If you haven’t voted in the 2020 US election and you are eligible to do so I am asking you to please vote, and to vote for the candidate who is not a bully.
I have worked in schools, and I have seen that bullying is a terrible problem.
Social scientists have studied the problem and the solution comes when a school supports kids to work out bullying problem amongst them selves—by creating a non-bullying environment.
It starts at the top, but the kids create the kinder environment by all agreeing that bullying is not cool and everyone has an obligation to call it out when we see it, even if we are not the target of the cruelty.
The plan is not to shame the bully, but to let them know that this is a school, or a country, where it’s cool to be nice, and that the bully can fit in if they act nicer.
That simple.
Humans do not want to be disliked. Bullies are not necessarily disliked or “unpopular.” The key is not changing the bully or the victim so much as the overall tone of the school, or the country.
We do not need to hurt others or exclude others in order to have good lives. The best society is one that supports excellence to lead—to understand that leading is serving the group, not dominating and definitely not exploiting or stealing from the group.
If you hate bullying behavior, you are not alone, and you have the power to assert that it’s cool to be kind.
So… if you are eligible to cast a vote on Tuesday, or see the County Clerk on Monday, please socially distance, wear a mask, bring a snack, and a lawn chair—and VOTE!
Maybe bring a friend.
It matters. We can have a better world.
