Authors Note: This is dedicated to the survivors of bullying and abuse or prejudice. I am a teacher who still feels guilty for turning a blind eye and not being forceful enough confronting bullying in my school and classroom. I was also the victim of bullying in school and emotional abuse at home. Teachers is used here to represent those put in authority to supervise others. It was just inspired also by internet responses to the cases of children who kill themselves because of continued bullyings and abuse. Words hurt, sometimes more then fists ever could. Emotional abuse is a very powerful thing and it is as real and damaging as physical abuse. If you know of someone being bullied or emotionally abused, don't wait. Step up and do something, you might be the only one who does.
Jones angerly pounded his fist onto his desk. "Neal, did you catch the latest about those kids who hung themselves? Now the school people are all falling over themselves to protect each other, hiding behind the principal and the unions. The school board is protecting themselves saying the principal never came to them and never told them."
Neal sneered derisively from his desk. "Let me guess, it all boils down to the classic 'nobody saw anything' defense. Yeah right."
Lauren popped her head up. She normally tuned out any conversation that didn't have anything to do with work. "It might be that they are telling the truth. It might be that they really didn't see anything."
"Lauren, wake up! The information of what to look for in a bullied or abused child is all around. People don't see because frankly they don't want to see it." Neal could feel the old anger stoking. "It's the same psychology as pulling a con. People only see what they feel will do one of the following: gain them a leg up somewhere – either psychologically, socially, or financially, doesn't cause them to exert any additional effort on their part, or it doesn't cause them to leave their ivory towers and see the world as it really is. When something bad happens, they defend their inactivity by blaming anyone else they can think of but themselves. It's the most" Neal took a deep breath. He could feel himself shaking, "disgusting when it's a child. A child trusts and looks to the adults in his life to help and protect them. When they see the adult in charge of their life see but not see, it sends a real powerful message. It says you are viewed as a fundamentally worthless person whose fate is to be the whupping boy of the fucking damn world so toughen up and deal with it, Irish bastard." The memories came on too strong so he got up and fled.
"He's certainly being touchy. You'd think as a grown man he'd get a tough skin and deal with it. He's probably waiting for someone to run after him and coddle him." Lauren dismissed, returning to her file.
"Cruz, you are a damn BITCH! It must be nice to sit in your morally superior tower looking down on the rest of us huddling masses. Tell me Lauren, who decided men need no coddling? Huh? Who put you in the position of being able to determine the wants and needs of a man? You scream bloody murder as a woman if a man were to try to tell you what you need. Yet, you have no problem expressing an opinion on what a man needs or how a grown man should or shouldn't act when you've never been through the life experience of being a male. You have no way of knowing how we feel other then what you observe. If a man dares show tears or sadness or fear, well suddenly we are immature, or fags, or less then men. It's ironic, you buy these books about "Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars" and others. You tell us how we need to be open. We need to talk about and express emotions. We do that and you jump all over us.
What in the hell gives you the right to decide that only half of the population is worthy of emotional expression? What secret do you magically posess that makes you worthy of being held and cuddled when you feel insecure? Why am I insensitive then when I don't hold you because you have PMS, or you think your butt is too big, or you think someone at work doesn't like you?"
"Because, it's the way society is, Jones. It's the way its always been and it's the way it always should be. Besides, like it or lump it, I have a right to express my opinion."
"Sure, through sniping comments and generalizations. You don't even have the guts to say it to someone's face. You gossip. You get on IM and tell nasty comments about other people. You start up 'social networking' websites and snipe. You go on the internet, make up imaginery names, and hide with anonymity to make nasty to your hearts content. You express your opinions like they are some sort of damn 'universal truth' that everyone should just know. If you believe it, then it must certainly be so and the only way that anyone else could ever think. Anyone who doesn't is not as talented, not as creative, not as smart, not as withit as you are."
"This was talking about a bullying incident. It wasn't meant to come down to a battle of the sexes."
"Cruz, you ever had a teacher, look at you and call you 'lazy'? You ever had a coach in PE make fun of you because you weren't as athletically gifted as he felt you should be given your ethnicity or your height? Have you ever had a school psychologist tell you that maybe you wouldn't be bullied if you didn't cry or you weren't disabled or you weren't black or you weren't already outside the status quo? Have you ever been punished with detention for swinging back at a bully while the bully goes scot-free? You ever been told with that sanctimonious teacher voice that 'they can't punish what they can't see' even though the incident just took place while they were in the room? You ever been profiled by a cop and hasseled because you were the wrong race in the wrong place at the wrong time? You ever been hauled out of bed or the basement, to sit and be an audience to your parents fighting? You ever spend so much time crying yourself to sleep that eventually you just quit making any noise because no one is ever going to come anyway? If you haven't, then shut the hell up with your opinons. You haven't lived my life, you haven't had my experience, and until you have, you don't have the right to judge anything about me."
"Jones, this is America. It's a free country. Under the first amendment, I have freedom of speech. This means I have the right to say what I think any time I want to." Cruz defended.
"Yeah, the bigots of the earth always hide behind the first amendment. They say it's only words. I never hit anyone with my fists." Jones groused. The two glared and each other.
Peter shook his head. "Mind if I get a word in here? This is an FBI White Collar office. As interesting as it is to discuss psychology and politics, we really are only paid to analyze and solve White Collar crimes. Unfortunately, we can't solve or fix all of the problems, real or perceived, in society. The only thing we are able to do is help the victim get their problems redressed. We have less then 48 hours until the statute of limitations expires on the DeSoto Insurance fraud case. I need your reports by noon, hopefully with enough information to get us before a grand jury or at least a continuance. Now, I'm going to go and check on my friend. Yes, Cruz, I might 'coddle' him. I'm trying to teach him he's a good person, worthy of having people care about his thoughts and feelings, and hopefully then he won't be convinced by a sweet talker to con again. I'm trying to teach him that just because others screw up, it doesn't mean its all your fault, and its never to late to show him someone hears and someone cares. If I go overboard sometimes and it doesn't fit your version of masculinity, that's tough. I don't do everything for strictly your benefit. I do it for someone who I care about who is hurting and needs it."