... all for your stories and comments about Amanda and bullying. And like you all share with me, it happens everywhere and it can happen to everyone. That´s the thing: No matter who you are, how old you are or how you behave, everyone can be the victim of being bullied.
Because why people bully another person isn't due to how that person behave, look or act, it´s due to the person bullying. It´s the person bullying who has problems with himself. In working places it all happens due to lack of proper leadership. If the people working aren't safe in their environment, they tend to get that stress and worry out on something else. A co-worker.
Also, many bosses who lack security in their role as managers or teachers who are insecure in their role as a leader over the children, can start to bully someone working for him/her or a child going in his/her class.
When I was out lecturing about my own experience of bullying in the schools of Nynäshamn, I met so many children/teenagers who told me horrible stories. One girl had been bullied by her teacher for 3 years. So bad that she had to change school and still had severe problems with trusting an adult.
I was shocked, cause for me, the thought of an adult bullying a child is so far out that I never even thought that could occur, but now I understand that this happens more frequently than I know.
I have also, as I said, been bullied in my adult life, by adults. And this is even more crazy but very common. Here I think it´s exactly the same reasons as when a child bullies a child - fear. The persons bullying another adult person in a working place are AFRAID of that person. Either due to him/her being a very capable person or, like me, I stand up for what I believe in. I am not the quiet little person who doesn't say what I feel about things. I always say if I do not like something, I also always take the "fight" directly with the person I am in conflict with and this can be very hard for some people, who might not be as strong and doesn't want to take a conflict like this. Many people hide behind someone else or write you an email or sms instead and that´s for me proof of being afraid.
The story with Amanda could had been me or you when we were in school. I mean, when I was bullied in school it all started in the same age as Amanda. I was 12 years old and in those days when we didn't have internet, the worst thing they could do was call my home phone, scream "whore" or "you ugly cow" to my ear or write some nasty things on a piece of paper and place it at my chair in school for instance. If we would had internet at that time, I can't imagine what lies they could had spread about me. Horrible just to think about it!
I have, for many years wanted to do something against bullying, and one thing was to go lecture about it in the schools, another thing was to participate singing in Sweden United. But I will do more about this. I have bigger plans and I hope I can get you all involved when it happens. Cause the only thing we can do is talk about it, showing its not ok, teaching our children how to be a good friend and if we see someone being bullied, whether in school or in our working place, tell the ones bullying: STOP! What the hell are you doing? It´s not ok!
And also, internet should need some kind of control over what people are allowed to write about others. We need the people owning those sites as You tube, forums, communities, Facebook and so on, to take it seriously and take away these horrible comments. Again, its lack of leadership and if the people "owning" these sites do not take their responsibility, the hate and bullying can continue!