Bullying is a childhood violence subject that PBS TV wants parents to learn about

The toll of childhood violence is huge in America today, and PBS TV has been reporting award-winning “bullying” programming over decades that can now be viewed by parents anytime for free.

Under the heading: “Stop Bullying Take A Stand!” parents, teachers, children and others interested in the subject of bullying and other forms of child abuse can go to pbs.org to view a wide range of award-winning free public TV shows that are part of research from the “National Bullying Campaign” that shows “that up to 25 percent of U.S. students are bullied each year." Also, PBS reports – in both TV programs set for broadcast this summer and with its vast bank of free programs available now on its website – that “as many as 160,000 children may stay home from school on any given day because they are afraid of being bullied.” In turn, a recent report in The Week magazine calls bullying a major health scare” because “bullying and other forms of abuse don’t just leave physical and psychological scars” on children; they also cause “permanent damage to children’s DNA, causing them to age prematurely and making them more prone to health problems later in life,” stated a new Duke University study widely reported on PBS.

Emmy award winning PBS anti-bullying TV show “In the Mix”

Parents who worry about their children being exposed to violence in schools can now research and prepare their contingency plans for the new school year - now while their children are safe and sound at home due to the summer break - by researching and then viewing the vast bank of bullying TV programming on PBS.

Thus, PBS is promoting “In the Mix,” an Emmy award winning teen series that can now be viewed for free on PBS TV under the title “Stop Bullying… Take a Stand!”

In turn, students and parents who viewed this award-winning program earlier this year on PBS stated in comments on the PBS website page that they are now concerned with “the growing trend of cyberbullying that goes into any American home via computers.”

PBS also reported in this Emmy award winning anti-bullying series that “at least 1 out of 3 teens say they have been seriously threatened online, and 60 percent of teens say they have participated in online bullying.”

PBS takes the lead with “What It Takes to End Bullying”

Another landmark and award winning PBS anti-bullying TV program – that both parents and children can now view for free via links from the PBS website – is the series “What It Takes to End Bullying” that originally aired on Jan. 24 and now is in re-runs on PBS this summer.

In turn, the PBS website explains that “the program is part of a unique series called ‘What It Takes,’ created by Blue Ridge PBS to strengthen K-12 education in the region. Each episode features top educators and experts from local communities who share vital information for students, teachers and parents.

“Bullying is a serious issue in this region as well as across the country,” said Dr. Rose Martin, Blue Ridge PBS Director of Education Services and host of the series. “It goes far beyond the teasing most parents experienced as children. Today, one in five students in an average classroom experiences bullying, causing 160,000 children to miss school every day. We look forward to sharing valuable strategies in addressing this growing problem.”

For instance, those who view this report on bullying will note what PBS TV calls: “A diverse panel of experts will discuss bullying in schools, including the legal implications, cyber bullying and the long term impact for students. Also part of the program will be specific suggestions and tips for students, schools, parents and communities. Panelists are Darby Lowe, Deputy Commonwealth Attorney for Albemarle County; Kathy Kenley, Prevention Services Supervisor, New River Valley Community Services; and Catherine Moffett, Ed.D., Director of Bully-Free Virginia.”

In turn, Blue Ridge PBS is the 2010 and 2009 winner of the regional Emmy Award for community service broadcasting.”

Also, the program requests Americans from all walks of life to come forward and share their stories about either being bullied or fighting off bullies as the PBS bank of knowledge on this all important subject grows into a national resource for both parents and teachers to learn from.

For instance, Mitt Romney admits to being a bully in his youth, and now the national media is asking what this means in the context of possibly electing the first bully president?

Mitt Romney still viewed as a bully

Mitt Romney’s neighbors in La Joalla, California- where this presumptive GOP presidential nominee has “three homes located in their community” – call Romney “a total Narc,” while not commenting on the fact that Mitt also bullied gay classmates in his youth.

A June 7 report on the popular conservative website “Standard-Examiner” states how “conservatives at the core of the Republican Party are coalescing behind likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney faster than expected after a punishing primary season in which they loudly sought someone else.”

In turn, American Conservative Union Chairman Al Cardenas - who's said he’s been a Romney supporter since 2007 – said: “Even though it got feisty during the primary, Mitt himself was personally very engaging and didn't show anger or rancor in his speeches.”

Also, Cardenas told standard.net June 7: "It never got personal with him. That shift in support was made smoother because of his demeanor." However, a recent June 6 report in New York Magazine explains how Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has been called “a bully” in a recent Washington Post story about young Mitt “bullying a gay pre-school classmate; while today, in 2012, this issue of bulling still raises serious questions about Romney – as a senior Mormon faith elder - who now wants “to become the most powerful person in the world.”

Who is this bully Mitt Romney, really?

In turn, the nymag.com report stated how: “Living on the same block as a presidential candidate can be annoying, but there are perks, too. For instance, you get to air your grievances with your famous neighbor in the pages of the New York Times rather than simply complaining at the next backyard barbeque.”

Also, nymag.com reported this week how its "Home & Garden" section got “unusually political with an investigation into to how residents of La Jolla feel about one of Mitt Romney's three homes being located in their community. So far, the Romney’s are having a hard time making friends in the neighborhood. Apparently people don't like it when you try to block their ocean view and report their drug use to the police.”

At the same time, The Washington Post website “Slate” recently asked: “What Kind of Kid Was Mitt Romney?” And, then stated: “From the sounds of it, a complete jerk. Should voters care?”

