I have nothing to add to what Prof. Velexi Raptor has to say about bullying, so I’ll let her words stand here. I’ve pasted them in plaintext as well as embedding the toots in case your reader has issues with the embeds. Everything from this sentence to “Featured Photo by” are her words, but I endorse them completely.
bullying is endemic because ultimately, we live in a system set up by and run by bullies
the strategies schools teach to deal with bullies are so ineffective because if they taught actual, functional ways to stand up for oneself and stop bullies in their tracks, the system would no longer be able to perpetuate itself
to build off this, the strategies glorified and perpetuated are:
- don’t be a target (victim blaming, tacitly endorses bully’s behavior)
- ask the bully to stop (acknowledge their power over you, which reinforces that their tactics work as a way to gain power)
also, sometimes bystanders are asked to intervene – this is incredibly situational, because it assumes that bullying occurs in public places, that standing up will not be punished, and that enough people will do so for it to work
the publicized strategies are what they are because they are entirely consistent with neoliberal ideals. either reshape yourself so you don’t stand out (and based on what people are often bullied for, become a model worker drone for the system), or submit to the power of the system and only take actions that the system permits – certainly don’t resist in any meaningful, effective way that could force the bully to stop, because that would make you just as bad as them
often, bullying behaviours are also endorsed by the faculty – not only teachers bringing in their own bigotries (a whole other topic), but actively encouraging competition and shaming behavior w/r/t grades, sports, extracurriculars – because those are “objective” (read: capitalistically useful) measures of success and prestige. at this point, even the sanctioned methods of resistance can be punished. and we wonder why there’s a mental health crisis in schools