Bullying involves more than just one person threatening another; as a social phenomenon, it demeans people by setting them apart. Thousands of children are abused by their more powerful peers, and bullying corrupts relationships between students and interferes with their learning and development. In addition, bullying teaches coercive models of human interaction that persist as young people become spouses and parents. Although a common reaction of adults is to ignore bullying and treat it as an isolated criminal offense, a research project conducted in the Midwest to assess the extent of bullying and victimization in rural schools found that 90 percent of middle school students and two-thirds of high school students said they had been bullied during their school careers. The most common reasons for victimization were physical appearance and socio-family context. While students usually condemned bullies, they also faulted victims for their scapegoat status. In general, children experimented with interpersonal power and influence through bullying. The need to prevent youth violence and create prosocial peer cultures is emphasized. 8 references and 1 illustration