When Did Bullying Become OK?

I'm afraid I must step up onto a soapbox for a minute because I do not think I can take much more of this.

If you have been watching online for the last few years you would see that there has been a huge surge of people speaking out against bullying.  And rightly so because it is a huge problem in our society.  I work with children and teenagers and I know that it happens.  It's terrible and it hurtful and it MUST STOP!  Everyone seems to agree with this...until it is time for the elections.

Then it seems that adults all across the country decide that bullying is ok.  After all, the people they are talking about are politicians.  They made themselves fair game, right?  WRONG!  They decided to run for a political office.  They decided to try and make a difference in our country.  They did not decided that they and their family were just going to be "ok" with being bullied.

No matter what your political affiliation, this blog applies to you...and I'm talking to the politicians themselves too.  If we want to teach our children that bullying is wrong, then we have to stop it ourselves.  Would you like to explain why it is ok for you to verbally torture, tear down, and post embarrassing pictures of a politician, but it's not ok for them to do it of a classmate?  Do you realize what you are doing to the family of that politician?  How would you like it if your Mom, Dad, Aunt, or Uncle was being torn down all over the internet by people who had never even met them?  Do you know for an absolute fact that what you are saying is true?  Even if you do, why is it ok for you to post such things about this person while at the same time you are trying to teach children and teenagers that it is not ok for them to do the same to others?

This is a horrible and tragic double standard that MUST STOP.  Children learn by example.  What kind of example are you setting?  Teens do what others do.  Are the things you are posting something you would want said about you?  If not, DON'T POST IT!  Don't SHARE it.

If you don't like a particular politician, don't tear him or her down.  Build up your candidate.  Show off all his or her good points.  I don't care why you don't like the other candidate...tell me why you do like yours.  Is that so hard?  Or do you really not know enough about your candidate to do that.  If that's the case, then that is a whole other problem...and a whole other blog!

Am I the only one who sees this?  I hope not.