I'm sure we've all read about this now. Karen Klein, the bus monitor who was bullied last week in New York. To be honest, I didn't watch the actual video until Friday afternoon. I was horrified at what I saw. That video made me so angry, so sick, so embarrassed that I didn't know what to do with myself after I saw it.
If you haven't seen it, there is only one reason that I recommend that you do: so you see how these children behave. Otherwise, I wouldn't want anyone to see it. I would want to hide it away to save Ms. Klein the embarrassment of what she went through. However, and I do apologize Ms. Klein, while it's unfortunate that we all witness what is done to her, the public needs to see this. The public needs to see that children believe it is OK to treat a human being this way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAgti_2uziA
We see it in the news, on social networking sites everyday. Another child has been bullied. A child has been bullied to the point of no return, literally. I think back to growing up and being picked on continually throughout school, on the bus. I never remember calling it bullying back then. I didn't get pushed and shoved but the words were hurtful. I wasn't the cool kid so they could pick on me and say things to me but I got through it. I had a supportive family, I had supportive friends. As I grew older, I understood what was behind the need to pick on me and the other "not cool" kids. I can accept it. This... What I see in this video and what I read about in the news is beyond my capacity to understand. How can children be so intentionally cruel? Are they being raised that way? Is this what they see in their own homes so they think it's Ok to treat others the same? Is it the video games, TV shows and movies they're allowed to watch that make them think they can use the cuss words and talk that way to other people? Here's what scares me the most... It's society. You can be a great parent, raise your kids just right, make sure they only watch what's appropriate, but as soon as they get out in the world (school, sports, etc.) they learn this behavior from other kids/teachers/people on the street and begin to think it's OK.
I know some of the students involved have apologized. I know some of the parents have apologized. To be honest, I've had no interest. You can apologize all you want. It doesn't dismiss the problem. The problem is that you still did it. You still felt it was Ok to treat an elderly woman who was working for YOUR safety like you did. I can't even repeat the things they said, the things they did, it was so atrocious. And if they thought they could treat an elderly woman that way, imagine what they must say or do to kids their own age. It hurts my heart, truly, to think of what kids at school go through now.
My thoughts are scattered here and I appreciate you reading and trying to follow along. I'm not a parent but I care about many children who are at that difficult age. I always encourage them to talk to their parents about what is going on at school. I hope those parents who read this do the same with their kids. We need to talk to our kids and be involved. If we even suspect that our child may be getting bullied I think it's important that we talk to the school and the teachers. There are people who care and want to help. I think that if parents believe their child may be a bully it's important to sit down with them as well and teach them, they need help as well. There's a reason they're acting that way. There are even programs that schools can utilize to address bullying (I happen to be a WWE fan, I know, laugh now, but they have a great bullying program called Be A STAR, http://www.beastaralliance.org/).
Say no to bullying! :)
I definitely think that some of the problem is the media. Watch one primetime tv show with the intention of looking for disrespectful words and actions, and you'll be amazed at how much you notice. For too long, it has been "funny" to call out other people's shortcomings and disabilities - it has become such a part of our culture that people don't even recognize it as bullying. (Don't even get me started on shows like American Idol - I argued about that show with coworkers to the point of tears.)
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad that bullying is getting the attention now that it always should have. I vividly remember things said and done to me in school, and I'm sad to say that they still affect me today. While people were supportive then, it was basically just "part of growing up, you have to learn to deal with it". I think the dialogue about what bullying really looks like is so important, so that maybe as a society we can start being nice to each other and appreciating people's strengths instead of mocking them for who they are.
Thanks for the comment Becky! I agree, I'm so glad that bullying is finally getting attention. I was talking on the phone with my sis and there is one thing I want to stress that I may not have made clear in my post. While I do put blame on society, media, etc. I put the majority of the blame on parents. We need to raise our kids NOT to be bullies and I don't believe that's happening. I know my parents taught me right from wrong and I know I still failed at times as a kid, succumbing to peer pressure. But I feel like parents aren't even teaching the basics anymore after what I saw in that video. And that is a huge problem. It all, always, starts at home and parents need to be conscientious of that.
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