Anytime I hear people refer to bullying as either of the three mentioned in this article’s title, I find it cringe-worthy at best! And the words that immediately flash through my mind are “cop-out,” “trivialization,” and “excuses.”
To call bullying, one of these three things is to say that:
1. Bullying is completely normal and natural.
2. Targets of bullying are weak and/or undesirable and must be eliminated from the human race.
3. Bullying is required for the survival of the human race.
Allow me to rebut these three (conscious or unconscious) beliefs:
Bullying is anything but normal or natural. It is brutal, malicious, hurtful, and cowardly.
Victims (or targets) of bullying are NOT weak, nor are they undesirable. They may only think differently than most. They are often exceptional people with brilliant minds. Many celebrities, CEOs, inventors, writers, scientists, doctors, and professors were bullied as children and teens and have even been bullied in the workplace as adults. But they survived.
If these people had not survived, the world might never have seen many awesome inventions and breakthroughs, such as the electric light bulb, the telephone, or the first organ transplant. Where would we be without these people?
Bullying is NOT required for the survival of the human race; it can only destroy it.
An example of this would be the Nazi’s bullying of Jews during World War II and the slaughtering of six million during the holocaust. Now, do you still think that bullying is necessary for the survival of our species?
Bullying is NEVER okay! And sadly, I’ve heard many people refer to it as the above three. Understand that this is only a cop-out, a way to blame the target, and an excuse not to help victims who are bullied.
If you are a bully or bystander and believe this sort of tripe, then boy, are you ever delusional!
If you are a target, I want to assure you that it does not mean that you are defective in any way. It only means that you are an individual who is brave enough to think outside the box and that you refuse to be a follower. Those are characteristics that you should be proud of because you have a chance to go far and change society.
Don’t give up! Give yourself a chance! You never know, in the future, YOU may be the person who brings positive change to the world, and your bullies will more than likely end up living less than desirable lives. Suicide is not the answer. Don’t you want to live long enough to see your own potential? I want you to.
With knowledge comes empowerment!
