Tea at Trianon: Bullying

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Bullying

Some tips from Kids Help Phone:

Listen. If a young person reports a bullying incident to you, either as a target or a bystander, act immediately. Your child needs to know that you can and will help. If the bully is a student consider reporting it to the school principal. If you feel that your child is physically at risk, call the police at once.

Stay aware. Keep the family computer in a central location where you can easily monitor it.

Be supportive. Don't under estimate what your child is going through. Listen to your child and try to understand the impact the bullying is having on them, and assure them that you are on their side.

Encourage them to do the right thing. If your kid is a bystander, explain that it's important that they don't stay a silent witness. You might want to ask things like, "would you want someone to have your back if you were the one getting bullied?"

Don't tell them to fight back. Be assertive, not aggressive. Fighting or responding to online abuse or rumours with more of the same doesn't help anyone. (Read entire article.)

Julygirl said...: I might add....use discernment; (1)You could allow yourself as a parent or caregiver to fall into a 'crying wolf' mode in that your child may report issues to get attention...ask questions. (2) Teach your child to be assertive and not become a victim whom bullies prey upon. (3) If your own child is a bully try to find out why he/she feels helpless and needs to prey upon someone weaker. We tell our child that it is their responsiblity to protect someone who is weaker, be it another child or an animal.; November 19, 2011 at 10:33:00 AM EST