... but define yourself." -Harvey S. Firestone.
I figured I'd get a little personal today and write about something that's always bugged me about high school. Bullying.
I don't see a lot of it at my high school, but there are a few times when I feel like I'm about to explode because of someone being treated unfairly by someone "superior." I absolutely hate it.
In case you couldn't tell, I've had my fair share of unfair treatment by my classmates(understatement. I've had WAY too much.) From the sixth grade up until the beginning of the eighth, I was living in Florida. Worst few years of my life. For all of that time, I hardly had any friends and the few that I did have weren't exactly faithful. I remember a few times when I would be walking down the street and some jerks would throw garbage, or even rocks, at me from a passing car window. People would stalk me and call me names, or pretend to be my friend for a week or two and then dash my hopes by treating me like dirt before ignoring me completely.
Needless to say, I grew a tough shell after that.
People tend to think of bullying as it is portrayed on TV or in books; people hanging you upside down to shake your lunch money out of your pockets, or starting fights in the middle of the hallway with dozens of bystanders yelling "Fight! Fight! Fight!" But there's so much more to bullying than that. People fail to realize that not all bullying is physical. There's an emotional aspect to it, and that leaves a deeper welt in someone than a sucker punch or a slap across the face ever will.
Signing off.
I dunno. I've seen it too, and it sickens me, both the bullies and the bullied.
ReplyDeleteTrue, in some cases it can't be helped, but why do people just take it? If you stand up for yourself, things would be a world better. I'm not saying that like in all the old health classes tell you, or it says on TV, or anything that if you stand up to bullies, they'll run with their tails tucked between their legs, but having a little pride and dignity begets more pride and dignity, and that's what it's all about.
For every problem, there's a solution. The devil you know is always worse than the devil you don't, not the other way around, because at least you tried when you get the one you don't. There will always be people who treat others unfairly. You don't have control over that. What you do have control over, though, is if that's going to get to you. There's an old saying: put up or shut up. And that doesn't mean put up WITH it. that means you put up your you. So either don't take it, or don't let it drag you down, but if you sit there and let it get to you, then you're losing.
Sorry for rambling on there