While walking the track the other morning at the large high school
behind where I live, I saw something that disturbed me.
As I was making a turn there was a small group of boys at the
end of the football field that is in the middle of the track. Standing far
above the others was a big kid, maybe 6’2’, 250 pounds. He was waving
something in his hand. There was a much smaller boy a few feet in front of him
with his hands up in front of him. From a distance, I thought the big kid had a
small football in his hand because he was waving the smaller boy out onto the
field as though to catch something.
Just as I got near them, I saw the big kid had a cell phone in
his hand. He threw it long and high in the air. The smaller kid was awkwardly
running to catch it, but it hit hard on the ground and bounced twice. The big
kid just laughed along with the others and walked off. The smaller kid picked up
his phone, put it in his pocket, and walked over to the group and sheepishly
stood with them.
It took everything within in me to not stop and go confront the
big guy. I kept walking telling myself to keep cool and figure out what to do.
I then saw the smaller boy crossing the field going back toward the school
building. I walked out mid-field to meet him. He had ruffled blonde hair, was
wearing an old tee shirt, had on stained khaki pants he’d probably worn all
week. His tennis shoes were worn out. Just the kind of kid trying to hard to
fit in.
I asked him if the big kid was hassling him. He said he didn’t
know. I said well, he threw your cell phone across the field. Did you give him
permission to do that? He said, no; that he asked him not to do it. I said is
your phone messed up. He took it out of his pocket and looked at it. It was a
small, older phone. He said it was turned off. I asked if he was okay if I went
and talked to the kid. He said, Well, my teacher is right over there. And he
pointed to some stairs behind me. So, I went over to the teacher. I told him
what I saw. He said the boy should have said something. I said, Sir, what could
he say to that big kid? He said, I mean he should have come and told me. I
said, Well, then he would be facing payback from that kid. I said I’m speaking
for him. The man said he would talk to the other kid.
After a few more turns around the track, I saw the group of boys
amble across the field. As they went up to the stairs into the building, the
teacher stopped the big kid. I could see he was talking to him. Eventually, he
sat him down on a bench behind him. The kid folded his arms and kept his head
down.
We must confront bullying wherever we see it. Whether it’s
against a child, a teen, an adult, or a senior.
Bullies are all cowards. They use their size, or their
influence, or their money to intimidate those who are smaller, those who don’t
have much influence, or those who have few resources. But ultimately, sometimes
way too late, they meet their match. There is always a bigger bully waiting to
take over. Or they are confronted by the courage of someone who is not
frightened by their bluster.
Bullying in this country has been promoted by our president, his
administration, and most Republicans. Refusing to obey the law, sniffing at
Congressional subpoenas and outright refusing to acknowledge them, making light
of the Constitution as though it doesn’t apply to them, and with arrogant
condescension treating Senators and House members in hearings as though they
are a nuisance to them and not legally elected officials.
What kind of example is this for the nation? How are young
people today suppose to behave when they see our leaders bullying others? That
big kid at the track today picking on a smaller kid, tossing his cell phone in
the air and laughing about it. That’s a bully. That’s a coward. Did he think
that was okay since our adult leaders do it, too?
There is a recent study out of the University of Pennsylvania
that shows that many Trump supporters are getting tired of his pettiness, his
bulldozing over people, believing he is above the law, his obsession with
control and getting his way and needing constant praise. There is still a
small, hardcore group of White racist followers who are emboldened by Trump’s
behavior because it then justifies their own hatred of minorities. But many
supporters of the president are falling away. It’s not who they want to be.
Disraeli, the first prime minister of England, said, “Courage is
fire. Bullying is smoke.” The most shallow, insecure, inadequate, spiritually
barren, emotionally stifled, and intellectually frail people around, are
bullies. They are all smoke.
If they are not confronted, their sense of power grows.
© 2019 Timothy Moody
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