Cyber Bullying -- Result of Idle Hands?

I think this is a very remarkable beginning. In the first place, you have taken, it seems to me, the very important step of evacuating all the moralistic bullshit currently being slung about and reminded us of a fact and two crucial implications. The first is that this conduct is child's behavior. The implications are: (1) it is like the behavior of children throughout history; and (2) we are trying to do better with it than all previous cultures have managed to do.

Pervasive bullying is behavior that some children engage in. Their victims may be siblings, neighbors, stranger children, or whomever they can safely bully who is within reach. Such children, as you remember, are angry. They also hurt. Their aggressive behavior is a symptom of their distress. There are also situations of group aggression against marginal individuals. This, unfortunately, must be called "more adult" behavior, because it is more often demonstrated by adults, and because it requires more socialization both to precipitate and to be part of.

Thinking about "cyberbullying" is as silly as thinking about "telephone bullying." This is another example of how not to think about the Net. The Internet means we all are connected to everyone else without intermediary. The effect of that social condition of hyperconnection on children, both those who are aggressive and those who are victims of aggression (as well as all the intervening combinations, where real behavior actually occurs), is a very important current subject throughout psychology. Given the methods by which psychology investigates, results will accumulate too slowly in a rapidly-changing environment. But parents and other people who interact with children can take valuable steps with both the ones who are angry and the ones who must learn to absorb anger.

In the first place, this should shift attention away from the bullying behavior to the healing of the children. You try to offer solutions based around technology to interest children, engaging them and empowering them to make them less likely to be angrily aggressive with others. That seems like an interesting idea that might or might not work with "children," but which will work with some particular children. Sometimes something else will work.

In this way, your insight into the problem is far more profound than the particulars of your solution. But you have much ahead of you with this piece, which can be an outstanding essay. I'm glad you start with Omar, and I believe that in rewriting you should continue to do so. You show us Omar very clearly,with a great grasp of how to use writing to convey character. And who you show is a very angry, very scared, little boy. That you can so clearly, and so sympathetically, convey him explains why his aggression didn't permanently hurt you. You healed from the wounds he gave you because those around you helped you to think about him in a way that caused you to understand him. If you think about that process you will have a place from which to make this very special essay even more effective.