Bullying: The Wrong Impression

There is much debate, with the problems with bullying in school systems, as to how we may prevent and stop bullying.

This won’t work.

I don’t mean that attempting to prevent and stop bullying won’t work. It sometimes does; I am sure. What I’m saying is that if you click on that link, it’s a picture of a girl crying and looking pathetic (no offense) while girls point and laugh. It reads “Are you Against Bullying?” and persons are expected to like and comment if they are against it (it’s a facebook picture).

Who is going to be like “Sorry, I support bullying! I think it’s fun, and I enjoy being a mean despicable human being! Follow me @biggestjerkever on twitter!”

This is not how we combat bullying.

When did this become the classic depiction of bullying? Does anyone know that this is actually, more than likely, not what is happening when someone is being bullied? Does anyone know that bullies don’t actually see themselves as bullies because they aren’t pushing someone into a locker in the hallway or pointing and laughing as they walk by? Bullying is much more subtle—ignoring someone, posting negative pass-aggressive comments on social media sites, spreading rumors, complaining about someone’s weaknesses, telling embarrassing stories, glaring, whispering , saying a sarcastic comment about something they don’t understand. These things are not demonized. But they hurt all the same.

People will admit to being the victim. But they don’t see themselves as the bully, because we don’t watch what we say. We don’t walk in anyone’s shoes but our own. When something stings like a wound we know. But when our tongues are spiked with venom and it stings those around us, we may not see the damage. Because bullying does damage under the skin. Most bullying is no longer a physical shove, a punch, as spitball across the classroom at the “nerd”. It’s everywhere, affecting everyone, sparing no man, no child, no women.

With so many bullies, and us being bullies when we don’t pay enough attention and infuse our actions with compassion, we must find another way. Another way to combat bullying. The Anti-bullying.