Are We Taking Bullying Seriously Enough?

[Veronika_p]

Bullying is treated as something people are simply expected to “get over.”

“Kids will be kids.”
“Just ignore them.”
“Don't let it bother you.”

But what if it does bother someone?

Being constantly mocked, humiliated, excluded, threatened, or made to feel worthless can leave a much deeper mark than people realize. It can affect someone's confidence, relationships, sense of safety, and mental health long after the bullying has stopped. 💔

And we've seen cases where people who later became involved in serious violence had histories of being bullied, isolated, or deeply mistreated. That doesn't mean bullying causes someone to commit a crime, and most people who experience bullying never become violent. But shouldn't those warning signs still make us take bullying much more seriously?

Maybe the bigger question isn't just “How do we punish bullies?”

It's “How do we prevent people from being pushed into that kind of loneliness and pain in the first place?”

Schools could take reports more seriously. Parents could create spaces where children feel safe talking about what they're experiencing. Teachers could learn to recognize changes in behavior. And perhaps we need to teach children that humiliating another person isn't harmless entertainment.

But I also think we need to help the person being bullied.. not just tell them to be stronger. Give them someone to talk to. Give them somewhere safe to go. Help them rebuild their confidence. 🫶

Because sometimes a person who looks completely fine on the outside is quietly carrying years of hurt.

What do you think we should actually do about bullying?

Should schools have stricter consequences? Should parents be more involved? Should mental-health support be available to students? Or do you think we're approaching the problem the wrong way?

What would you change if you had the power to make bullying much less common?

[sage2021]

I have always thought that the bully should be made to go to mandatory therapy and find out why they feel the need to bully other people and what do they get out of doing it?

Also, while in therapy get them to the point where they understand why they are doing it and how and why they need to stop it.

I know through the years that I have worked with people (young women) that I could tell that they must have been the school bully and just took that behavior into adulthood and into their workplace.

I was treated several times at work by such people. They were mean to me for no reason. They turned other co-workers against me. Again, for no reason.

My last job I had in a CPA firm was the worst I had ever experienced. I was 45 years old. I worked there for 2-1/2 years until the stress of the way they were treating me caused me to become so sick that I became disabled and had to stop working.

I ended up bedbound for 16 years! I was very sick. After 15-1/2 years of being bedbound, I finally was able to go to a wellness center as an inpatient for 6 months. I did recover but it was very hard work every day.

Being under constant stress made my cortisol level raise so high that it made me sick.

So, because of my life threatening illness, I take bullying very seriously.

I don't think that people realize how much bullying affects the people who are bullied. Furthermore, they don't care.

[TonyMetal___1986]

Why would they bullie a nice lady like you?

[sage2021]

@TonyMetal___1986

Because of my appearance and my professionalism at work.

The lady who I replaced had that job for 6 years and apparently I was more proficient, pleasant, and professional at the job than she was and better looking than her as well. All of this combined made her jealous of me.
She was very sadistic too. She obviously had some mental issues and couldn't handle me being better than she was.
She didn't know that I was old enough to be her mother because I look so much younger than I am. She thought I was her age, around 30, and I was 45, she freaked out when I told her that. Then she made a comment to me and said "I sure hope I look as good as you do when I'm your age". Then she got it in her head that I wanted her new job and confronted me about it. I told her that I didn't want her new job and that I just wanted to keep my job.
It was always something with her. She was out of her mind jealous about me so she was very mean towards me.

[TonyMetal___1986]

Tbh mamacita, no one can bullie you since you were a teen till this day 😌

[sage2021]

Thank you for the MHO 🙂🧡

[Cidknee]

Bless yo' heart! 🧡

[_Jenny_]

@Veronika_p I’ve been bullied and I think they should be punished

[Agape93]

If wishes and buts were clusters of nuts, we'd all have a bowl lf granola.

You could take away all pain in the world, make everyone truly feel and know they're valued and equal. Everything, and you'll still have bullies.

Like for me, I have ASPD. I dont care how (insert name) feels or why. Coupled with a hint of sadism, their suffering tends to brighten my day. There's no malice, no internal pain, just a sort of delighted indifference. You can't account for that short of removing us from society.

[Chazmatazz269]

When i was young, bullying was violence.
We were taught “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!”.
Parents who don’t teach their kids that are FAILING.
There’s more to the lesson though.
Teach kids that the opinions of people who can neither make them nor break them should hold no weight. You might have to console them and reinforce the lesson for years before it sinks in. Our brains don’t finish developing until our mid to late twenties. Hopefully before then parents can help kids find their peer group, so they don’t feel so alienated.
Teach kids to listen and pay attention to the words that they think are so hurtful. Maybe it’s just a josh or a jab; a test to see if they can take a joke. Exercise children’s wit so that they can dish it out. They may end up being friends with someone because they traded repartee, instead of being enemies because they took a joke to heart.
Either way, words are neither violence nor cause for violence.

