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“Sometimes, Bullying Is Okay”
The Internet is a fascinating place: it’s where nuance goes to die, and black-and-white thinking is celebrated like the second coming of Christ. It is the perfect breeding ground for polarized thinking that is inherently dangerous, no matter what end of the spectrum you happen to be on. One of the ways this pandemic of lack of nuance is affecting us in the online world is how we fight to justify abuse of any kind by coming up with roundabout arguments that very often have something to do with what kind of person the target of the abusive behavior happens to be. There is one very topical example of this phenomenon that I decided to make commentary on around two weeks ago, and it continues to be the point of reference for this article as well.
The normalized usage of generative AI programs.
Anti-Bullying Effort
Over the years, my frustration toward anti-bullying labor as we know it has grown stronger and stronger. After indulging myself in a lot of academic reading on bullying as a form of abuse and the multitude of tactics meant to help resolving abuse situations, I have become very aware of the lackluster state of what we call anti-bullying. Having the knowledge on a theoretical level has helped me understand the way I was neglected to hell and back as a Kid, especially by adults who were supposed to be there to protect me where most of the abuse was happening.
Teachers in schools.
Spread Kindness ♡
I have a complicated relationship with anti-bullying labor. On one hand, I appreciate any effort that is taken to protect kids from being abused and ending up in a situation where I’m in right now; but on the other hand, the vast majority of anti-bullying activism only frustrates me in its insufficiency to actually achieve anything. It relies heavily on campaigns whose sole reason for existing is to offer a counteraction to abuse.