Bullying comes in various forms, such as verbal abuse, physical abuse, or coercion. Bullying can come from a single individual, or a group of people. Bullying can occur at school, work, home, or in public places. Individuals or groups are bullied because of size, appearance, interests, religion, sexual orientation, gender or abilities. While bullying appears in various forms and places, it is never acceptable.
I have a younger cousin who has a hard time in school because of his smaller stature. He can't help that he is a smaller kid, but size shouldn't matter, he is still a great, smart kid. It breaks my heart that he has a hard time making friends, and is teased by other kids. It probably also doesn't help that his younger brother is already bigger than him, and plays sports such as football, which apparently is the 'cool' thing to do.
It's so hard to see younger kids bullying other kids, they have no idea the detrimental effects it can have on a person, and how hard it is to be the one being bullied. There are various reasons for why bullies choose to bullies other, so it's not only helping the victim that needs to be looked at. Bullies need more than disciplinary action, which may further instigate anger and aggressive behaviour. Bullies need help too, they need to understand the reasons for their behaviours, the consequences, and be shown that better options exist. Maybe, some bullies just need attention and positive encouragement.
Bullying doesn't only pertain to younger children; it's a problem throughout the ages. I've seen grown adults bully grown adults, and what for? Adults, at which age you should have a full comprehension of bullying and retain the maturity to realize that bullying is not a productive pastime, should be above such menial tactics. Why some adults act like children is puzzling, but as with most bullies there are underlying causes, and maybe a lack of intelligence.
Most of us learn about bullying in school and the consequences of it. We are taught the negative ways of bullying, and that treating each other with respect and kindness is a rewarding choice. We've seen local, provincial, national, and international movements against bullying, hear victims speak out, and listened to prominent people and celebrities advocate for anti-bullying. Yet, bullying continues to happen everywhere, and to serious degrees, with severe, if not fatal, consequences.
Despite all the movements against bullying, it is often ignored in school. People don't take it as seriously as they should take it. Sure, we see the anti-bully advertisements, but do we really pay attention and apply the message? How many times has someone been a witness to bullying and said or done nothing? Often, kids and even adults turn a blind eye to it.
While many of us disagree with bullying, not a lot of us would intervene on behalf of the victim. And often, by being a bystander to the incident, we 'permit' or 'encourage' the bully to continue with the aggressive behaviour. If no one stands up, the bully often takes that as the okay to keep going, feeling powerful. Numerous psychologists also believe that bullying is one of the reasons for the decline in emotional sensitivity of the public, and the acceptance of violence as a normal behaviour or happening.
I've heard of victims of bullying going to their teachers or parents to open up about what's been going on, and have been told they should 'toughen up,' or 'not let it bother you.' That's not good enough. More needs to be done, bullying needs to be taken more seriously, and viewed as an important issue. Like I mentioned before, it's requires more than just disciplinary action, I believe that it requires rehabilitation, for both the victims and the bullies, and the effort and care to understand all the factors.
We've all heard in the news of individuals that have committed suicide to escape the torment of bully's. It's tragic, and it shouldn't be happening, certainly not as often as it does. Victims of bullying have gone as far as to open fire on schools - the infamous Columbine High School massacre. Two gifted students who had been bullied for years attacked Columbine with shotguns, killing 13 people and wounding 24 others before committing suicide.
I hope one day it is no longer socially acceptable or 'cool' to torment and treat others with disrespect. But what will that take? Suicides and massacres apparently haven't gotten the message through yet.
