Anti-Bullying Hypocrisy

Written By: Karen Schroeder  |  Posted: Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

State governments have wasted millions of dollars creating and implementing anti-bullying curriculums which have been destined to failure because of the institutionally accepted bullying practiced by most political and social institutions, including the educational system. If there is any chance of limiting bullying within the educational system, legislation must include anti-bullying standards for the role models and leadership of the very institutions required to implement the anti-bullying curriculums. Educators recognize that school librar ies set the intellectual and social tone of the school. Librarians have been diligent about including literature that recognizes the contributions made to America by every race and nationality. Books which provide positive representations of women and of every religion, culture, and life-style choice are included in the library. Displays of magazines and current events materials include items that address all cultural and ethnic interests, hobbies, and most of the political spectrum. The current-events materials may include everything from Mother Jones, Monthly Review, Mother Earth News, to Time, and Newsweek; but one typically will not see a copy of a conservative magazine such as The Weekly Standard or National Review. Censorship is one of the most aggressive forms of bullying.

A Wisconsin teacher brought his fourth graders to the state capitol for a field trip and encouraged those children to participate in the anti-Governor Walker protests that are a well-known daily occurrence. When this instructor used his influence to encourage students to ignore the political views of their parents and to protest a Governor whom their parents support, intimidation was being used to bully young children. Fortunately, most teachers use better judgment. When a student responds to discussion questions presented in health class by stating that the he or she intends to practice abstinence and is met with derision, that is bullying. When the instructor does not stop the mocking and/ or if he participates, the instructor not only condones these behaviors but becomes a bully. Peer pressure is often used to push children into abandoning their goals and values.

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