Stand up to Bullying

It seems that anyone who is in someway different can be bullied. Today is International Day Against Bullying! Recently in the States a high school boy was bullied simply for wearing a PINK Shirt to school.  To support this boy and to stand up to this Bully, the students decided they all wear pink shirts to school. So  the bullies be the ones that stand out.  The teachers decided they would support the students, by this is very much a movement driven by students. When other school heard the students decided they wear pink shirts to school today to. Proving that it only takes one person to create change, regardless of their age. 

The truth is bulling isn't about the person whose being bullied, but the bully trying to make themselves feel better about themselves. The fact that the students chose a guy in a pink shirt that day proves that. You can be too short, too tall, too fat, too thin, to smart, to dumb, black, white, Asian, wear glasses or hearing aids, have a disability or just wear a pink shirt. 

If a bully  is looking for a target he or she isn't looking for a particular type of person, just anyone who I can feel superior to.  I wish I knew that as a child.  I was bullied for most of my school life because I had CP.  Although I didn't always see it that way. 

At one stage I convinced myself it was because needed to wear different school shoes.  A bit like the boy in the pink shirt I guess.  Somehow I convinced my mum and my physiotherapists to let me wear normal school shoes.  Of course that didn't stop them for bulling me.  Looking back, I was trying invein to look just like them and that gave them the power th needed to reduced me to tears and hide out in the library. That lasted until I was in Senior when I stood up and challenged the bullies.  In effect I made a claim I was stronger than them.  At least on the inside.  The bullying stopped that day.  Of course bullying doesn't stop because you grow up. The bullies grow up too.  I have been bullied in different ways at different times during my adult life, because the person wanted to prove to themselves that thet were better than me of I needed them.  So let's all stand up to bullies today.     .