“Defining Bullying Down”

This New York Times article tackles the issue of bullying as well as the boundaries of its definition. I agree with the article in saying that the word “bullying” is overused and used loosely to describe harassment and sometimes extreme cases of violence. However, there is an idea brought up in the article that I didn’t really agree with. The author of the article, Emily Bazelon, believes that:

“Crying wolf about bullying isn’t good for the children who play the victim, either. Those who hold onto that identity are less likely to recover from adversity. Bullying victims need sympathy; they also need help learning to be resilient.”

True, bullies tend to inflict harm onto others because they may hold insecurities and feel a need for hold power over others. On the other hand, this doesn’t mean the victim should stay idle and allow the bullying to occur because they sympathize with the bully. In any bullying situation, the victim should inform someone about the issue. Children don’t “play the victim” role – bullying is definitely not a game, nor is it for show. I feel like it would be easier for children to overcome adversity if they take action themselves and tell people with authority to take care of the matter.