The words are leaking out of my every pore: my fingertips, my mouth, my nose, my eyes. I rant, I roar, I screech, I bleed. I want the bullying to stop. It affects the staff, the families, the children -- both abled and disabled. It upholds the weak and ineffective, and destroys those who dedicate themselves to bring the very best of their craft to the table. It is fucked up.
But how, without wreaking havoc on all, do I step out of the observer’s role and into the driver’s seat? I am starved for answers; I fear there are none.
Powerful words. I still have hope that we will find the answers, but it does seem so far away.
ReplyDeletegreat job. So true...could make a great editorial to a newspaper!
ReplyDeleteThis is great. I loved how you described the words as leaking out of your every pore.
ReplyDeleteJust keep speaking up. Someone always has to. :)
ReplyDeleteThe bullying has always gone on. It may never stop. I wonder if the real and effective response would be to train our children how to handle bullying, rather than trying to stop the idiot bullies. And, perhaps, in knowing how to deal with bullying, our children, themselves, will be the effective stop to bullying.
ReplyDeleteAll of that said, this was a VERY good piece.
It's good to be back and reading you, Karen. Forgive my absence; I've missed you. I was bullied. Bullies pick on the weak. Perhaps LceeL is right; making kids strong might help keep the bullies at bay. Giving them a sense of self and the confidence to own that and protect it.
ReplyDeleteThanks JC ... I've wondered where you are at ... but I figure you know where I am. I'm glad to see you!
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree, to teach kids to be strong, because in this piece I am actually speaking of the behaviours of adults, in places of power, bullying those below them. If we don't gain power, whether in childhood or, like me as an adult, we are hooped against these people. Totally and completely hooped.
In my case, school admins, parks board councilors, city officials deciding the architecture and density of areas in my neighbourhood. Also? Premier of our province, Prime Minister of our country. Yeesh.
=-D
But we keep on keeping on. Because that is all we have.