When we think of bullying, what immediately comes to mind? Many of us think of the effects of bullying; we think of high school shootings, suicidal rates, or perhaps even our own experiences. But do we ever take a moment to consider the causes of this behavior? Perhaps we think to blame a certain group of people, such as the children who bully, the parents who raise them, or perhaps even the individual who is bullied. In many of these cases, we can always take a look at the bigger picture and decide just what might really be lurking behind each of these seemingly disastrous causes. The true blame is, contrary to many opinions and widely held values, in the hands of our own society. From the moment we are born, all we experience is a constant barrage of bullying from the media and it's desire to profit, to the schools and its uniform standards, and, quite unexpectedly, from our own parents and their nurturing ideals. While not done willingly, these actions and values have an effect on every one of us and seem to pass on from generation to generation.
The first example we will be visiting upon is racial prejudice. In the eyes of many, this is one of the most widespread forms of 'bullying' known today. From the Europeans spreading out and encountering many new races, to the average American finding diversity in his own homeland, we see discrimination in all walks of life. Even in these modern times, we see certain races 'given' superiority not based on sole talent, but based on the superficial idea of color. While we may have now found a way to create laws and regulations guaranteeing racial equality, we have not taken any steps to change the society which encourages this behavior. A racially discriminatory male is not born racist, he is taught to be racially superior by none other than his own parents. Now, you may be saying "That's not true! The media and other people may have an effect as well!" and while i do agree that society is a reciprocal effectual machine, i must also state that only one element in this system can either start or stop this counter-equalizing effect: The parents. If we see a child, we can see that they do mirror many of the things they see, but what we must also recall is who it is that they first mimicked and who it is that they frequently return to for advice.
What we will also be visiting upon is my own personal point of view. When i came to notice the way bullying seemed to function, i initially noticed how it all began. We would see a boy, for instance, playing with dolls or taking an interest in other feminine things, and what is the first thing that occurs? Even in the youngest days of a child's life, others come to regard the child as odd simply because of a trivial misconception. for instance, take a look at what we receive from the time we are born: adornments featuring the masculine color blue, tacky sports symbols, and 'manly items' such as monster trucks and hardware supplies. The problem therein lies in the forced masculinity or femininity that is pushed upon children from birth. No freedom is guaranteed, it's merely 'choose this' or... well, there is no other option. Many parents claim a rather reasonable notion which states: "He/she will be picked on for his/her differences." or "He/she will grow up believing he/she is the other gender." Sadly, these beliefs are counter-productive in the child's journey to finding itself. If a child is born as a different gender, forcing adornments and hobbies upon them will not change anything; in fact, it will only psychologically unbalance their young mind. Additionally, the fear of forced conformity through violent acts and its attempted prevention are over-protective measures. In over-protecting a child, you are restricting its ability to mature correctly, and as a result, ruining its ability to mature even more than the seemingly terrible 'peer pressure effect'.
If we are to stop bullying, we must encourage individuality; we cannot 'bully' our children to fit in to a mold we create and if we are to stop forced conformity, we must truly live by the notion that we are all "Created Equal".
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