Teach kids to defend themselves when REAL bullying happens. I’m much more concerned with skools that do nothing about a kid getting pushed around and even robbed on skool grounds, but are suddenly “shocked” when the kid fights back and someone gets seriously hurt.

[Laws-Of-Existence]

There is a race of aboriginals, the yequana people, where bullying is nonexistent. There are even 0 homosexuals among them. Zero mental health issues. Think about that. ㅤ

[aceleon]

what does homosexuals has to do with anything here?

[SeekerOfTruth007]

I was beaten repeatedly in school by older and bigger boys, until I learned martial arts. I had to choke out one of them one time to get him off me, and another one I did a judo throw on him, he was a good 50 pounds bigger than me at the time. When you face-plant the bully on pavement, they leave you alone. He never messed with me again for the next 5 years.

Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. I recommend any parent get their kids karate and/or judo lessons. Stay away from BJJ, it will NOT help a kid beat a bigger bully and you don't want to be on the ground against a bigger opponent anyway.

I eye-witnessed a gang of about ten kids beat the hell out of another kid using cane polls when I was in the 8th grade in Jr. High School. The teachers, principal, and other faculty did nothing about it. the police SHOULD have been called, but nothing was done. He was beaten so severely he had lacerations all over his face and body and shirt and clothes cut from the lashes.

You better do some real research on hazing and bullying.

[Veronika_p]

🥺🥺

[aceleon]

bullying is same as abuse, no difference, it just old people finding excuses to not bother themselves with because this is who they are, lazy ass piece of trash who only cares about themselves. if i met a real life bully now i would vote for his/her extermination, this little sociopaths doesn't deserve treatment, if they wanted to be saved they would have asked for it if you are not strong enough to ask for help but feel strong while doing the same to other people you are no longer the victim, you are the assulter, no symphaty from me.

[Cidknee]

You are soo friendly. 🫩 I have an idea, cut back on caffeine.

[aceleon]

@Cidknee i have an idea too, SHUT. UP. easy enough right?

[Cidknee]

😂 🥂🕺🤘🧡

[lightbulb27]

don't know, there's hardly consequences for anything. my neighbors are bullied by criminals that steal their packages, cars, etc.. and nothing is done. Start there.

answer is probably no but can't say I've seen it recently in person other than this...

But there's laws violated and appears those are not enforced. We have in general, good behavior problems and lack of enforcement.

China on other hand is doing really well at this, so they don't have as much trauma to deal with.

This is the sparks that can turn into a lot of suffering.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/zlXtjN2w5y4

[Anonymous]

I think so. I think it's taken more serious than it ever has been. I also think kids have less refuge today. And the family structure has degraded to the point that more kids than ever do not give the love and support that they need.

In short i don't feel bullying is the problem. I was bullied a lot when i was young. I also had two parents that i always knew were there. That never failed to instill self worth in me. The point is, you cannot break someone like that. Adversity and bullies only temper them and make them stronger.

[Zack-Bann]

Too seriously I think.
A soft and sanitized childhood will create soft adults unable to handle challenges and adversity


Because no one will bully you harder or more consistently than life will.


Thick skin, and sharp elbows are the only way to survive in society.


And unfortunately it requires dealing with bullies from a young age

[FreyaRed]

Usually the bully has to learn when stop any escalation and the bullied one has to learn how to defend themself. If escalation goes to aggressive or the bully falls in rage and intervention is necessary.

[exitseven]

In most cases bullying is assault, plain and simple. The police should get involved and the bully and his parents get hauked into court. Instead the gutless school administrators take a do nothing attitude until the victim shows up with an AK47 and shoots upbthr place

[DonaldDarko]

That happens because kids are thrown into these institutions and a prison like atmosphere developes.

[msc545]

No, it's not being taken seriously enough. Bullying can psychologically scar someone for life, and bullying sometimes has been responsible for suicides in children and teenagers.

[Shiprex]

No. It's often painted as banter and "you're a man" so you can handle it which is toxic af.

[NathanDavis]

case by case scenario...

as it should be

[strateguy632]

we do. online and in school already have consequences.

[Cidknee]

No, nip it in the bud!

[duntoldya]

I think we're not bullying enough.

[Veronika_p]

This is not supposed to be funny

[duntoldya]

I'm serious. you wouldn't have a bunch of morons claiming to be they/thems if we brought bullying back.

[Paige2006]

We never have