Anti-Bullying Policies: 7 Reasons They Don’t Work.

Cherie White

1 hour ago

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‘Want to know the truth about anti-bullying policies? Here are the reasons they don’t work and why your safety is on you.

Anti-bullying policies aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. And it’s because they have no teeth.

Therefore, in this post, you will learn the truth about these policies so that if you’re a victim of bullying, you’ll know the truth. Then you can take steps to protect yourself.

Once you discover this hard truth, you will be able to take responsibility for your safety and stand up to bullying wisely.

This post will give you the truth about anti-bullying politics so that you won’t rely too much on them to save you from bullying. Then you can take your own steps to protect yourself.

Anti-Bullying Policies

Many schools and workplaces have policies against bullying. However, unless they enforce those policies, they might as well have none at all.

Here are the reasons that anti-bullying policies rarely work.

1. Schools and workplaces develop these policies just to look good.

Most institutions today have policies against bullying. However, it’s only because they’re required by the government. These guidelines are only for decoration.

In fact, these entities have had anti-bullying policies for at least a decade. Yet, cases of bullying continue to rise exponentially. Moreover, schools and workplaces continue to ignore bullying.

Schools sweep incidents under the rug and refuse to allow victims’ parents to see any surveillance footage of bullying attacks.

Also, schools sometimes blame the victim and take revenge against parents who fight for their child. Therefore, the only reason these policies exist is to make the institution look good.

2. People in authority don’t enforce them.

Again, authority figures rarely enforce these policies. Remember that authority usually sides with power.

In other words, teachers and school staff may take the bully’s side because the bully has more power. Workplaces do the same thing.

They think it’s easier to turn their heads and blame victims for the abuse they suffer. Realize that it isn’t about protecting victims. It’s about making the problem go away.

And how they make the problem go away is by silencing victims. This is wrong.

Anti-Bullying Policies:

3. Preferential treatment

In many cases, authority members and peers favor the bullies. Here’s why.

Bullies kiss the right butts.
The bullies are high performers and scholars
They know people in high places
Bullies are convincing liars
The bullies are wordsmiths
They’re good at projecting
They’re charming
The bullies have lots of friends who love them
There’s strength in numbers
They’re good at gaslighting
They destroy your reputation
They appeal to the self-interests of the school or workplace
The bullies are good at victim-blaming
They have close relationships with people in power
They fake compassion
The bullies are in positions of power

Therefore, they may not face accountability. If anything, those in authority will blame you. And they’ll get away with it.

4. Bullies can easily get intel from them.

There are many positives to bullying and suicide awareness. One is that more and more people are realizing that bullying is not “just a normal rite of passage.”

In fact, most today realize that it is not “just a part of growing up.”

People have awakened. They now know that bullying is a health hazard. It is also a threat to human life. And it always has been.

There is a wealth of knowledge, resources, and programs readily available to targets and their families. We have a treasure trove of articles, books, and videos on how victims can bully-proof themselves.

Therefore, we have made lots of progress. However, there’s one thing that most of us haven’t considered.

Anti-Bullying Policies:

5. Bullies also have access to this information!

Sure, the information is meant to help and empower victims. However, bullies can use it as counterintelligence. Therefore, they can turn it against their targets.

And they can do it by using the information to tailor any future attacks.

6. Bullies can weaponize suicide awareness.

Bullying has been shown to cause suicide. This is a good thing. However, there is a drastic uptick in cases where bullies have told their victims to “kill themselves”.

A few have even talked them into it.

Remember that the most talented bullies are cowards at heart. But they’re also smart. They inflict their abuse on the down-low.

Moreover, they are meticulous, and worst of all, patient! They will not risk being caught. Anti-bullying policies do not address these details.

All they do is gloss over the subject.

7. Zero-tolerance policies harm victims more than bullies.

The vagueness of zero-tolerance policies cannot be understated. They may be there to keep bullies from physically attacking you. But they also prevent you from defending yourself.

Only they don’t tell you specifically. Zero tolerance ends up harming victims instead of protecting them. Why?

Because they don’t consider context or individual circumstances. Therefore, because these policies are so rigid, they don’t only punish bullies for physically attacking you. They also punish you for defending yourself.

For example, you’re sitting in class when the girl behind you pulls your hair. She has done this for months. You’ve tried to ignore it, hoping that she’ll get bored and stop.

However, she doesn’t. The girl only continues pulling your hair every day. Finally, you get fed up with being mistreated.

Unable to tolerate any more abuse, you turn around and punch the bully in the face. Conveniently, the teacher doesn’t see what the other girl did to you.

However, she sees you turn around and punch her in the nose. So, she punishes you without even considering what the other girl did to provoke you.

This happens all the time. And it’s why victims get blamed. It’s also why you should trust anti-bullying policies.

In Conclusion

This is why you should defend yourself from bullies. It’s your right. And it’s completely okay to do so. If someone physically attacks you, hit back.

If they verbally bully, fire off a comeback. And if they give you a dirty look, return the gesture. Also, if they exclude you, be okay with it. Do you really want anything to do with someone who mistreats you?

Standing up to bullying is your responsibility. No one else’s. And you shouldn’t rely on the school or HR to help you if you find yourself in the crosshairs of a bully.