Today is National Pink Shirt Day, a day to rally for anti-bullying. I appreciate that we’re moving in the right direction, but it seems to me that every day should be about zero tolerance for bullying. Bullying has become more subtle these days, and it can happen right under the noses of the adults who insist they won’t tolerate it. In my day, the bully was easy to identify. They were the ones who shoved you into lockers, stole your lunch money, or followed you home and beat you up. These days the bully is just as likely to have been your best friend who dumped you for the popular crowd and bullying is often about isolating someone. The pervasiveness of social media makes being a victim even worse because bullying can be 24-7. It follows you home from school in the form of phone calls, text messages, and Facebook. Today’s bully wants you to know that you’re being excluded, and they don’t want you to forget it. The other thing that’s really disturbing is that victims of bullying often become bully’s themselves. It’s a survival tactic that perpetuates the cycle.
It’s time to take a stand. it’s time to say no to bullying.
Sheryl McFarlane 