Bullying, more likely in small town or city

[Hiroshi Ironic]

I'm writing a story and I just don't know if bullying is more common in rural towns or big cities..? And why would people get bullied anyway? I know many reasons, but what do you guys think?

[marshmallowcreampie]

Bullying is common, um, everywhere, but I think most of the differences lie in what TYPES of bullying there are and the mindset of the community. A small, rural Southern town with little diversity might have people getting bullied for being gay or having a different religion more than a diverse city would have those types of bullying. Things are going to depend on the culture and subcultures of the area, and those things can vary in rural and city areas. How diverse is the place? Is the local culture tolerant? A school with a lot of rich kids might see more bullying against poor students. In a lot of places, kids might get bullied for dressing a certain way.

I should also note that bullies just tend to go after whoever wouldn't stand up for themselves and there aren't always many other specific reasons to target someone. If a kid is getting made fun of for wearing the wrong clothes, the bullying probably won't stop if she starts dressing like everyone else. If she cusses out the bullies or stabs one of them, the bullying may stop.

[Lea Fealith]

I agree with what was said above. Bullying is common everywhere. I couldn't say if statistically it's more common in one place or another.

In my area there is a lot of ethnic bullying, particularly against Asian Americans, who the other kids think are weak and won't fight back. Back when I lived in the suburbs there was a really awkward, annoying kid who got bullied pretty hard. The only time I saw it happening first hand he accidentally bumped into a girl who started shouting at him that he was a creep, and this gave the jock friend next to her an excuse to chase him down the hall. I don't know if he had to deal with worth stuff as well but I don't doubt it.

[Lazarus Larkin]

Any time you throw a bunch of kids together they're going to sort themselves into groups. If you're worried that the bullying in your story isn't happening for realistic reasons, honestly it probably is, but if you post more specifics about we could probably give you better feedback.

[wintia_blue08]

Hiroshi Ironic

I'm writing a story and I just don't know if bullying is more common in rural towns or big cities..? And why would people get bullied anyway? I know many reasons, but what do you guys think?

I think that bullying occurs jut about anywhere, usually because the bully feels insecure or the one bullied is weak. But I believe that it is more common in big cities, especially if the person is from the rural towns who head to big cities and have difficulty coping up. In my case, I was bullied at elementary because I was odd and weak, and I and easy to order around. Yeah, a total wimp. When I turned high school, I learned how to snob and distrust people(although I still am ordered around). Yep, hitting the head with a chair, laughed at for being a weirdo, the bag stepped at and discriminated... I believe that's not even the worst case of bullying. sad

[Rennie`]

In my area I got bullied for being 'posh' and wanting to learn. The reason still makes me face-palm to this day. Unfortunately, the area I grew up in did not motivate people and they were happy with small jobs with little progression or responsibility, if they had the motivation to get off their asses and look for a job! I was probably the only person at school who was a geek with a dream.

[Sianserais]

Hm. I went to a small college-prep school, but got bullied some for not conforming to what the others thought of as normal. Mostly just name-calling and set-ups to make me look stupid, but occasionally they'd steal my things. The ringleader got "uninvited back" after a couple years, but I was stuck with outcast status for good. Fortunately, I preferred the company of my fellow geeks anyway.
It's human nature to be competitive, and the teen years tend to be the most volatile no matter where you happen to grow up.