The province recently came out with an
anti-bully plan. While I believe it's a step in the right direction, it just seems
a little unrealistic.
While instituting laws to protect children
may promote adult intervention, they become ineffective due to the CanadianYoung Offenders Act. When the consequences can't be enforced, and the youth of Canada
While I agree that awareness is a part of the
solution, it is not in itself the solution. We are aware of bullying…anyone who
went to, or goes to, school is aware of bullying.
I am 39 years old and was bullied in school.
Not just high school, I was bullied in elementary and all the way to grade nine.
I was small for the age, barely 5 feet tall and maybe 90 pounds. I was bullied
by “friends”, groups and older kids. Now I don’t remember, and not that it is
some excuse that warrants being bullied, if I would mouth off prior to these
instances, but I do remember that I would run away a lot. I lived 1 km from
school and would often run all the way home. If I was caught I would cower and
wait for them to loosen their grip. Then I would strike them as hard as I could
and run some more, hoping they didn't catch me. I used multiple routes to get
home safe. I remember my mother bringing me back to school and complaining
about the way I was being treated. I don't remember if there were ever any real
consequences for my bullies.
Once I hit grade nine, I grew to 5’9” and 170
pounds. I caught up and passed my bullies and unfortunately took revenge by
fighting them. I admit that I did become a bit of a bully, and I threw around
my new found size. I have since found those people and apologized.
As I matured, so did my reasoning and my
understanding of right and wrong. If I saw someone being bullied or victimized,
and I felt I could intervene to stop it then I would.
I have children who have been victimized by
bullies, and as a parent I have stepped in where necessary. My children are in
martial arts and sports to build their confidence and ability to stand up for
themselves and what is right. I have educated them as to what is proper
internet use and how unforgiving the internet can be. They are both teenagers
now at 13 and 15. Do I still worry…absolutely. Do I talk to them regularly
about acceptable behavior both on and off the computer? You bet I do!!
We have identified that bullying is a growing
problem and yesterday was the time to find a solution. We need to get to the
root of the problem. The article of the province's new plan is starting at the
end of the problem and is working backwards to a solution. This will take too
much time.
I'm sure my experience is not unique. I'm sure
there are tons of children and adults that can remember when they were the
victims of bullying. We need to educate our children from a young age all the
way up to the time they graduate and enter the workforce. Include the effects
of bullying as part of the curriculum at all grade levels. In history, point
out the bully-like behavior of oppressive regimes like Hitler’s. Discuss what
may have happened to him as a child to create such hatred.
We took a strong stand against racism in the
early 90’s, and the tool was education. We now stand against intolerance due to
sexual orientation, and the tool was once again education.
Given that we now know that education is
probably the most effective tool to combat this epidemic, why would we waste
time and money coming up with laws that can't be utilized effectively as a
consequence? We need to empower our children with the knowledge to combat this
form of intolerance. We may not reach all of them, but if we reach enough that
are willing to stand up together against the bullies, eventually there will be no
bullies to stand up against.
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