Bully

                                   NOTES OF CONCERN....
                                      ... JACK BLAIR 


                                          “ BULLY  “



Is there a man or woman anywhere who was not bullied at some point in their lives?  I don’t have any statistics on this other than my own trek from youngster to adult. But I suspect everyone has been bullied and many have actually been a bully at one time or another.

I think there is bullying to one degree or another on most elementary playgrounds. Big kids tease small kids. Skinny kids run up against the muscled kids. Fat kids get called ugly names.

It is not right.

However, it does occur.

It has been in the past a part of growing up. Some would argue it toughened you up for the life you would face. Others would counter it undermined your self confidence.

My teachers were vigilant but, as you know, you cannot be everywhere all the time. So human nature being what is is, these things took place.

The papers today carry stories of a different level of bullying. This bullying is taking place at the adult level and it speaks to a whole different sort of problem. When adults behave badly a very poor example is set for the children who are either observing or reading about it.

Adult bullying at its worst can result in loss of life. Suicides are reported amongst people who are regularly bullied.

Men bully women.

Bosses bully subordinates.

Husbands bully wives and, yes, wives bully husbands.

Politicians seem to bully everybody! Many try to bully the president.

Most recently we read about two football players on the Miami Dolphins team. These guys are big. These guys are tough. One would have thought it impossible for one big successful highly paid thug to bully another. One would be wrong.

So let us agree that there is bullying at all levels in our society. Some of it is obvious and comes to the attention of society. I suspect a much larger percentage of bullying just goes unnoticed and unreported.

We could invent some bracelets to wear to show we don’t like bullying. We can pick a color, make up some T-shirts, and start an anti-bullying campaign. We could hold some rallies. We could get out and protest.

But it can be simpler than that.

Friends, bullying is not going to stop until we learn to act civilly in all aspects of our lives; teach respect for all persons from the kindergarten through right up to the end of life.

We need to model this kind of respect every day.

Each of us must have as a personal goal not to be a bully and not to be bullied.

Women need to leave husbands who bully them.

Employees need to find new employment when they are bullied by bosses in the workplace.

Senior citizens who are bullied by their adult children need to report it to the authorities.

Youngsters should quit teams that are coached by bullies.



Anyone bullying in the social media should be banned from those websites, which means websites must be required by law to monitor what transpires on their pages.

People who bully have some sort of unmet need to be superior to others. This needed superiority could be sexual, physical, mental or even career oriented.

When the majority of people look down on bullies the number of bullies will significantly decrease. If instead of thinking they have a prowess to be admired they are like the lady of the novel who must wear a Scarlet Letter when out amongst others in society, there will be fewer bullies.

Maybe we could agree today to just simply not tolerate any more of this stuff?