My View on... bullying

Bullying

I have decided to start a new series where I give my personal view on different topics. My first topic is going to be 'bullying'.


Dictionary Definition: use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force them to do something.

Bullying is not about physically hurting someone. Like the picture above, it can be as little as not including someone or making them feel bad about themselves. I do not believe that bullying can ever be justified. It's true that bullies mostly target people who are weaker than them because they have their own individual problems that they don't know how to deal with. This makes people feel sympathetic to the bullies, because their bullying is seen as a cry for help. However, if it was you being bullied, would you care about the problems that the bully is going through?

I like to help people and I can easily empathise with people to try and solve their problems. Something that I have found is that, some bullies do not realise that they are bullying someone. Most are even offended that someone would use the word 'bully' to them, because they think that they are doing what everyone else is doing.

In my experience, unless you are close enough with someone to be able to tease them, 'harmless teasing' is never harmless. You may never find out what effect your words have had on the person who they were directed to, but that doesn't mean that the words don't hurt. The smallest thing could make someone feel as if there is no point in them living, and that is not acceptable. Everyone has a right to be on this earth and no one should be able to make anyone feel like they're worthless.

If you see someone being bullied, even if you don't have enough confidence to tell someone about it, you can't do nothing. Talk to the person being bullied and reassure them that they're not alone. Bullies have the power to make someone feel that they are completely alone, that no one understands them and that no one cares about them. Support people in hard situations. This goes for the bullies too. If you are friends with someone who is a bully, don't join them. Let them know that you don't agree with what they're doing and that, if they are having problems, you are ready to support them. Don't let anyone suffer in silence.

This seemed like a good place to end this 'My View on...' post. If you are having problems either as a bully or as a victim, you can talk to me. Leave a comment below and I will give you a way to confidentially contact me. You can also confidentially email the Samaritans and contact childline. Or talk to a friend, or an adult. You don't have to suffer.

Leave a comment for something else that you want to hear my view on.

Rant over!