Say "NO" to Bullying

There is an episode of the show “Frasier,” where he and his brother Niles encounter an former bully, who shows up at Frasier’s apartment to fix a broken toilet. Of course the bully doesn’t recognize them, but Niles remembers him and tries to give him a “swirlie” (A form of torture/punishment in which the victim is held upside down over a toilet, with his head in the toilet bowl, while it is flushed), to make up for the many ones he received while in grade school. Of course Frasier tries to convince Niles that he is better than the plumber, with his doctorate and other accolades, so there was no need to stoop to his level. Niles does put the idea to rest for a minute. Only to again think of revenge when he finds out the plumber owns an S-class Benz, the bigger brother to Niles’ E-class. In the end Frasier and Niles get their revenge, as the older brother to Niles’ bully also shows up at the apartment and makes light of the “bullying” that used to take place. Frasier and Niles give the bullying brothers swirlies, then run for cover.

While this was a TV show, the situation is very true to life. There are still some individuals, who don’t think this is a big deal. “Everyone gets picked on in school,” they say. “I was teased as a kid and look how I turned out,” is the argument of others. The fact of the matter is being teased 10 or 15 or 20 years ago for wearing glasses or not playing sports, is completely different from the bullying that takes place in schools across the country today. Dissing contests are no longer light-hearted and kept to the confines of school playgrounds and neighborhood parks. They now travel via text messages and social media networks, laced with inappropriate comments, videos and pictures, following their victims for days and months to come.

In no way, shape or form should bullying ever be tolerated. As educators, mentors, parents and family members, it is important that we teach children that bullying is not ok. The old saying that “words will never hurt me,” is no longer true. As words stick around much longer and travel farther, thanks to Facebook and Twitter. We must also reinforce to those being bullied that there is help for them. They should never feel that ending their life is the solution. While children find peer acceptance to be very important, they must also remember that their family loves them and wants them around.

October has been National Bullying Prevention Month. Let’s do our part to stop the hurt.