Adult Bullying is never talked about in the Media but we all know it exists. Click the above image to take you to a great article on Adult Bullying Online. As a gay child living in the Conservative Christian Religious Right small town America, USA, I was the subject of Adult Bullying, as discussed in a previous Wertfrei Wednesday article. The main thing to do is ignore the bullying, abusive behavior and words, as bullies feed on fear. Don’t give them anything to feed on.
My family went through therapy for personal issues, but that is one way I remember to deal with bullies. I Imagine that they don’t’ change as they grow into adulthood. Bullies look for what the perceive as weaker personalities to push around. That could be a school, as we’ve seen on the news time after time school teachers pushing, shoving, choking little kids; we’ve seen military personnel in leadership positions taking advantage of others under their supervision; we’ve seen corporate CEO’s and VP’s doing the walk of shame in and out of courtrooms for encouraging a culture of corporate bullying.
What can we do? While I cannot pretend to have the answers, all I can tell you is how I dealt with Adult Bullying, as a child and as an adult. As a child I ignored the taunts and threats of the adults and just continue to live my life until I could remove myself from the situation, which was move 1500 miles away. As an adult, I’ve been subject to years of bullying by an apartment manager. What I did was keep careful notes and facts to take to the appropriate authorities or supervisors. When confronted with actual facts and a promise of what you will do if the issue is not addressed, they will often change the situation.
So hang in there and I believe in you.
Brick ONeil 