Former prosecutor says 1 in 5 adults is a bully

Most people likely are aware childhood bullies whose behavior goes unchecked can grow up to be rude and abusive adults.

Perhaps, more startling is one in five adults admits to being a bully, Lark Cowart told a crowd Thursday at Elgin Community College.

Cowart, a former Kane County assistant state's attorney who has prosecuted many bullying and abuse cases, spoke about grown-up bullies and social and workplace harassment as part of the college's "Targets of Hate" series.

Nationwide, 20 percent of students in ninth through 12th grades have experienced bullying, according to a 2011 youth risk behavior study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number was 28 percent for sixth- through 12th-graders in 2008-09, according to the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Among adults, a 2014 survey by Operation Respect and Workplace Bullying Institute revealed 27 percent of Americans have experienced bullying in the workplace. Roughly 72 percent of workplace bullies are bosses and 69 percent are male, while 60 percent of the targets are female employees, the survey showed.

"Adults are still a little bit behind the kids in acknowledging this is a problem in our communities," said Cowart, who is a licensed trainer in restorative practices. "When we see this happening in our community, we need to be a voice for each other. The best way to protect yourself is to be with people and have a voice - tell somebody."

In today's #MeToo era, Cowart said, there are weekly examples of "somebody abusing their power" through harassment or discrimination as evidenced by recent political and celebrity scandals. The movement has forced corporations and businesses to reexamine protocols for addressing workplace harassment, she said.

Power imbalance and cultural acceptance can play a part in adult bullying, but few studies have been done to understand the problem.

"Adults don't like to talk about bullying," Cowart said. Instead, it is called rudeness, which often can be a precursor to bullying, she added.

Fifty-four percent of adults reported someone had been rude to them in the past seven days, while one in five adults considers themselves a rude person, according to various sources.

Checking a growing culture of rudeness is critical because such behavior can be "contagious" and "destructive" to everyone around, Cowart said.

"It impacts you, and it impacts how you are going to interact (with others). You are also more likely to be rude (yourself)," she said. "Your performance on tasks decreases. Your grades are going to drop. Your ability to do basic things is going to drop. Your ability to maintain friendships is going to suffer."

Cowart addressed the criminal consequences of bullying and cyberbullying, which are prosecuted as disorderly conduct, assault, battery, harassment, cyberstalking, criminal damage to property and theft.

She advised against sharing passwords and sexting, and suggested downloading apps that "help you not to be a bully."

ECC student Ahlea Aguilar said Cowart's talk was a helpful reminder for bullying victims and reinforces "that this type of behavior is not going to be tolerated anymore."