COULD YOU BE A BULLY?  ASK YOURSELF…

• Have my words or actions hurt someone else?
• Have I purposely tried to be unkind to someone or make them feel inferior because it gave me a sense of power or a feeling of being “above” or better than someone else?
• Did any part of me feel bad for what I did or said to someone else?
• Have I ever excluded someone on purpose and/or encouraged others to exclude someone?
• Have I ever laughed at someone and encouraged others to laugh at someone because I felt that they said or did something stupid or wore something I didn’t like?
• Whether you may have been the bully or the bystander… have you ever been glad that the roles were not reversed or that you were not in the shoes of the person being bullied?

WHEN JOKING STOPS… AND BULLYING STARTS!

Although bullying can be seen when it comes to physical acts like hitting, however, most often it takes on less visible forms.  (which is most often seen in older groups of children, teens and adults.)

Non-physical acts of bullying include:

• Name-calling
• Cyberbullying
• Spreading rumors about someone – either in person or via the internet
• Excluding someone from activities
• Improper laughing and getting others to laugh at someone
• Ignoring or making someone feel invisible
• Talking or writing negatively about someone behind their back

BYSTANDERS… STAND UP!

Bystanders are those who watch bullying as it is happening, yet often do nothing to stop it… usually out of fear of retaliation from the bully or group of bullies.

Giving bullies an audience encourages the bully to show off and makes them feel even more powerful.  Bystanders make the problem worse by laughing, joining in and/or doing nothing.

If you are a bystander to a bullying event, you should either:

• Call the bully out, ask them if their words or actions are necessary.
• Step in to help the bullied child or adult walk away.
• If necessary, call an adult or the police.

We may not be able to stop bullying altogether… but individually and collectively we can work together to prevent it!

 
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