"But you didn't ever get bullied when you were a kid! " she said, pouting as though stamping a double exclamation mark at the end of her shouted words.
"No, they didn't call it that then, nor talk about it much. There were no playground supervisors then, so fights happened behind buildings and were unseen by adults. When softball teams were chosen, two of the best players were picked to choose kids for their teams and there was always at least one kid that neither team wanted. When a couple of girls decide after Spring Break that they aren't going to talk to one of the other girls for the remainder of the school year, it hurts."
"Yes bullying did happen, and kids felt not liked, not wanted, and left out just the same as they do now."
Ssdly its a never ending occurance. The stakes seem to to have been raised in some cases as well. Sad stuff.
ReplyDeleteI so agree.
Deleteone can't help but suspect that the remedy to bullying is changing how the bullied feels, as opposed to how the bullied feels… at least until aggressiveness is no longer an element of human nature…
ReplyDeletegood thought-provoking Six
I believe that much of how people feel begins in childhood in the home, but I also know that many suffer from different types of mental illnesses that affect how they think, feel, and respond, and has nothing to do with the type of parenting they received. Also, if abuse by others enters into the picture, the abused becomes an abuser unless they receive the kind help they need.
DeleteCuriously bullying in the playground was not uncommon as supervision was so poor in my day as you also recall. However it was still a lesson for you to conform, choose your friends wisely and join in rather than be a loner. Even with my grandchildren today I still am aware of the conflicts in the schoolyard which although sad is an education as well that life is not fair.
ReplyDeleteYes, choosing your friends wisely is so important, and hopefully there are those from which you can choose who adhere to good standards.
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