Electronic Voodoo
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Looking back at my time in school, I think about the bullies who would enjoy making someone feel inferior. They would obtain for themselves a feeling of power and some notoriety. Kids would know who to stay away from and who not to tick off.
Nowadays, with the electronic tools that they have, that feeling of power still exists, but it’s not so easy to know who not to make mad. Kids still know, but the circle of kids who are “in the know” may not be so out in the open.
Why is that? Because the bully doesn’t have to go to the trouble of inflicting pain on their victim in person anymore. The keyboard has become their weapon of choice, and its ammo is carried silently through to the Internet for all the world to see. And when it hits its target, the injury it causes can last a lifetime.
It sounds funny to say, but bullying before the Internet seems to pale in comparison to today’s version of electronic voodoo. At least there was a chance the bully might have some shred of decency to stop what they were doing when they saw what it did to their victim. It was a visible act that other’s would see, and so might offer the opportunity for someone to stand up and say “STOP!”
But now, it’s out of sight and out of mind, and that’s the attraction bullies find. Nobody but a few of their cohorts would know what was going on behind the keyboard. Unfortunately, the victim is just as isolated. Oftentimes, tragic results occur before anyone knows what the victim is going through. They either lash out at their abusers while taking others down with them, or perhaps they take their own life…maybe both.
In a world of immediate gratification, self-centeredness, absent or twisted morals, and thin-skinned tolerance, is it any wonder why we have so many confused kids?
Get to know your child. Don’t wait. Use the upcoming holidays as an opportunity to reconnect with them. You could be putting the life of a tormentor back on track, or saving the life of the tormented.
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A friend of mine has a daughter who was bullied. Luckily, my friend intervened early on to put a stop to it. He brought it to the attention of the bully’s parents. They were pretty shocked at the thought of their own girl doing something like that to another.