Brains Required

Already another school year has started, and so has the bullying that too many young people endure.  Who remembers the incident last year where a nine-year-old boy was told to leave his My Little Pony backpack at home, because said backpack was causing him to be bullied by other kids at school?  The boy's mother tried to bring up the issue with school officials, but didn't get the help that was expected.  Instead of properly dealing with the bullies, they penalized the victim.

This kind of nonsense happens far too often in today's world.  A woman gets raped?  "She asked for it because she was dressed in skimpy clothes."  A child disappears?  "He intentionally went into an area that was unsafe."  A kid gets bullied?  "He must have done something wrong."

We are all different, we all like different things, and we all make our own choices.  Why should anyone be bullied or harrassed just because they happen to like My Little Pony or the colour pink, or because they have a different skin colour or because they prefer the company of their own gender?

I've been on the receiving end of bullying many times, so I know what it's like.  I was bullied for being too shy, for being too smart, for spending too much time with my best friend, for liking books that were below my grade's reading level.  And now my daughter is bullied for simply wanting to play with kids who also happen to be in the "clique" of one particular girl.

The people in authority, parents included, need to get some brains, grow backbones, and deal decisively with bullying.  Otherwise those child bullies will grow up to become future businesspeople and community leaders who will stop at nothing just to get what they want.  And more young people will suffer in the meantime.