You have to wonder if, back in 2007, while David Shepherd and Travis Price were buying a stack of 50 pink shirts could they have imagined that their bullying protest would spread around the world.
Probably not. They were just trying to support a fellow student who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school. But this year, we are celebrating Pink Shirt Day (or Anti-bullying Day, if you prefer) for the ninth year. And it’s five years since the United Nations took a stand and proclaimed May 4 International Anti Bullying Day.
That’s pretty good return for the purchase of a stack of cheap T-shirts.
Why do people, especially kids, bully others? There are so many reasons that it would never be possible to find one answer that would fit all situations. What is common, however, is their victims. Bullies have a knack for finding the kids that are unlikely to retaliate. And they chose them because the victim is different — skin colour, nationality, size, hair colour, shape of the nose, you name it — even the colour of shirt you choose to wear.
Anyone who has been bullied knows that the old adage. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me” is far from the truth. Name-calling and other, more aggressive, forms of bullying does leave marks, marks that affect the victim for years to come.
It’s a lot to ask from some pink shirts, but the annual reminder about the problem of bullying does offer hope that our cultures might finally be starting to grow up.
Let’s hope the word continues to spread. Bullying will likely never be wiped out completely, but we can hope to reduce its hold on society, as has been done with the once socially acceptable drinking and driving.