Bullying or Just Plain Horseplay

With the recent allegations surrounding the Miami Dolphins over bullying in the work place, I found it pertinent to talk about exactly what bullying is. This is something that has become a bit of a nuisance throughout American culture and in recent years has sparked debate over the ramifications bullying can have on an individual and those close to that person. To bully means to use superior strength or influence to intimidate someone, typically to force him or her to do what one wants. Other definitions I found involved “school age children” or a person who means to intimidate the weaker.

These are definitions that I think all of us are accustomed to. In fact, I never really heard of adults “bullying” each other unless it was some comedy routine or some farce as seen in the movie, “Big Bully.” On a very basic level it is humorous to watch grown-ups fight and bicker as children do. Anything for that matter that depicts adults acting like children is seen as comical. Recently, bullying has become no laughing matter. In the past five years there have been reports of teenagers killing themselves because they have been bullied for being “different.” Usually these attacks are done via social media outlets which allows the attacking to be more persistent, resulting in emotional breakdowns or violence.

Violence is actually the “old timer's answer” for bullying. The quick remedy to stop the torment cause by bullying is to “stand up for yourself.” As a child, I remember that fighting back with violence was the only solution to stop being bullied.  Then and only then would the bully would leave one alone, knowing that his/her actions will no longer be tolerated. It is never a guarantee, but most of the time the technique works as a bully's aim is to actually avoid confrontation.

So I beg the question: Bullying or horse play? In some form or another (depending on how loosely we interpret the definition) we have at one time or another been on both ends of the spectrum. Who hasn't been picked on for what they wear? Who has never pointed out a “funny characteristic” about the way a person looks? Bullying can actually be viewed as something that is enjoyable... to participate in and to be a spectator of. We even see bullying as a main object in video games—games "made" for kids I might add. Use your imagination. On some level even Super Mario Brothers is a game in which the lead protagonist “bullies” his way through until he eventually “saves” the girl.

Could bullying be something that is so completely subjective that we only see it when we want to? Can bullying really exist in the adult world?  Is in something that actually is natural and part of being human?  It seems our nation has a problem of definition. Is being passive 'weak' in our society? Perhaps there really is a problem with this type of social behavior and people are not being overly sensitive. Either way, the notion of bullying has become ever more so apparent and is now under the proverbial spot light in American culture.