Bullying, A Social Failure

We teach out kids to be polite, help others in need, stand up for those who can't and stand up for yourself. We are doing quite will in the politeness department. Sure, we have a loss of tempers in the checkout line or on the highway, but as a whole, we are still courteous to those we meet. From there is it down hill in the socialization of our children. Being nice to others does reduce bullying.

In our modern society, there is a good amount of the population in the U.S. that is concerned more about themselves than others. We drive by the homeless at highway intersections. We drive by those who are stranded on the side of the road. There is justification in the latter as we are afraid to help strangers on the side of the road. More than one Good Samaritan has been robbed or killed for their pains to help a stranded motorist. The former is a belief that those who say they need help really don't and are running a scam.  Who do we know that? We don't. There have been enough stories told about homeless driving BMW's to make us skeptical. So, we don't help. If we return to helping others, we will reduce the amount of bullying by showing that we care.

 One of the great American ideals is to take defend those who can't defend themselves. If you see someone being robbed, step in. Recently (as reported in the news), a robbery was stopped by a bystander merely yelling at the robber. Defending others surely will reduce the amount of bullying. If you see someone being bullied, stand up! Become involved! Calling out a bully makes them aware that they are being watched and that the behavior is not acceptable. The worst thing you can do is to be part of the crowd and no nothing. This empowers the bully.

If you are pushed, push back. Bullies prey on the weak and insecure. There is a fine line between standing up to a bully and brawling. Act in self-defense!* Don't push back until you are pushed. Allowing a bully to get the upper hand shows that you can be intimidated and he will come back for more. Stop the bullying before it gets started. Bullies are not cowards and standing up to them may not completely solve the problem. If a bully punches, bloody their nose and they may think twice before hitting you again.

Our society has been inclined to let other people take up our slack. We become dependent on the school system to keep the peace in our schools. Unfortunately, they are not capable of watching all the kids all the time. Our kids are taught that if they are being bullied, go tell a teacher. I think that if you are punched by a bully, punch him back then go find a teacher to explain what happened and be accountable for you actions. Running to tell does not solve the bullying issue. In fact, it reinforces the behavior. Standing up for yourself is the way to go.

*I am not advocating violence. It is important that you defend yourself only with the amount of force necessary to stop the bully. Going home and getting a gun does not solve the problem! If you get punched, punch back and let it go.