Have you seen this video?
It really upset me that this is what really goes on in grade schools and high schools these days. Maybe I’ve had my head in the sand, I knew bullying was happening, but I had no idea it was so vile. Whats really awful, is that the adults in these situations were the ones pushing this behavior, and ok-ing the bullying during the bathroom scene. And then younger kids tormenting someone, running in to older kids, and its just escalating into worse behavior! This whole video was incredibly upsetting. I understand what this video is about, the hetero and homosexual world switching places, but it also really highlights what bullying can do to someone, in this case a child.
I hope this video makes the rounds in schools and parents watch this with their kids. Please share this video and have a discussion about what bullying is, in its many forms, and that YOU can stand up for others and maybe save their day/life.
Before I saw this video, I saw this horrible article that quotes Mr. Jeffries, the Abercrombie + Fitch CEO, saying he doesn’t want “fat kids” wearing his clothes. Yes this is real.
“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he told Salon. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either.”
See one of the articles here. And:
Robin Lewis, author of The New Rules of Retail, spoke to Business Insider about the kind of people Jeffries wants advertising his brand.
“He doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people,” Lewis said. “He doesn’t want his core customers to see people who aren’t as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they’re one of the ‘cool kids.’”
I was so upset after reading that article, basically saying bullying is ok. Then a few days later I saw THAT video. Which made me even sadder and madder!
(Side note, read this response to Jeffries comments, and make it go viral too! A Letter to Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries. )
On to the other Injustices…
Recently I observed what I considered rude, unprofessional, and slightly (?) bullying behavior, coming from an older adult to a young professional adult. While it wasn’t in a grade school or high school, or even in a traditional college setting, we are adults and the behavior I saw really bothered me. I couldn’t let it rest and talked with a faculty member about the situation. While she did hear me out, her basic response was to “not worry about other people’s injustices.” This really struck a cord with me, or nerve depending on how you look at it. While this may not be one of these huge bullying incidences, if one person doesn’t stand up for others, who will? I can’t sit back and watch someone treat another person without common decency and such a disregard for other’s feelings. Nobody likes when someone makes them feel bad or “dumb” in front of other people. And thats what I saw, I couldn’t let it go and it still bothers me.
Why is it these “small injustices” are ok, but a larger bullying injustice isn’t ok? Shouldn’t they all be not ok? Don’t we all deserve to be treated well by each other?
Please, stand up for the injustices of others, speak when others won’t or can’t. You just might make a huge difference in someone else’s life, whether you know it or not.
Not sure what to do with any A+F shirts you have lying around? Here’s a great idea from Got It At Goodwill!
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