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Name: John J. Luque Jr.

Subject: Communication 1080-002 (Conflict Mgmt. & Diversity)
Instructor: L. Jay Williams
Date: Oct. 26, 2015
RE: Journal #3 Power Imbalances

Bullying is imbalance of power. It has no age limits and affects kids even up to their
early adulthood. If a child is labeled as a bully by age 8, statistics favor them to being
involved in criminal behavior by the age of 24. It is an intentional action that harms
someone either physically or emotionally as well as uses relationships as weapons and or
tools against the abused. The balance of power is when power is comparatively equal.
When the power is equal or the parties that are involved are both mentally and
emotionally stable, bullying is not the case. It will be interpreted as playing amongst
friends. Which is usually the case but he line is so fine in between the two.
The negative consequences of the power in bullying for the abused, is that it will lead
that child to avoid school, isolation, depression, nausea, low self-esteem, stress
headaches, and the possibility of themselves becoming a bully or violent to others. A very
angry and bitter child.
The social status in bullying in grade schools is huge. For as a young child, social status
is what matters most. Without being able to interact with the other kids in a respectable

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self-confident matter, it affects them in so many other ways mentally and emotionally.
The most damaging area affected is their coping skills.
History shows that bullying reached its peak when two teen boys shot and killed many
of their classmates after allegedly being victims of bullying. In 1999, Columbine High
School experienced one of the worst high school shootings in history. This event caused
worldwide devastation due to the situation itself, and because it uncovered the raw truth
behind bullying. In the same time frame, bullying took another negative turn. With easy
access to the internet, many teens have started using cyber space as a playground for
bullying. As more teens have resorted to using cell phones and social networks to
communicate, cyber bullying has become a major issue. Presently, cyber bullying is on
the rise due to social networks such as Facebook and twitter where information can travel
in seconds to a countless number of people (KOO 2007).
When we fail to stop political bullying, we lose more than civil debate and freedom of
thought, we endanger Democracy. There are 5 ways political bullying that resembles
grade-school bullying:
* Makes fun on someone's name
* Puts cruel words in the mouths of others
* Relies on rumor and fabricated stories
* Builds on stereotypes
* Uses hurtful images
How these issues are affecting our communication is simply not know what to believe.
Even if one were to do their own due diligence and research. With Social Media these

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days, Hackers and all the disinformation that is generated by whomever and whatever the
facts get lost in the abyss.
The advice that I could offer the participants to help manage power balance would be to
go off the Luque six (A) theory:

Awareness

Acknowledge

Admit

Accountability

Accept

Apply
Applying these principles in your school, working environment, place of business,
and your community would minimize and possibly in time eliminate bullying
throughout society in all its forms. From our grade schools with our children, to our
working environment with our coworkers, and to our politicians that govern we has
the people can take responsibility of this imbalance of power and restore it. Forget
all the reasons why it wont work, and believe in the one reason it will.

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Works Cited

Koo, H. (2007). A Time Line of the Evolution of School Bullying in Differing Social
Context. Asia Pacific Education Review, Vol. 8, No. 1, 107-116. Retrieved from
Edmondson, L., & Zeman, L. (2011). Making School Bully Laws Matter. Reclaiming
Children & Youth, 20(1), 33-38.
Hazelden Foundation, (2007). Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Research and
History.