Bullying Situations
Have you ever been in a situation where others were picking on you and you didn’t know how to make them stop? Or maybe you have sat back and watched others pick on somebody and wondered to yourself, “should I laugh too?” Or maybe you have been the person picking on someone else. Regardless of your background, if you are around a bullying situation, you play a role in it!
According to the book, “The Bullying Breakthrough”, there are three characters involved in a bullying situation: the bully, the bullied, and the bystander. (McKee, 2018). The bully is the one that is exhibiting the bullying behavior, the bullied is the one that is the victim of the bullying situation, and finally the bystanders are everyone else that is watching this situation happen.
Often times, bullies don’t even realize they are being a bully. In fact, many bullies find themselves being mean to others without even noticing it. Their normal behavior turns into making fun of others, knocking books out of other students’ hands, posting hate comments online, or messing with your personal belongings. They feel the need to put others down in order to feel better about themselves. Often, they have an aggressive vibe, which can result in violence. Other times they stay quiet and will only use their voice on social media.
The bullied are the ones that are being hurt. They find themselves feeling lonely with no hope into making others stop bullying them. They often have trust issues making friends because they are fearful that others will make fun of them. They avoid social gatherings because that is just another opportunity for someone to knock them down once again.
The bystander is the superhero of the situation. You see, the bystander has all of the power to step in for the little guy and be a voice. Most of the time, no one steps in for the one that is being bullied. Many bystanders just casually watch what is happening, ignore it, or even go to the extent of egging it on. The bystander is the one that can help the victim by telling the bully to leave them alone, telling an adult, or being a listening ear.
One tip that I could give when speaking to a victim of a bullying situation is to try to talk to them. Do not approach them with a group of people but pull them aside and before you say anything else, tell them you are there to help them, not hurt them. This will increase your chances of that person opening up to you, which can ultimately result in stopping the bullying situation.
Overall, if you have a voice, you have the power to step up and put a stop to this negativity going on in our world around us. Your story matters, and your story will be used to help encourage someone else!