My mom always said, “If youcan not say something nice then do not say anything at all.”
Mom lived by these words and never spoke ill about anyone. She was the kindest woman anyone would ever meet.
There were times when mom was not treated very kindly, but she would chalk it up to people having a bad day, but the truth was, it was bullying.
As kids, we did not dare treat another kid poorly because if this got back to my mom it would not go over well. There were times I was picked on because I was the tallest in my class, I had a Dutch background and I was a plain jane girl, but I was taught to chalk it up to the kids having a bad day. It was bullying.
It seems bullying has grown over the years and it is not just kids. Adults bully just as much, if not more than kids. It is a fine line between bullying and harassment.
We have dealt with this bullying issue with our daughter. She is special needs and is different. When a person is different, they tend to be teased for how they look, act, or speak.
It did not end in school. As she became an adult, it continued into workplaces and she now fears to have a job, although she would love to have one.
Bullying is in schools, clubs, churches, bars and the workplace and now on social media.
Bullying can turn an outgoing person of any age into a recluse. After all, who wants to go to school or work knowing that cruel person will also be there to continue their assault from the day before. It can be just one person or several at the same time.
Kids that are picked on or teased can have an upset stomach, complain about headaches, or feel like they have the flu. They can become quiet and unsocial, so parents pay attention, because some of these kids that experience bullying may think about suicide or worse yet, do it. I know this feeling as our daughter became suicidal. To this day she is on depression medication to help with her issues.
It is not much different for an adult. In the workplace, a co-worker or manager can have the same bullying attitude. Did this continue from being a bully as a child?
A boss can go on a power trip and become a bully and why? Treating staff with respect gets you staff that will work hard for you, treating them like a nobody is bullying.
It happens a lot more than one thinks. Excluding a person because they have a different opinion is bullying. Speaking down to someone is bullying. Making a person cry because of your unkind words is bullying.
Do the kids that grow up without being caught as a bully do the same in workplaces? The kids that bully, do they have issues at home, and this is there way of feeling good about themselves?
I will never understand the concept of bullying. It is cruel. Does it make a person feel good to belittle another person, just because they have a higher rank on the job? Does it make a person feel good to leave another person out? Does it make them more powerful to put another person down?
It is time that people think before they open their mouths. Maybe ask yourself how this would make you feel if spoke to in this manner, but then maybe you do not care. There are also those people who feel what they say is alright. Well, it is not if you are being a bully about it.
If you do not think this is a problem, then you are a bully, but then this is just my opinion.
