You are so correct here.
You state it very well.
What makes me sad is that I experienced similar stuff like them using my name in the Halloween song and razzing me so much in chior that the teacher gave up teaching and told the class that it was because of the way he saw that we treated each other.
I beat that one with laughter too. They asked to sing that song when a substitute teacher was there. It was nearly Christmas, so we had not sung it for a while.
When they sang the song, I joined right in and sang my name right along with them.
When the song was done the teacher asked who this person was, and I was identified.
Interestingly, that song was not sung again, and I had a moment of satisfaction because they had not hurt me this time.
Perhaps if I could have put their behavior on my skin color or sex I would have felt differently.
What I discovered through those years (mine was in 3rd or 4th grade) and with that circumstance is that a bully will go after you if they think they can mess with you. When I let them know they hurt me, it just fed the fire of their enjoyment.
You are right. I was just a bucked-tooth freckled face "white" kid. Maybe that means I deserved it or it wasn't as bad. Naw, I don't think a rational person would say that.
My apologies if this doesn't fit here. I am obviously not brown or black, at least not so that it shows.
Bullying is BS wherever and whenever.
Maybe race should make it different but is that not just dividing us instead of getting at the real issue of rudeness and disrespect for people. Which comes from lack of self-worth on their part? I am not saying that they did not focus on you because you seemed different but aren't we all different.
And again, it is a case of adults who have no sense of self-worth who tolerate that kind of behavior.
You know what is funny is that I am 66 now and live in the middle of the Midwest in an apartment complex for the elderly and these old foggies are doing the same thing when they can get away with it. And they do and NO ONE, myself included, calls them on it. I removed myself and put a Do Not Disturb sign on my door. I did tell one fellow and this post tells me I need to do something more. I am working on it because hey just call it conversation but it sucks. And needs to stop.
And it causes many suicides in this part of the country from what I have seen.
Thank you for the article.
Bullying is painful whether we say something or not. At any age or any place.
