“Wedgies Stop Here!”
The old man in the hat
The news of late has been full of a disturbing trend, that of the harmful effects of bullying. The fact that bullies exist is, of course, nothing new. I do not remember with fondness the fad of “wedgies” administered at each break and noon hour during my high school years. What is new is the sad fact, with the proliferation of social media, that it is almost impossible for the victim to escape from their tormentors. Although I do not often agree with our Prime Minister, there is merit in his comments that some individuals have moved beyond bullying, to criminal acts.
A formal definition may be stated as the “Use of superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants.” In practice this may apply to situations in which the desired “want” is to conform to some ideal held by the bully, whether it be body shape, skin colour, language, behaviour or some other attribute that supposedly sets the victim apart from the bully.
Confronting the bully is often viewed as an impossible or insurmountable task by the victim. Witness the recent number of media reports of young women being driven to suicide by unrelenting harassment.
This can and must change. Schools, in their ever evolving role, play an important role in educating students as to importance of respecting and appreciating their fellow student’s differences. Since my days in school, some aspects of student behaviour has improved immeasurably. I recently had the privilege to attend a volleyball game where one of the teams could only muster four players opposed to the home team’s six. A number of the home team’s student body was on hand to cheer their team on. Much to my surprise the fans spent the game cheering on the four underdogs with shouts of encouragement and displays of appreciation for their valiant undermanned effort. I was very impressed by the display of good sportsmanship. Thirty years ago such a situation more often resulted in catcalls and shouts of derision.
Contrary to media reports that schools are failing to protect students, this improvement has evolved from a tremendous effort on the part of education professionals to make a constant effort on creating an atmosphere of inclusion in the classroom.
On a similar vein, I would like to comment on the recent political “attack” ads that the Conservative Party of Canada has been running on national television, directed towards the newly elected leader of the Liberal Party. Despite Mr. Harper’s outrage on the effect that bullies are having on the population of Canada, his party has shown no hesitation to use the tools of the bully to vilify and disparage an opponent. That which we expect from a kindergarten student, we should also expect from the party that presently forms the Government of Canada! I would encourage all of you, who agree with these sentiments, to voice your displeasure with our MP, Mike Allen, at mike.allen@parl.gc.ca.
