Bullying! We have all heard the term, whether it is in school, university or even the work place – we never seem to stop hearing about it. For good reason though, it is an extremely damaging act that has both short-term and long-term consequences. Furthermore, it comes in all shapes and sizes making it all the more difficult to prevent or stop.
This metamorphosis (changing of shape and size, or transformation) is evident in new technology such as social media, showing that bullying doesn’t necessarily have to be physical but can be verbal or emotional – to the point where a term has been coined for this specific type of bullying; Cyberbullying.
In its most primitive form, bullying can be seen as any act that makes a person or group of people feel intimidated or influenced into an unsolicited action by use of “superior strength” whether it be physical or verbal.
The following are just some of the acts that are seen as bulling:
- Name calling,
- Rumour spreading,
- Threatening and intimidating,
- Misplacing blame knowingly,
- Damaging belongings,
- Theft,
- Causing harm intentionally (hitting, shoving, pushing, biting, pinching, spitting, etc.…)
Now that you have been informed on what bullying is (yet again), this is what you should do:
If you are being bullied – the most important thing to do is tell someone about it, whether it is family, friends or a person of authority (a teacher, parent, etc…). Although, you will feel vulnerable, disempowered and you will not want to tell anyone – chances are that the person you speak to about it knows of someone who has been bullied or was bullied themselves. Which should bring you a level of comfort in the sense that someone you trust knows what you are going through.
If you know of someone being bullied – tell someone of mutual authority about it (i.e. tell your teacher that your classmate is being bullied). Stand up for the person being bullied.
If you are a bully – STOP! If you have not identified yourself in one of the previous two points then you are most likely a bully. Which is unacceptable, but doesn’t mean that you aren’t entitled to a second chance or that you can’t change. So once, again speak to someone about it.
The frightening aspect of bullying is its pervasiveness, and its consequences. It can turn a victim of one person into a bully of another, ruin countless lives, and even end some. So let’s make a concerted effort to rid our lives of bullying by speaking about it and “be a buddy not a bully”.
Rubix Shuttles & Transfers and all our staff have a strong anti-bullying policy and will not stand for bullying of any kind on our busses. We are currently rolling out cameras onto all our busses in the hopes we can monitor and identify any situations that may occur. If you have any concerns about bullying, please feel free to contact us. Together we can make a difference.
