Words Can Hurt

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.”
As children, many of us were taught this adage in order to ignore what other people said about us and help reduce the importance placed upon critical or persecutory words. The truth is, however, that words are very powerful and can be very destructive. The recipients of cruel words and taunts, negative criticism, and curses often suffer pain, anger, frustration and loneliness. Negative words can contribute to a negative outlook on life and low self-esteem. Verbal bullying is a serious problem in many schools today in the United States and other countries.

Psychological researchers have shown that bullying and, in particular name-calling, can be very degrading for children and adolescents and lead to such symptoms as insomnia, anxiety and depression. Words have the power to cause deep hurt and can negatively impact a student’s performance that leaves them feeling distracted and unsafe at school. Even what some might perceive as “harmless teasing” can, over time, yield very negative psychological consequences for the child being bullied. Left unchecked, bullying can also yield many problems for the one doing the bullying. A bully’s behavior can cause him or her rejection from peers, problems with school authorities, and lead this person into more serious anti-social behavior later in life.

In order to reduce the frequency of name calling, bulling, and harassment in schools, March 1-5, 2004 has been declared No Name-Calling Week. A coalition of over 40 national organizations has organized No Name-Calling Week in schools across the nation. The coalition’s goal is to create safer schools by making bullying, harassment, and name-calling unacceptable through public education campaigns that motivate young people to change their behavior. This effort attempts to focus national attention on the many problems produced by name-calling in schools and provides students and educators with ways to eliminate name calling in their communities. The project targets grades 5 through 8 when the problems of name-calling are especially potent and destructive. A book for young adults entitled “The Misfits,” written by James Howe, inspired No Name-Calling Week. In his book, Mr. Howe describes the struggles of four best friends trying to survive name calling, criticisms, and taunts they suffered in the seventh grade.

Resource materials for educators and other individuals interested in assisting in the No Name-Calling Week Project can be obtained by visiting the website www.nonamecallingweek.org.