Happened to catch a segment on Headline News last night about Hollywood stars speakign out against bullying. Now as we are all aware, according to the media, this all started being a major issue about six months ago. Also it, again according to the created cultural perception, almost always involves football players of linebacker size or larger shoving and belittling one of the few outrageously flamboyant boys in school.
At least that is what I caught from the clips of a few anti-bullying movies shown during the report. Something about a letterman's jacket just seems to make people want to shove around theater students in bow ties.
Horsecrap.
This is not isolated. Popular culture producers have often depicted the big, bad, violent, over testosteroned football player as the ideal image of a bully. Basketball, wrestling, and baseball are less targeted. But is this accurate?
Just speaking anecdotally, I've played, coached, or otherwise been around football players and other athletes all of my life. They are no more likely to bully a kid than anyone else. As a matter of fact, they have more of their time consumed and have a lot more to lose by engaging in such behavior. As a matter of fact, again, anecdotally speaking, football players will at times find themselves the target of bullying. This happens often to the kids that play the line, because usually they are a lot larger than the other kids, but are reluctant to get physical against smaller children for fear of being accused of bullying.
Is bullying a bad thing? Absolutely. But let us stop the harmful and inaccurate stereotyping of athletes as perpetual malefactors in these cases.
As far as bullying itself is concerned, in most situations things improve when the individual recognizes that he is the only one truly interested in his or her own security. My opinion, encourage kids to fight back on their own or in groups. Bullies are cowards. They will just move on.
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