SAY NO TO BULLYING
Author: Vasavi Hubli, III year of B.Com., from Samarth Degree of commerce college
Bullying is humiliating, harassing or threatening people who are weaker or vulnerable than them. The people who bully are someone you know as parents, teachers, colleagues, friends, or strangers.
With the time, the Bullying got more, the bullies got different methods to attack the victim like digital platforms (Facebook, Instagram, online gaming etc) and harass the victim through text messages or comments. The victim feels insulted when he/she is bullied, even worse they lose hope on themselves if the bully is someone they know, someone who is supposed to protect them.
Who are these bullies? And why do they do what they do? Well, these bullies are someone who has been victims themselves. What! Sounds like a joke to you, but it is not. Now, think about the people who bully you, why do you think they insult you? What do they gain by bullying you? Yeah, that's right, satisfaction. They feel self-sufficient once they insult someone weaker than them. Observe, the bully always targets someone weak because they can't stand someone stronger than them. They look strong and confident to you outside, but they are not. The bullies do these cruel things deliberately to prove their worth.
The bullies are not born, but are made: right nobody is born evil, do they? it is what we learn or what we watch our parents, teachers friends or society in all is what we become. For ie. Say there's a kid who suffers from the constant expectation of her parents to be a good daughter or also been the victim of their abusive behaviour is more likely to turn into a bully instead of someone who grew up in a friendly environment whose parents are open-minded.
It's not just parents that make a child bully but the people he/she surrounds themselves with. Some people bully just as a part of the fun while others do it for attention.
Reasons may be whatever Bullying is wrong. Because many innocents suffered from this behaviour and haven't yet recovered. Some effects the bullying leaves on victims are:
1. Increase in suicide rates: According to research, the bullied are 7 to 8 per cent more likely to consider suicide. Bullying affects their minds and makes the victim vulnerable and incompetent to respond to the situation.
2. Lack of self-esteem: meet any victim of a bully they are very sensitive and can't socialize with others. I, being a victim myself, couldn't cope with society and thought I am not good enough to be with them. Though we know it was not our fault, we constantly blame ourselves for the things that happened in the past.
3. Trust issues: the people who are bullied develop a lack of trust towards friends and can never open up about their problems. They are always self-conscious about the approval of others and can never be their true selves.
4. Victim can turn into a bully: the bad that can happen to any victim is, turning into something they feared most of their life. But the constant fight of being perfect, parents’ mockery, and friends making fun of you can turn you into someone you never wanted to be.
Is bullying a crime?
Yes, it is. I know many people think it is not something big like murder. But if somebody intentionally degrades your character or harasses you, then it is not acceptable. Someone hurting you is not ok, someone laughing at you by making your life miserable is not ok. Time to take a stand for yourself or else there is going to be hundreds of other victims just like you.
Say NO To Bullying
If you are not going to stand up for yourself then nobody does it for you. You know others treat you the way how you treat yourself. Yes, certain jokes are allowed to be made but if that joke is turning into a nasty way to make you uncomfortable then maybe it's time to stand up and say STOP.
THERE ARE CERTAIN WAYS TO STOP BULLYING
1. Talk with the person directly: many people who bully us are within our family. Mom, Dad, siblings, cousins, friends or relatives. It's time to let them know how you feel about their comments on you. Don't argue or shout at the person because sometimes a person doesn't even know that they are not treating you the right way until you say. Talking has other benefits as well, before cutting that person out of your life, you're giving them a chance to change their attitude towards you.
2. Stay away: by saying how you feel about their remarks, you did your job now it's their time whether they wanna be friends with you anymore or not. Because, where some correct their behaviour, others stop talking to you(which is good anyway)there is the third group who are not ready to stop bullying you at any cost. It is people like this you should stay away from.
3. Talk to parents or guardians: if some outsider is stalking or Bullying you it's better to talk to your parents about it. Because no matter how strict your parents are, they are often your first friends who come to your rescue at difficult times. Tell them about your situation and how worried you are.
4. Block: if it is cyberbullying where you don't know who the person is you can use the "block" feature in your social media account. The "block" option is available in every SM platform.
5. Report or file an FIR: the last thing to do is report or files an FIR on the bully. The bully is not leaving you at peace and you are not able to focus on daily activities. Now you may ask me that this is a small issue to file a complaint against, which I too agree but.. Sexually harassing or giving threats are no small things to me.
We all at one point experienced this bullying then, we all have been vulnerable and couldn't fight it but today we know we CAN or else these creeps think their behaviour is socially acceptable. It is you who should stop it and save ten other innocents from falling prey to Bullying and also motivate others to take a stand for themselves.