So everyone is overly sensitive about bullying these days. Not to say bullying isn't a serious issue, but that it's become the go-to word to use for any behavior that isn't positive. If you're rude to somebody, you're a bully. If you strongly express your disagreement with somebody, you're a bully. If you get your friends to express their disagreement, you're all bullies.

 

Bullying is tormenting somebody. It's actively trying to hurt somebody and force an emotional reaction. It's browbeating. Harassment. Intimidation. It's a form of domination, to belittle and aggressively insult.

 

Simply "not being nice" is not bullying.

 

So when I turn on the fucking Disney channel and see kids in high school actively bullying each other, I'm appalled. It's not being used as a teaching tool, showing kids how bullying is hurtful and wrong. No no, this is supposed to be funny. Repeatedly humiliating your school mate so that she looks ridiculous in front of her new friends and they abandon her... Well, that's just fucking hil-ar-ious. And then it's even funnier when she retaliates and humiliates her tormentor. In front of the principal of the school, who does nothing. Sooo funny! And the next episode was just as funny - a kid doses another kid with an insanely dangerous amount of adrenaline so they can win the P.E. challenge! Drugging high schoolers is obviously entertainment in it's highest form!

 

As somebody that grew up watching Disney, I am fully aware of how kids and teenagers look up the characters on these shows. They have the coolest clothes, the latest gadgets, and Disney makes a concentrated effort to make these kids enviable. The kids watching these shows are going to mimic the behavior they see.

 

There is no punishment. There are no apologies. There are no lessons to be learned. Except that Disney seems to think that bullying is really funny.