Sameera Khan
The act of bullying is a rising issue in today’s world that has terrible effects on human psychology. Bullying is defined as making fun of a person and/or threatening, using force, harming or ignoring said. People with bad intentions usually use some actions to bully their targets. These actions are used to hurt the victim’s feelings and emotions.
Bullying done by a collective group of people is termed as mobbing. In mobbing, the bully has one or more accomplices who are willing to witness and aid this primary bully. The bully may be physically stronger, socially more popular or even have a higher social status hence withholding more power but none of these factors actually give bullies the right to bully their victims. The most common form of bullying found is “verbal bullying” or “verbal abuse”. This refers to calling someone names, taunting them or pointing out their “flaws”. It is never the victim’s fault to get bullied by anyone. Bullies tend to become frustrated really easily.
They are psychologically used to blaming other people for their own fault and projecting many of their own insecurities on other people. It is commonly found in the present generation, that the people that are usually quiet and are not used to standing up for themselves or in general just lack confidence, are more likely to be the victims of bullying. Unless the victim raises a voice when they are getting bullied or notifies people around them they are subjected to obeying the orders of the people that are potential bullies.
In addition to this, the people who stay quiet when witnessing others getting bullied are equally involved in the crime as the people who are bullying someone. It is well said that “if you turn and face the other way when someone is being bullied, you might as well be the bully too”. We have to raise our voices in order to nip this evil in the bud. The human mind is a strange phenomenon. Even a person is seemingly tough and strong on the surface may have a lot going on in their head. But if they take their frustrations out on a weaker person it does not make them stronger. In Fact, it is a major sign that a person is actually mentally weak.
If you are having a bad day, does it have anything to do with other people? Or are they directly affecting you? So why make fun of, or bully someone else? When an individual is bullied, again and again, they get hyper-aware of their surroundings and fear rises in them, not knowing when or where the bully might strike next. They try to avoid any interactions with the bully as much as possible. Some people get bullied because of the way they look or they are discriminated on the basis of their race, nationality, skin colour or gender. But none of these factors should contribute to this kind of backlash. Especially when there are things that cannot be changed and are a part of everyone.
In America, a concept is known as “white supremacy” still exists to this day. The concept is that some people believe that white people can do whatever they want; they can bully people of different races with no other reason other than the fact that they are a person of colour. Should other races be subjected to taking injections or medicines to change their skin colour to a lighter version? No, every skin colour is beautiful in its own way and has a long line of cultural elegance behind it. You might have heard that Australia is the country with the lowest rate of earthquakes. But a large percentage of people there die due to skin cancer. According to research, skin with lower pigmentation that is paler holds a higher chance of getting affected by harmful UV rays.
It is recommended for people with fairer skin to carry umbrellas or other additional forms of UV protection. So you see, every skin colour has its own advantages and besides beauty is not limited to a person’s appearance, but to their heart. A person getting bullied every day and still not raising a voice can indicate that they have a pure heart but they don’t have enough courage. Regardless, if you are rich it does not give you the right to bully the poor. You may have higher financial stability but having money does not mean you deserve more.
According to National Research, every 1 in 3 students has experienced bullying. It is, unfortunately, commonly seen that when certain students study very hard, other students might start calling them names, such as “nerd” or “bookworm”. Worrying about one’s future does not make them a so-called “nerd” and even if it did then one should be proud because hard work just indicates better determination. It is better to study hard with your heart and soul. We all know that hard work is the key to success. The people who want to see you succeed the most are your parents and teachers, and it is their opinion that matters most. So why spend time worrying about the words of other people? They might not even be important enough to get your attention.
Even if you change because of them they will still be the same. So show them your importance and stop giving other people and their crass opinions priority over you. Because by giving priority to others it only makes your own priority for yourself go down. And if you ever find yourself in a situation where you are being bullied, be quick to notify an adult or any other authorities around you. We have to raise a voice against bullying and make it stop because victims actually suffer a lot of psychologically. They slowly lose their interest in life and are more likely to undergo other mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety.
They could feel like social outcasts by continuous rejection and quickly lose confidence. A small percentage of people also attempt suicide because they are not able to bear the pressure. Everyone has the right to live their life according to their choices. So let’s raise a voice together and save a life together because staying quiet is not a solution and is most definitely not an option.
