Social bullying in Utah’s political environment is alive and well and has to STOP.
What is Social Bullying?
Social bullying is aggressive behavior that is focused on hurting a person’s reputation or relationships. Social bullying takes on a variety of forms, including spreading rumors or gossip or attempting to embarrass a person publicly. Sometimes social bullies encourage others to avoid or exclude their victim.
Social bullying is harmful to victims because it affects their ability to form relationships and perform in social settings. It also has a direct impact on their mental and emotional health and can damage their reputation and relationships, both professionally and personally.
Bullying in professional settings is harmful to the success of the institution. It decreases productivity, creates a negative atmosphere, and increases animosity and dissension.
Unlike physical and verbal bullying, social bullies can operate in the shadows. They can cause harm by going behind someone’s back, spreading stories and rumors anonymously and avoiding being identified.
“No matter where social bullies attempt to hurt others, their actions should be reported and measures taken to protect the victims, as well as discipline the offenders. Proper handling of any situation that involves bullying is imperative to prevent it from happening again or harming the victim’s reputation and good standing in their community, school or workplace.” nobullying.com
The Politics of Personal Destruction
In the political environment, the behavior of social bullies is related to the “politics of personal destruction.” This tactic is an attempt to gain political power by demonizing the opposition. Instead of focusing on qualifications and positions, political social bullies use smear campaigns, innuendo and accusations that cannot be defended to discredit a public figure or candidate.
What can we do?
Here are some suggestions:
Don’t participate.
- Don’t spread rumors or gossip.
- Even if something might be true, it is NOT appropriate to embarrass others publicly.
- Accept that everyone makes mistakes.
Speak up.
- Tell bullies that their behavior is wrong.
- Report it to their superiors.
- Demand that it stop.
Treat everyone with respect.
Reach out to others and include them.
Stand up for the victims and stick together.
Spread the word – Social Bullying must STOP now!
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