
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Marion, 13 ans pour toujours (roman & film) Cette pseudo-biographie publiée en 2015 retrace l’histoire de Marion Fraisse, victime de harcèlement scolaire. C’est sa mère, Nora Fraisse, qui se donne comme mission de partager les horreurs qu’a subies sa fille, comme un hommage, dans l’espérance que des mesures plus strictes seront enfin prises dans les écoles. En 2016, cette tragédie est mise sur écran par le réalisateur Bourlem Guerdjou. Bridge to Terabithia (book & movie) In this story of friendship and imagination, twelve-year-old Jess meets Leslie on her first day at school. They quickly become friends and together they create a fantastical world of which they are the king and queen: Terabithia. But in the real world, they repeatedly receive unwanted attention from the school’s notorious bully, Janice. Written by Kathrine Patterson and published in 1977, the novel was brought to the screen for Disney by director Gábor Csupó. Holes (novel & movie) Holes was written by Louis Sachar and published in 1998. The film adaptation directed by Andrew Davis was released in 2003 by Disney. Fourteen-year-old Stanley Yelnats is cursed like every generation of Yelnats since time immemorial. This inescapable curse gets him unfairly sent to a juvenile correction camp where a very threatening warden forces her inmates to dig holes, supposedly to build character. There are really three narratives to the novel, the prior, the story of how the curse came to be, and one of a late 19th century teacher whose Afro-American lover is killed, sending her on a criminal revenge quest. Wonder (novel & movie) In this novel, written by R. J. Palacio and published in 2012, Auggie, a sixth-grader with a severely disfigured face, goes to school for the first time after being homeschooled for most of his life. He is introduced to the harsh and cruel realities of middle school under brutal conditions. Auggie and his family must learn to navigate this unfamiliar, unpredictable world. Over the years, there have been many accompanying books published and, finally, in 2017, a film adaptation directed by Stephen Chbosky. Simon v.s the homosapiens agenda (novel & movie) This novel was written by Becky Albertalli and published in 2015 and its film adaptation, titled Love, Simon was directed by Greg Berlanti and released in 2018. In this story we follow Simon as he navigates the social minefield of high school. whilst dealing with the pressure of coming out of the closet and entertaining a digital conversation with the mysterious “Blue”. What will he do when someone threatens to reveal everything? Carrie (novel & movies) Carrie is a novel written by Stephen King and published in 1974 about a young high school student, Carrie, who was an unwanted child abused by her mother. She’s fiercely bullied at school but discovers she has telekinetic powers and decides to use them to enact her revenge. In 1976, a first adaptation was released, directed by Brian De Palma and a sequel titled The Rage: Carrie 2 directed by Katt Shea was subsequently released in 1999. David Carson directed a re-imagining of the novel in 2002, and finally, in 2013, the most recent version was released, directed by Kimberly Pierce.
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Diary of Wimpy Kid (novel series & movies) Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a fifteen book long series, with a number of supplementary books and spinoffs, written by Jeff Kinney which was first published online in 2004, then in print in 2007. It follows the daily adventures of Greg who deals with a dysfunctional family at home and his unconventional friends at school. Four movies and an animated short film were released depicting the events of four different books. The first was directed by Thor Freudenthal and released in 2010, the others were directed by David Bowers and released in 2011, 2012 and 2017. Legally Blonde (novel & movie & musical) Written by Amanda Brown and published in 2001, this novel was adapted for the screen in the same year by Robert Luketic and was made into a musical by Heather Hach in 2007. Elle Woods, a blonde sorority president, is left alone and heartbroken after her boyfriend, Warner, goes to law school. She decides to follow Warner to win him back and prove that blonds can be smart. Will her peers’ judgement and criticism break her spirit, or will she eventually win over their hearts? Noughts & Crosses (novel series & play & TV show) This novel series by Malorie Blackman, first published in 2001, details an alternate 21st century where the crosses (people of colour) are superior to the noughts (white people). In this world of discrimination, we follow Callum, a nought, and Sephy, a cross. They’ve been friends forever but what will happen when a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque love starts to blossom between them? In 2008, the first book of the series was adapted for the stage by Dominic Cooke who retitled it Black & White. It was readapted by Sabrina Mahfouz in 2019. A TV show was released in 2020 for the BBC, titled Noughts + Crosses. Thirteen Reasons Why (novel & TV show) In this novel written by Jay Asher and published in 2007, Clay receives a set of 7 cassette tapes retracing the events that led to one of his classmates, Hannah’s, suicide. Each tape names one person and their part in Hannah’s story. The first season of the TV show of the same name is loosely based on the novel. It was produced by Netflix and released in 2017. The show gives the story a dark and thriller-like spin. Petit Pays (roman & film) Publié en 2016, ce roman de Gaël Faye se passe pendant les mois avant le génocide rwandais. Gabriel vit au Burundi avec sa famille quand les tensions entre Tutsis et Hutus commencent à s’accentuer. Il voit le comportement de ses proches changer et sa famille se désintégrer devant ses yeux. En 2020 est parue l’adaptation cinématographique réalisée par Éric Barbier.
