Bullying or Meanness...and does it matter?

I have been asked to speak to my children's school staff on the topic of bullying vs. meanness. This is a topic that has gotten a lot of press and conversation over the last few years starting with the Columbine shootings. As I gather my thoughts and do my research I would like to hear from some of you about your own experiences with bullying no matter which side you may have been on at the time. Maybe you are a parent with a child who is experiencing bullying or maybe you realize that you were a bully.

Do you think that bullying is a word that is overused? Do you think that sometimes kids are just mean and that doesn't make them a bully? 

Stopbullying.gov says this about the definition of bullying:

In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

• An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
• Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

The imbalance of power is the key followed by the repetition. 

Have the incidents gone up in the last few years or are we more aware? Does the blame lie with the parents? Are we raising entitled and unempathetic children? How do we cut down on the bullying? Or is it kids being kids? 

I want to hear from you! Your thoughts and experiences!