Bullies are terrible. We all agree on that. These days almost every day we hear about some teenager bullied literally to death, taking his or her own life because bullies online and off tormented them to the point they felt they could no longer live. Most of the time these bullies are people their own age. In some well publicized cases the tormentors included adults, who we presume, should know better.
Our reaction is one of stunned shock. What sort of adult would stoop so low as to pretend to be a teenage boy or girl and attack another teenager so viciously as to drive that teen to kill themselves? It’s an unbelievable horror.
But is it? Look around. Turn on the TV, the radio, open a newspaper or go online and read news blogs. A Christian preacher openly incites violence by loudly proclaiming to the world that he will publicly destroy the holy book of Islam because, he aays, it’s not a true religion. In Nevada a Senatorial candidate announces that if his party doesn’t get its way, they should rise up and take it with arms. There are people publicly and loudly bombarding us with a never ending litany of hate. Hate the Muslims, hate the liberals, hate the Tea Party, hate Obama, hate gays, hate Latinos, execute abortion doctors, execute gays, execute adulterers. There is no public discourse anymore. It's all about who can shout the loudest and who the often openly biased news outlets choose to showcase.
Hate is spewed from the mouths of wildly popular news commentators. Armed people show up at political rallies, trying to bully other people into supporting their beliefs. Religious leaders picket the funerals of men who gave their lives supposedly so Americans can enjoy the freedoms these groups seem so determined to take away.
And we’re surprised children bully and torment other children? We should only be surprised that more of them aren’t doing it. After all, they have such wonderful role models.
Want to stop bullying on the schoolyard? Stop it in public discourse. Stop tuning in to the haters, practice tolerance toward those who you don’t agree with. Show your children bullying by anyone is wrong, no matter what their motive. Stop teaching our children how to hate. Then maybe we can cut down on bullying and its deadly consequences.
Well said. And thank you for saying it.
ReplyDeleteI got a chill when I saw the child with the hate poster. Oh, my God. That literally made me feel faint.
ReplyDeleteWhat a future that poor baby has, as well as so many like him, with this kind of start.
I mean, this is beyond the concept of free speech. It's a mockery of free speech, to put such hate in a chld's hands.
You're right about teaching tolerance at a young age being the key. And it brings the point home to see the child in the photo.
What a great column. As a teacher, I try to talk to children about collective hate and how it not only destroys us as individuals, but often limits the great relationships we could have.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. Hatred and intolerance are growing at a horrifying rate. We have leaders esposing lies and using fear to stir up these feelings. I think they've created a monster that's taken on a life of its own, and it's out of control. Frightening!
ReplyDeleteWell said, Pat. Hate is hate. Religion is not hate. Haters will use anything.
ReplyDeleteThe picture of the boy almost makes me cry.
What shocking pictures! I just stopped by to say I'll be a little late tomorrow checking in to reply to comments on my guest post because I'll be on an airplane most of the day, but I'm so glad I did so that I can say that the God in A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE loves Everyone!
ReplyDeleteThat boy in the photo upset me too. God is love. Not hate. Jesus sat down at dinner with the sinners, to show he wasn't above them.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how they can keep that kind of hate going. It would exhaust me.
Janice~
So sad.
ReplyDeleteLoved reading thiis thank you
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