everyone loves bullies... think about it.

While I was at the gym, I saw an interesting segment on CTV about bullying. It is a hot topic these days and we address a lot of concerns from teen bullying but I think we all need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. We love bullies. We buy into so easily. We thrive on it and it's pure entertainment. Some of us could watch people being bullied for hours with a popcorn and drink. 

Don't know where I'm going with this? Well look at it this way: Chef Ramsay, Donald Trump, Simon Cowell, Sue Sylvester. I'm convinced that you know at least one of these famous figures. Well, sorry to break it to you, but they are HUGE bullies. And we just eat it up! Countless time I've sat on my couch and giggled because I KNEW that Simon was going to just rip them apart for that audition. It's a sad truth. It glorifies a behavior that is unacceptable in our society. What? Because they're adults it's ok? 

Now, I know that the majority of it is a facade. I'm sure that in real life they are nowhere near that mean to people. However, as a child, you have a hard time telling the difference between what is real and what is not real. Even as a teenager, when you have a greater sense of awareness, it is human nature to see something on TV and what to replicate it. That's the twist with advertising, marketing and public relations; you don't know what is real (it can be good or bad). With that being said, we are inevitably bombarded with hundreds of things through media every day. So sitting there watching Glee, for instance, and see how they treat some of the characters, we're not sitting there thinking ''Man, that's mean. Is that bullying?’’ No. We let it go in ear and out the other and that's when it becomes a problem.

I realize that the kind of bullying that is happening in schools lately is much more severe and have unfortunately resulted in deaths, but you have to wonder where the idea comes from. You can't point the finger at a teacher or a parent alone, its a combination of what is being portrayed in the media and what they are being told is right or is wrong. It's interesting to look at the flip side and wonder if these famous names need to tone it down a notch. Or two. Or three. If we all want to stop bullying and make a change in this world, we need to start with the one thing that is defused on a daily basis. They have the control.

This is obviously a tricky subject and there are many opinions out there. Knowing people who have been bullied, I do not stand for it for a second. Though it is interesting to argue the other side of the story (while still remaining against it entirely). The one that is not obvious. The whole media monitoring is much more complex and debatable on its own but its unfortunate that we have these kinds of behavior right before our eyes and not much is being said.

DD