In turn, the Washington Post has recently published a deeply reported and richly told story about the Republican nominee’s youth that is extremely unflattering.

According to five of Romney’s prep-school classmates, stated the Washington Post, “when Romney was 18 years old he rounded up a group of friends to pin down another student and cut his hair. Romney says he doesn't remember the incident but apologizes for any hurt he may have caused.”

Romney neighbors don't like to be bullied

For example, New York Magazine’s reported how: “Four years ago, the Romney’s bought a $12 million three-bedroom Spanish-style villa with views of the Pacific (sounds lovey, but locals quip "it needs work"). Though real estate agents say the candidate's presence has boosted home values by 10 percent, residents had a plethora of charmingly petty gripes to share with the Times. These include Romney's entourage blocking in driveways, disruptions to favorite dog-walking routes, and Secret Service agents asking to use a neighbor's recycling bin.”

The New York Magazine report also stated how “the biggest issue is Romney's plan to do a major expansion to accommodate his large family. Romney's neighbors were asked to sign a document saying they had no objection to the new construction obscuring part of their ocean view, and they refused. The neighbors happen to be gay, as are six other couples in a three-block radius. The paper notes that Romney ‘moved into a neighborhood that evokes Modern Family far more than All in the Family.’ It isn't so surprising, considering that Romney named Modern Family as one of his favorite TV shows.

Also, nymag.com site reported how Romney’s “Neighbors are also rankled by the Romney’s refusing to allow them to use illegal substances in peace. Per the Times stated how: “A young man in town recalled that Mr. Romney confronted him as he smoked marijuana and drank on the beach last summer, demanding that he stop.”

In turn, the report noted how - “a recurring nuisance for the Romney’s. [Mark] Quint, who lives on the waterfront near Mr. Romney said that a police officer had asked him, on a weekend when the candidate was in town, to report any pot smoking on the beach. The officer explained to him that ‘your neighbors have complained, Mr. Quint recalled. ‘He was pretty clear that it was the Romney’s.’”

Mitt Romney “the bully” and does it matter to voters?

Bulling is defined as a form of “aggressive behavior” that’s manifested by the use of force or coercion to affect others, particularly when you’re a member of America’s richest “1 percent” who view this habitual behavior as a sort of twisted balance of power. For Mitt Romney, who admitted to be a bully in his youth, this bullying can be a physical assault or coercion and may be directed repeatedly towards particular victims; such as those people of color, with bullying “focused on race, religion, gender, sexuality or ability,” states a college text book on human behavior.

In addition, “The Week” reported in its May 25 edition that when it comes to Mitt Romney: “Once a bully, always a bully,” said Paul Begala in TheDailyBeast.com; while explaining how a recent “front-page story in The Washington Post “about the young Mitt Romney’s bullying of a gay prep-school classmate in 1965 raises serious questions about ‘the man who seeks to become the most powerful person in the world.”

In turn, the Mitt Romney that the Washington Post revealed “became incensed when an effeminate classmate, John Lauber, returned to the wealthy prep school from vacation with bleached hair that hung down over one eye.”

“He can’t look like that,” Romney told his pals. “That’s just wrong. Just look at him?”

The Post then explained how “the tall, wealthy Romney then organized a posse of friends who held down the screaming, weeping Lauber while Romney chopped off the blond locks with scissors.”

In a telling comment, said Any Davidson in a NewYorker.com follow-up report - on the many accounts of the rich young Mitt Romney bullying youth who were not like him – “Romney denied any memory of the attack, conceding with a chuckle that “I participated in a lot of hijinks and pranks during high school.”

Why Colin Powell has not yet endorsed Romney

During recent TV talk shows to promote his new book “It Worked for Me,” retired Gen. Colin Powell does not endorse Mitt Romney; after this Republican Army general previously endorsed President Barack Obama back in 2008 because Powell said “Let’s wait and see what Governor Romney has to say.”

While General Powell never addresses bullying – as is the case with recent revelations that Mitt Romney was a self-proclaimed “bully” – Powell does write in his new book for youth in America that “being kind doesn’t mean being soft.”

In turn, General Powell believes that “if you develop a reputation for kindness, even the most unpleasant decisions will go down easier.”

However, General Powell simply can’t relate this advice to fellow Republican Mitt Romney, in part, because Romney did not serve during the war of his generation, the Vietnam War. This was because Romney “served” his country as a Mormon missionary who was dispatched – during the height of the War in Vietnam - to the Paris region of France to help covert French people form drinking alcohol that Romney’s Mormon faith expressively forbids. While Romney has joked about this duty as a missionary, this is yet another example, say voters, of a "man who could become president and we just don't know that much about."

For instance, the issue of Romney being a bully in his youth won't simply go away because he jokes about it, says a concerned senior voter named Catherine Lucan who volunteers as a elementary school expert on the subject of bullying. In turn, Lucan told Huliq that "there's no better public resource than PBS for viewing this important subject for parents and teachers."

For more information on the vast number of award-winning PBS reports on bullying and other forms of child abuse – that leave physical and psychological scars on children – go to www.pbs.org/programs to view a complete list of childhood violence themed reports for free.

Image source of an image that illustrates “bullying is a form of “aggressive behavior” that Mitt Romney may have learned and practiced as a youth, reports the Washington Post, and political science experts. Photo courtesy Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying

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