We hope you are all wearing a pink shirt today to show your support for the anti-bullying campaign. But we hope that support will extend past the confines of just one day and find its way into your daily life.
In today’s society it is more important than ever to stand up to bullying in our schools, workplaces, homes and over the Internet.
Some of the behaviour taking over playgrounds is a far cry from kids just being kids, but it’s important to realize that behaviour doesn’t always stop when children outgrow the monkey bars. Sometimes we forget the impact our words have on others. And in this day and age where, unfortunately, a large amount of interactions take place through devices instead of face to face, it’s sometimes hard to remember there is another human being on the receiving end of that comment.
It is so easy to descend into the cesspool of anonymity that creates devastating situations and in several prominent cases has even led to the death of the targeted individual.
The facade of false courage created by social media seems to chip away at the everyday filters we use to interact with each other in a respectful manner. While most would not say half the things they type to one another, sitting in front of a computer screen somehow removes a layer of humanity from our society.
Sometimes we think we can type or say whatever we want while on the Internet, because, let’s be honest, the chances are pretty slim that the person on the receiving end will ever find out who we are. And even if they do, what are they going to do about it? What can they do about it?
More than ever it is important that we remember that the person on the receiving end of our vile comments, unedited rants and tasteless remarks is a person with feelings, not just another computer.
So today we hope you are wearing a pink shirt: not just to stand up to playground bullies, but to all bullies of all ages. And tomorrow, we hope you maybe think twice about sending that hurtful email or posting that hateful remark before it goes out into the world and can’t be taken back.