Random Responses (But are they really?) to Things We Think About

Random Responses (But are they, really?) to Things We Think About

Like Labeling and Bullying and Russian Trolls

By Jane Tawel

January 13, 2020

On Bullying

I have been both a bully and a victim of bullies. Don’t demure on my behalf; I have sisters and friends from Junior High who will tell you about what a bully I could be at times, and claiming I didn’t realize it or was “messed up” doesn’t change the truth. And I have definitely, been often the target of bullies who were either “just” attracted to me at the time or were other times, “just doing their job as a boss”.

But it intrigues me to observe the many and latest attempts to deal with bullying in our schools, and with our children, when we don’t seem all that concerned about bullying among adults or as represented as entertainment on our “boob-tubes” or big screens. I am concerned that we think we can teach children about not bullying when many of us are such bullies ourselves or support bullies who promise they will drag us along with them if we stand aside and watch, rather than protest or stop them. There are Hallmark-ish trending posts about teachers and adults doing things to help victims of bullies — so sweet — like all useless self-medicating panaceas — and what I think is this. All this save the children malarkey, is just more smoke and mirrors to keep us from addressing the real bullies. The real bullies…