Bullying...
Bullying is the use of force or coercion to abuse or intimidate
others. The behavior can be habitual and involve an imbalance of social or
physical power. It can include verbal harassment
or threat,
physical assault
or coercion and may be directed repeatedly towards particular victims, perhaps
on grounds of race, religion, gender, sexuality, or ability. Source
I have been totally engrossed in the story of Amanda Todd.
What a sad and disturbing story that should spark concern in anyone who has
children and will one day have children. After reading, hearing and watching
this story I thought back to the days when I was in school and saw bullying
first hand. There were kids that just seemed angry ALL the time and set out to
ruin everyone’s day, every day. Then there were the kids who were obviously
deflecting their own insecurities because they also had obvious flaws but
before someone pointed theirs out they would pick on someone else who was
perhaps not as brave.
I remember being bullied, and wanting to be
anywhere but school on some days but as I sit and think about the bullying that
took place back then and what takes place now it just seems quite alarming. For
me, bullying took place primarily because of the colour of my skin and that was
the extent of it. It took place at school in the school yard and sometimes on
the walk home but I never had to deal with the cyber bullying, texting, and
various forms of social media that the kids are dealing with today. Once I got
home, I was protected from it and now they just can’t get away from it.
Kids are bullying other kids about such personal
things like the way they look, talk, dress, sexual orientation to name a few
and the rumor mill and gossip scene is ridiculous and so damaging now. There are
some kids who can and do stand up for themselves but there are certainly those
that avoid the bullies at all costs. Many are not resilient enough to bounce back
from a bullies attack and instead internalize every attack and sometimes become
self destructive.
I can’t imagine how it must feel for a parent to
suddenly realize that their child is being bullied at school and then try to
assist in repairing the damage that has been done! It’s been said by many…”This Needs To Stop”…it been said by everyday folk, celebrities, Members
of Parliament and so on but it really does need to stop. Can a new law being
passed help to minimize bullying? Who knows, but we have got to continue to try
everything to stop it. Too many kids are dying as a result of mean pranks,
rumors, and destroyed self confidence due to a bully who may not think about
their victim 2 minutes after they have tormented them or embarrassed them in
front of their peers.
My heart certainly
goes out to the family of Amanda Todd and any other family who has had bullying
touch their lives.
What are your thoughts?
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