Movies, TV shows and musicals: Moonlight In this powerful Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar-winning movie directed by Barrie Jenkins and released in 2016, we follow Chiron through childhood, adolescence and adulthood as he navigates life in Miami with aggressive bullies and a drug addicted mother, all while struggling with his sexuality.
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Wicked In this musical by Stephen Shwartz, first performed on Broadway in 2003, we explore similar highschool bullying problems in Oz. From the moment she was born, Elphaba was different and her father hated her for it. When she goes to university for the first time she must deal with discrimination from her peers and popular girl Galinda. What will her move be when she discovers she has magical powers?
Hubie Halloween This heart-warming Halloween comedy follows Hubie Dubois on his favourite night of the year, Salem’s renowned Halloween night. Since he was a kid, Hubie’s been the town’s laughing stock despite having the purest intentions and kindest heart. Will things finally change when people start disappearing on Halloween? Released in 2020, the movie was directed by Steven Brill. Mean Girls (movie & musical) Directed by Mark Waters and released in 2004, Mean Girls tells a tale of high school drama and cliques. Cady is new in school and struggles to make friends. When she’s unexpectedly accepted into the most popular girl group, she quickly realizes that they’re toxic and takes this opportunity to bring their leader, Regina down. This only worsens the situation as the students all turn on themselves. The musical by Tina Fey was first performed in 2017. The Karate Kid (franchise) The Karate Kid Is a pentalogy consisting of five movies and two TV shows. In the first instalment, directed by John G. Avildsen and released in 1984, Daniel and his mom move to LA, where he quickly falls prey to his new school’s infamous star student and bully. He finds an Ally in Mr Miyagi who teaches him karate to defend himself. 3 sequels were released in 1986, 1989 and 1994. The first two were also directed by John G. Avildsen and the last one by Christopher Cain. In 2010, a remake directed by Harald Zwart was released. An animated series directed by Larry Houston was released in 1989 and, more recently, Cobra Kai was released by YouTube in 2018. It takes place 34 years after the first movie. Easy A Easy A was directed by Will Gluck and released in 2010. High school student Olive releases a series of videos filmed on her webcam detailing the events that led to her sudden rise to popularity and just as sudden downfall and public humiliation brought on by high school cliques and rumours. The Babysitter In this comedic horror movie, twelve-year-old Cole, who is relentlessly bullied in school, is left in his babysitter, Bee’s, care for a weekend. Thinking she’ll use this opportunity to have fun with some older friends, he stays up to spy on them but what he discovers may change his life forever. In the sequel, Cole deals with the fact no one believes his story which brings on more bullying from his peers. The first movie by director McG was released in 2017.
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Anti-bullying a recording of the November 5th webinar can be viewed here
consult the special page on the EJM website for additional links and resources
the official Education Nationale website against harassment contains advice and resources to help victims, witnesses and even perpetrators of bullying
the English department’s book recommendations can be found here
view the Library’s special page with anti-bullying resources here
Le Bilingue past issues of Le Bilingue can be found here
our website contains a variety of articles, some from past issues and some exclusively online
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oUR TEAM Alessia V. Georges T. Melody Z. Anna H. Charles W. Gabriel G. Oscar M. Elizabeth K. Emilien M. Karina G. Emilien M. Kate S. Julia N. William M. Melisa O. Talia C. Ulysse R. Justin P.
Co-Editor in Chief & layout Co-Editor in Chief Editor & reporter Editor & reporter Editor Editor Editor & social media Reporter Reporter & social media Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter & social media Reporter
A SPECIAL THANKS TO: Ms. Stathopulos
CONNECT WITH US! issuu.com/lebilingue bloglebilingue.wordpress.com @lebilingue studentjournalism@ejm.org
