Tag Archives: bullying

Bullying, Losing, and not

“When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose.” —Meryl Streep

I know, everyone in the interwebz is posting and retweeting this right now. But stay with me for a bit.

I’ve been thinking about how I want to be treated, and surrounding myself with people who support me. I’m working on not being taken for granted, of stating my worth and not being undervalued. Now I still kind of suck at it, but I’m trying.

So what does this have to do with bullying? It’s (luckily) not bullying in the traditional sense, but it is an assertion of my worth. Because I do think I’m working to prevent undervaluing myself and my worth. I’m struggling to find my place in the world, struggling to show that what I do is worthwhile. Struggling to prevent being bullied, because bullying takes many forms whether explicit or not.

But, just like the amazing Meryl Streep said, with conscious effort we will persevere and I will figure it all out. Someday. Sometime.

photo of my 2015 MedX ePatient pin, which I finally found in a sock drawer… it inspires me to try, to strive, to push myself

NYT: “Publishers Revel in Youthful Cruelty”

NYT: “Publishers Revel in Youthful Cruelty”

I found this article fascinating.  I have to say that, as much as I loved Wonder for the facial difference angle, I completely understand the NYT’s view that

For publishers and authors it has been hard to miss the perfect synergy that results: They can promote a cause that most people avidly support while promoting their own products.

That’s the danger I see, of trying to address what is a legitimate problem while not sensationalizing or exploiting it.

Yet at the same time, it is a very important and serious.  It’s a fine line in our increasingly-commercialized and commodified culture (yes, that does sound over-dramatic!) between doing good and profiting from that.

Ultimately, though, I think the good that these books and the general cultural awareness surrounding bullying do outweighs any commercial gains.