Bullying, in any form and severity, is never okay

Been “slightly” bullied? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, apparently.

During a Senate committee hearing on the implementation of the Anti-Bullying Act in schools, Sen. Robinhood Padilla said that a little physical bullying is “ok” and that it even helped him.

To his credit, the actor-turned-lawmaker also shed light on the gravity of mental bullying and how it should be addressed.

“‘Yun pong physical bullying para po sa akin, kayang i-handle ‘yun. Ang hindi po kayang i-handle ‘yung mental kasi ‘yun mabigat po. Para sa akin, ngayon ‘yun po ang nararanasan ng ating mga kabataan, ‘yung mental torture,” Padilla said.

“Physical torture, sorry po pero para sa akin, nakakatulong pa ‘yun para ako’y maging—’di naman po sa usapin lamang—ng humarap sa buhay. Palagay ko mga 20%, 30% nakakatulong pa ‘yun.”

He went on to say that mental and physical bullying when it reaches a point where a bully wants to kill you is a big concern.

“Pero ‘yung kadyot-kadyot lang diyan, ok lang ‘yun,” Padilla added.

But bullying, in any form and whether it’s mild or severe, is never okay.

In the Philippines, an Anti-Bullying law is in place to protect students. The Senate committee is seeking to amend it in 2023 following the incidents related to bullying in schools.

Six out of 10 Filipinos said they were bullied in 2018, according to a survey done by the Program for International Student Assessment.

Is there such a thing as ‘slight’ or ‘mild’ bullying?

Riyan Portuguez (@yourmillennialpsychologist on TikTok) told We The Pvblic that even small instances of bullying are not okay.

“By definition kasi, bullying is the repetition of aggressive behavior to intentionally cause harm. ‘Pag dagdagan mo ng word na ‘slight,’ parang ‘slight lang ako na mag-cause ng harm sa kanya,’ ‘di pa rin maganda,” she said.

The psychologist cited an example of experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how it can be caused by not only one big full-blown incident but by cumulative encounters that also cause distress (complex PTSD).

“‘Di man siya sobra na nakakadistress pero ‘yung araw-araw ka na na-expose doon, kahit may pagka-slight pa ‘yan, eventually pwede maging disorder,” Portuguez said.

People also have different coping mechanisms and thresholds, the psychologist said, so they may deal with “small” instances of bullying differently. It may not always toughen a person up, like in Sen. Padilla’s experience.

Any form of bullying—physical, verbal, mental, or social—has the same impact on an individual, particularly on a victim’s self-confidence.

“Yung self-esteem niya and self-worth talagang na-aaffect kapag na-bu-bully. Eventually, na-aaffect pa yung different parts ng life niya. May times na pwede siya maging dysfunctional,” Portuguez said, adding that bullying may also lead into other mental health problems.

Those who are getting bullied are also likely to experience depression, anxiety, and stress disorders.

Indeed, it’s important to create safe spaces for kids in school, but let us not make experiencing a little bullying to toughen someone up the norm. To intentionally cause harm to another person and torture them physically is never okay.

banner: @justdrawrin

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Source: we the pvblic