Leadership and Bullying - A Bad Combination

The definition of bullying is far broader than physical or verbal abuse. It can be more subtle and in many cases is used as an active form of exclusion; the end goal is to gain power and dominance.

When a leader uses bullying to gain power it becomes a dangerous and destructive force. When times are difficult there are some who will see aggression as strength and bullying as leadership. Both assumptions are detrimental. Just look back in history to see how destructive it can be.

Our society has taken on bullying in schools and have created programs to recognize and report bullying. Expecting zero tolerance it is a noble cause; our children should not be called names, made fun of, or portrayed as an outcast. Those who perpetuate this hatred do so for power - sound familiar?

The result of bullying is two-fold; not only does it perpetuate hatred, but it emboldens those who hate to act. The bully does the name calling and spreads the hate; the followers react, usually in the form of violence.

Per the Gun Violence Archive (https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting) these are the statistics for mass shootings in the U.S. from 2017 to today; many of these were motivated by hate:
  • 2017 - 346 mass shootings
  • 2018 - 340 mass shootings
  • 2019 - 103 mass shootings as of April 28, 2019
These statistics are not acceptable. One mass shooting is too many.

If we recognize that bullying by children is a problem that needs to be eliminated, then why would we tolerate it from our leaders? It seems quite clear that this behavior is learned by watching. If we want children to stop bullying, then we must eliminate it from our leadership as well.

Elevating bullies to leaders is never a good idea; if left unchecked, one bad leader can do an immense amount of harm.

Bullying leaders can't succeed unless they have willing followers, and citizens who sit back and don't challenge them . We can no longer stand by and allow those who bully and use hate filled propaganda to obtain power. The world and it's citizens deserve better; our children deserve better.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rock of Gibraltar

Image
On our way to El Puerto De Santa Maria, we made a detour to see the Rock of Gibraltar. If you have ever seen a Prudential Financial advertisement, you will recognize the Rock of Gibraltar which is their logo. The Rock of Gibraltar is a single large block of stone 426 m (1,398 ft) high. It is a limestone peninsula and mountainous rock that jets out of the end of the British territory at the southwestern tip of Europe. It is home to a network of caves, including the famous St. Michael’s Cave, which is open to the public. At the top of the Rock, visitors can enjoy amazing panoramic views of the surrounding area, including Morocco on a clear day. Seeing the Rock from below is quite a sight, however, taking a tour to the top tells a much bigger story of how impressive it truly is. We headed out in a small 6-passenger van to make the climb up to the top of the Rock. The road is quite narrow and winds back and forth along the edge of the Rock. For someone like me who is afraid o...
Read more

What Others Cannot See

Image
Early on one would never know, that memories are fading away. A tiny slip up here and there, normal forgetfulness they say. Time goes by with subtle changes, friends and family do not seem aware. If they only see them now and then, what is missing is not clear. As time passes the ones at home, will notice what others do not. They see more things forgotten, bringing sadness and concern. Many may notice a repeated story, from memories of long ago. Not aware that these old tales, are the ones that remain crystal clear. In time the recent memories, become more elusive as days pass by. Questions that are asked and answered, will be asked again and again. What we can see in our loved one, is what others cannot see. New memories will not remain with them, so, each day will bring something new.
Read more

Underneath It All We Are the Same

Image
Seven years ago, I wrote this blog with great hopes that society would take steps forward in the years to come, recognizing that we are all in this together and unity is the only way to a better world. Unfortunately, as witnessed by world events over the last several years, that is not the case. Sadly, things are worse so once again I will share this with a hopeful heart that three years from now our world will look a little brighter. "If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?" ~ William Shakespeare - The Merchant of Venice Strip away race, color, religion, politics, gender, etc., and underneath it all we are the same. We are human beings. We have the same needs, wants and desires. We want a good life for our families; a good community to live in; friends and neighbors we can trust. We want to be treated with dignity and respect, and to feel comfortable voicing an opinion, without the threat of being attacked by some...
Read more