Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Bullies...

Miriam-Webster's defines a "bully" as

"one habitually cruel to others who are weaker"

I suppose I would take issue with that, only because the offendee is not always 'weaker'...just more quiet, maybe, and more aware of the real issues at hand, namely an offensive dolt who has little respect for themselves outside of an inflated ego.

And so today's post that calls to light the bullies of the world. Not just the school-yard versions that are now even bullying classmates on-line with insipid vitriol...but anyone who is out and about in 'life' thinking they can do whatever they want to whomever they want whenever they want.


On-line, there are the blogger bullies, like the ones that recently shamed Dunkin' Donuts into pulling Rachael Ray's ad from air all because she wore a scarf some dweeb said looked just like a mid-East terrorist's scarf...and shame upon the thousands that acted like blind lemmings, lighting their torches in support of this absolutely mean-spirited bullying, satisfying somebody's ego to sensationalize the issue. Each of us has the responsibility to think for ourselves, not letting someone else define who we are. 'Nuff said.

This past weekend I was at a wedding...and at the reception was this attractive young person that continually broke into the food and drink line offering such lines as 'oops! I broke in line!'. It all happened just behind, and a good bit ahead of me...on four occasions I was aware of, no less. No one chose to speak up...to some degree I agree with the idea that we must wisely pick and choose our battles....know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em...and yet, colorless, sexless, and ageless people bully their way through life...and I often find myself at the edge of speaking up, and sometimes do.

However, confronting a bully can be quite problematic. Conversely, not confronting a bully allows them to be further emboldened, potentially becoming even more of a walking butt-head, and even harder to deal with later. And just where can you find some of the worst of the worst? Look no farther than the area highways and interstates.

Speeders. Tail-gaiters. Light-flashers. Jerks from every age, social, and race classification, creating wreck-laden situations as if they're blind to anyone else on the roads. I bet there are some offenders that think they are quite nice, considerate people in life, that somehow believe behind the wheel of a car they can behave differently...and do.

Confronting such mental midgets while on the road can be the kiss of death, as countless road rage examples have proven. Standing up to someone in person is one thing. Standing up to them behind the wheel of a rolling hunk of metal is quite another, and one not suggested.

So how do they 'come to terms' with their actions? Do we wait for a policeman to stop 'em? Do we wait for their mama or daddy to say something? Do we wait for them to have a serious wreck that hopefully involves only them? I wish I had the answers, but I don't. Drive very defensively and don't engage the idiots, for starters. I just hope each of us has it within us, given the appropriate time and circumstances, to take a stand and say, "ENOUGH!" to the selfish people of this world, but doing so from a place of love and compassion, not hatred.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"Amen!" Bob! Bullies of all forms ..... self-centered, self-serving, self-important individuals, who in their thoughts and behaviors believe that the world and its microcosms were created ONLY for themselves, and who therefore assert themselves as so.

I wasn’t raised that way (my parents would have "killed" us first, and my 70-ish Mom would still do so now!) ..... nor was the bully mentality / behavior ever accepted in school, the workplace, or any other public setting. Seems our society today is an ever-crystal-clear reflection of our world of instant gratification, made possible by such things as instant communication and instant information. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for e-mail and the Internet --- business comes to a screeching halt these days without those ..... but technology has made it possible for society to "have it all", and to "have it all RIGHT NOW". Consequently, this thinking then translates into the "self" (centered/serving/important) mentality ..... "my parking spot", "my lane on the highway", "my _____ (fill in the blank wants)" .....

It’s not about a "me generation" or now the children of the "70’s me generation" ..... but sadly this way of thinking and behaving transcends the generations to the point where it’s culturally acceptable, even rather "expected" now, which is TRULY a shame.
Yes, one has to "pick their battles"; and yes, one is only "one voice". But my hope is that there would be increasingly MORE "one voices" in this world who have the courage to stand up, speak out, and be heard --- in a firm but understanding and compassionate voice! Don’t just make a difference in this world, BE the difference.

All right, off my soapbox now, LOL!!

Suzy :)