Editor:
Did you know that bullies are, at their core, insecure? They compensate for this insecurity through braggadocio, bellicosity, bluster and bumptiousness. And they gather around them a coterie of equally insecure sycophants and wannabes. Also attracted are those who are fearful of being left out of the “in crowd” the bully and his or her entourage intimidate those not “in.”
My daughter, a school counselor, wrote her thesis on girl bullying in middle school. Girls at this age can be quite vicious to those on the outs and who are different. Their armory includes Facebook and Twitter. The good news is that as these girls mature and reach their junior or senior year of high school, they develop healthier interests and leave the bully leader behind.
So, there is hope. Perhaps our leaders in government and business who are currently kowtowing to the bully will “mature” and find the courage to abandon him and act in the best interests of our country rather than out of fear of being on the “outs.” Although, it may take pressure from those of us on the “outs” to persuade them.
How many Totos will it take to pull back the curtain to reveal the wizard as an empty blowhard, and how many parade watchers will finally declare that the emperor has no clothes? (Mailbox, Feb. 7.)
Remember the lesson from Oz: we all have courage, brains and heart if we dare to use them.
Edward “Buzz” Webb, McKinleyville
This article appears in ‘Witnessing A Miracle’.
People never talk about boys bullying girls. I remember when I was in school. Boys bullied me for my hair, my clothes, being too thin, being too pale. Whenever I stood up to them they just bullied me more.
I realize my experiences aren’t universal. But I seldom hear them talked about. The Casual Vacancy by Rowling is one exception.
Stunning and sad to read a letter decrying bullying by a former HSU administrator who oversaw the undermining of due-process employment rights victimizing thousands of auxiliary staff, including many students, since 1986.
Victims and perpetrators alike are the models for our children.