Sandee Sez: Bullies, beware.
- Sandra Ahenakew | May 20, 2015
Bulliesm beware. There is Pink Shirt campaign crossing Canada. From coast to coast, provinces are taking a stand against bullying.
The “pink shirt” movement began in September 2007 in Nova Scotia when to Grade 12 students decided that the bullies had crossed the line when they targeted a fellow high school student by shouting homophobic insults at him for wearing a pink shirt to school. Travis Price David Shepherd organized a protest with their fellow students to wear pink and to support for their bullied classmate and the pink shirt anti bullying movement was born.
After the protest spread from school to school and eventually around the world, these two students were so successful that many provinces in Canada have declared one day a year for anti-bullying campaigns. The United Nations declared the official UN Anti-Bullying Day to be May 4 in 2012. The US and British schools also celebrate on this day.
Bullying is a major problem in our schools, communities, workplaces, homes and the internet. According to a new Angus Reid poll three in four Canadian adults said they were bullied while in school. Nearly half of the parents polled said their children have been bullied at some point.
There are many risks attached to social media sites, and cyberbullying is one of the large risks. Bullies have become more vicious since the introduction of the internet. These days it is common to hear people speak of “cyberbullying”. Unlike physical bullying, electronic bullies can remain virtually anonymous using temporary email accounts and different names on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media venues. If you are a victim of cyberbullying tell your parents, report it to the police because it is a crime.
Let’s all send a message to bullies to think before sending or posting cruel rumours that will damage reputations and end friendships. Don’t disclose people’s personal data on websites. No name calling or excluding people. Don’t make up stories and spread gossip. There is an old saying that if you don’t have anything good to say then don’t say anything at all.
Be a leader in your school or community and promote inclusion, respect and empathy; let’s put an end to bullying behaviours.
More and more we hear about young people committing suicide because they were bullied. It’s sad to say but sometimes it's the parents that are bullying their own children. Tapew! Some parents want their children to excel in academics or sports and push their kids so hard that that it takes the fun out of learning and participating in organized sports. Have you ever witnessed some parents at a hockey game yelling at their kid for missing a goal or failing to pass the puck? Imagine what that poor kid is going through at home.
Have you ever heard a couple having words in the grocery store or Wal-mart aisle? I have and it’s horrible. You can see the physical changes in a person’s stature when they are being belittled; their face may turn red, maybe they stare at the floor; their shoulders are slumped or they lag behind their partner like a dog following its master. Not a pretty sight.
Bullying happens in the workplace; it can come from coworkers or supervisors or even the clients that your company serves.
I think that many of us have at least one memory of either being bullied or bullying someone but it doesn’t have to be that way for future generations. The anti-bullying movement has gained momentum. More and more people have cell phones and they are recording acts of violence and bullying behaviours that they witness. You just have to watch the news to see that even police officers and security guards are guilty.
There are materials available to educate parents, teachers and the public about cyberbullying. We all need to pay attention and let the bullies know that we won’t take it anymore, nor will we will stand by and watch someone else get bullied. There is goodness in all people. Respect, humility, generosity, integrity and honesty; we can’t go wrong if we remember these teachings and make them part of our daily lives.
I encourage all of you to wear something pink to symbolize that we as a community will not tolerate bullying anywhere in any form. Be kind to one another.
Thank you for your letters and emails. You can write to me Sandee Sez CO Eagle Feather News PO Box 924 St Main, Saskatoon, SK or send an email to Sandra.ahenakew@gmail.com.
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