Being bullied is painful
We grew up to chant “stick and stones can break my bones, but words can never do that” to people using verbal bullying. But then there are those that bully physically as well, aren’t there… and in these cases this adage would not hold, and we walk away with bruises, not only on our body, but to our ego and our human dignity as well.
Bullying to humiliate
The fact that bullies bully is because, in most cases, the only way they can feel ‘bigger’ or ‘more’ is by ‘putting others down’ or humiliating them, so that they can feel superior. Often people bully because they are bullied or degraded mercilessly at home, by caregivers, parents, other family members, or older siblings. This is very sad, but does not make it right in anyone’s eyes.
Bullying for entertainment or ‘make fun of’
Bullies who do it merely for entertainment are despicable, and we should all help to curtail that – at school, at work, in our communities, and in the social media. How to do that effectively is a more difficult question….
Control your urges
The only person you really have control over is yourself. You can make sure that you are not the inflictor, tormentor, perpetrator or in the audience.
A Social Issue
Bullying is a social issue. When you laugh at the expense of the victim, you give the bully the attention, power, and result they seek, so you are affirming and perpetuating their behavior. However walking away, might leave the bullied person in a worse predicament – where will the bully stop to get the attention they crave? Intervening on behalf of another person might put you in a compromised position as bullies usually have ‘handlangers’ or ‘hangers-on’, they rarely ‘go it alone’, and intervening together, as a group against the bullies, can cause a riot or free-for-all.
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