"When we cave into bullies, we will create a nation of cowards"
Alyson Brady
I saw this story on the television show Huckabee over Easter break and it stuck. Originally it was about the bullying of a young girl, and how there is a movement now called "Stand With Shay." When I went looking for the piece online, I came across another clip titled "When did America start Caving to Bullies?" The definition of bullying Huckabee described was when they "use force to silence or intimidate another." He said that mean people ruin the joy other people have. People who demonstrate intolerance are those that try to "shut down with force a viewpoint they do not want to hear." He made a claim that Americans are allowing these types of people to destroy the liberty of America. He goes on to talk about the instances where a majority group bullied an individual out of a company or an event because of their differing views. Phil Robinson, of the Duck Dynasty television show, was one such example. A&E banned him from the show after he made comments in an interview about what he believed in. It was not until fans protested that he was allowed back onto the show.
As Americans we have the right to take a stand for what we believe in. However, people are still unable to do so in America, the supposedly "land of the free." Most the time intimidation wins in decisions and actions instead of people doing the right thing. Huckabee stated that "when we cave in to bullies, we will create a nation of cowards."
This just goes to show that no matter at what age anyone can be bullied. No matter who you are, or how much money you have, anyone can be the victim of bullying. The question is then, how can we stop this never ending cycle? Do we start with our young impressionable children? If a majority group can attack one individual, an even bigger number should be able to stand up and support that individual as well. This applies to not only politics or major figureheads, but also in our day to day lives. In order to succeed in the big picture we all have to start small somewhere. How can we continue to live our lives desensitized to what we see in our day-to- day activities? The cycle must end at some point.
