Chris Scudder
Speech of Conviction outline
Title: Can the bullied bounce back
Introduction: As young adults we have matured over the years from preschool all the way to college
here at St. Ambrose. But between our early schooling and now, there had been bumps along the road
that brought us here. Some were moments of triumph, some life lessons and some were mistakes that
we think about from time to time. Like all of you, there were some things that I wish I could have
changed. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics nearly 1 in 3 students report being
bullied during the school year. A majority of you will think to yourselves I’ve never been bullied. But was
there really never a time when someone made you feel lesser of a person by something they said or
did? Today I would like to explain the dangers of bullying through some of my own personal
experiences.
I.
II.
III.
When I was in about fourth or fifth grade a new kid came to our school.
A. Its not something im proud of but we found his bike on the bike rack.
B. It wasn’t until 5 years later that I saw him in high school.
C. He called me out and said he hated me and wanted to fight me.
D. Later the teacher asked me what I had done to him but all I could think was that he
held a grudge for 5 years.
I want to say we didn’t know what we were doing back then but that would be a lie.
A. Glenn R. Stutzky a clinical instructor at Michigan State said “Bullying occurs when
a person or group repeatedly tries to harm someone who is weaker or more
vulnerable.” (Expert)
B. All of you in this room have stumbled upon someone in your lifes that looked
weaker or more vulnerable in a certain moment than you just by looking at them. It
could have been someone in the Lee Loman gym or maybe just someone crying on a
bench in Vandeveer Park. (Psychographic)
C. There has always been a moment in our live that we are vulnerable.
In a survey taken by all of you it was said that when a person is bullied they have a low
self-esteem. And that it hurts the target both mentally a physically. And this has an
effect on the everyday lives of these kids. Imagine going to school and knowing that
people were going to make fun of you or knock down your books just cause.(Survey)
A. I can say that I have been on both sides of the spectrum, the bully and the bullied.
As have some of you. But sadly some of you have also been just the victim.
(Psychographic)
B. Dr Susan Swearer who is an associate professor of phycology at the university of
Nebraska said “I really want the public to be aware of the link between mental
health issues and bullying. Whether students are involved as bullies, victims,
bully-victims or by standards we know that in many cases depression and anxiety
may be concurring problems.” (Expert)
IV.
V.
C. It is estimated by the organization Make beats not beat downs that 75% of school
shooting incidents are linked to harassment and bullying. Now that’s a disturbing
fact.
It’s those that don’t act that it hurts the hardest.
A. When I was bullied I was usually aggressive and had a loud enough mouth that it
would turn the situation back on who was ever messing with me.
B. But all of you are different and deal with our problems certain ways or are thinking I
wouldn’t let anyone mess with me either.(Psychographic) It can be hard to get past
times like that but people do find a way, sometimes it also means ending their life.
C. In the US alone bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider
suicide than non-victims according to studies by Yale University.
D. Never in my life had I encountered someone bullied so badly that they even thought
that as an option let alone went through with it.
After I graduated high school I would often go back to help coach volleyball for middle
school and high school camps.
A. One day when I was leaving I saw a kid standing on the edge of a building
B. I got out of my car and approached him as he watched me.
C. I told him that I know things never go the way people and to be honest people are
assholes.
D. I looked at how high up he was from the ground and I just straight up told him what
was going to happen if he jumped.
E. I urged him to think about his mother and what it would do to her if she found him
and all he left her was a note.
Conclusion: As I look back on my experiences as a child and a young adult I have learned a couple
lessons in life. First, bullying is a problem that will almost be impossible to stop. Second, It effects people
all round the world in different ways even if we don’t see it. Third, If you want to stop it you have to go
out of your way to do something about it. As we move on in life most of us will have families and kids of
our own. And to be honest its pretty possible that one day they will either be bullies or the victim of
bullies. My question for you is will you wait to deal with this problem until it effects someone in your life
or are you willing to stand against bullying here and now.