Common misconceptions about bullying

BULLYING common misconceptions about it - Anna H.

The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) defines bullying as “any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths, who are not siblings or current dating partners, that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance, and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated.”

Bullying has for centuries been a plague in our society. Many people assume that only a minor part of the population is bullied. That is in fact an inaccurate and all too common perception. According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, one-third of the world’s youth is bullied. The percentages vary by country but overall it is extremely common.

Some misconceptions about bullying are that it must be in groups and that if you find it cool and fun and aren’t purposefully bullying someone it isn’t bullying. That is wrong. If someone is being hurt physically or mentally by a person or group of people repeatedly, whether these individuals do it on purpose or not, it is bullying.

Another issue with bullying is that there are too many bystanders who do not realize that not doing anything is passive support. In France, in criminal cases,

(graphics from freepix.com)

“If someone is being hurt physically or mentally by a person or group of people repeatedly, whether these individuals do it on purpose or not, it is bullying”

there are judicial consequences if you see a crime and don’t do anything about it. In everyday situations, you should not make yourself feel better by telling yourself that you can’t do anything about it. That’s never true. You can always do something about it. As the legendary American congressman John Lewis said “If you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it.”

Many people feel frightened of going against a larger group of people. they may not agree with what is being done but they will not do anything about it. It can indeed be hard to stand up to a group but to quote John Lewis one one final time “You cannot be afraid to speak out for what you believe.”