If you haven't already, in the video section of this blog there is a video of my coming out experience, and there are tidbits of the bullying I was subjected to while going to school as a teen. It was humiliating on any given day and I do not regret the decision to leave that school one bit. Tomorrow I will talk more about my high school experience. Today I just wanted to talk a little bit about what bullying is.
I actually looked up the definition for Bullying and this is what I found, courtesy of Dictionary.com, was that it is a person that it's when an overbearing person habitually badgers (harasses) and intimidates smaller or weaker people.
This definition for me was actually rather insulting. Bullying happens when an idiot thinks it's fun to bother the shit out of some kid who looked at him the wrong way, or has money, or is smart, or is gay or lesbian or transgender etc, or doesn't look quite like the rest of the pack, etc. Just because some idiot decides that that person is who he's going to pick on that day, or that year, or that decade, does not necessarily mean that the one bullied is smaller or weaker. On more than one occasion I have seen smaller people bullying a bigger person, and I am pretty sure the bigger person just chose to take the higher road, like most self respecting people.
Kids will be kids and unfortunately I do not think that bullying is ever going to stop, however as people grow up and society adapts to newer beliefs and ways of life, bullying over such things will go away. Things like looks or weight will always be something that happens, (I would know.) I firmly believe however that as new generations form with things like being gay more out in the open and less taboo, that the bullying because of this fact will be less and less prominent. I am forever hearing of young gay teens committing suicide and it is a for REAL tragedy. For any of you who think what you're doing makes you look cool in front of friends, this may be true, but is your popularity worth someones happiness? Or worse, their life?
As you can probably tell, bullying is a heated topic for me. It is something I grew up dealing with and I believe no one should have to go through it. Especially for teenagers and children who are still so impressionable. I did some stupid things as a teenager thinking that it was a better alternative than being scared to leave the school after hours.
In conclusion, all bullies are not necessarily mean people, they are just people who haven't matured enough to know what they're doing is wrong. And subsequently as a rule of thumb, those people go one of two ways. #1 - they turn themselves around and realize they were being an idiot, or, #2 - they wind up in jail because they never grew up enough to figure out what is right or wrong.
I hope if You are someone who is subject to bullying, that you know it DOES and WILL get better, and there is help out there if you need to talk anonymously. Like these ones!
Kid's Help Phone
1 800 668 6868
RedCross
Kid Power
Bullying Canada
I even found resources for teachers who have student's in their classes with which they have problems with bullying. The resources are endless so PLEASE use them! You can also email me HERE! Never hesitate :)
K.F.H
22:19AST
What a really well post on bulling! Awesome work :) "does not necessarily mean that the one bullied is smaller or weaker." That is so true, just because someone looks smaller/weaker it means nothing. Again great post!
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