Toward the end of 2018, a video of a 14-year-old boy verbally and physically assaulting a classmate was widely circulated on social media.
The ninth grader, who has since been dismissed, could be heard asking his victim whether he preferred “bugbog (a beating)” or “dignidad (dignity).” He pummeled the boy nonetheless, earning for himself universal condemnation.
The video brought the issue of bullying to the surface and made us think about how best to deal with bullies who, in their arrogance, feel entitled to power and the use of violence.
Like the ninth grader, bullies can be caught or called out and punished after the fact.
But a better way is to stop bullies in their tracks and prevent them from pushing other people around.
Bullies need to know that others will not allow themselves to be intimidated, and that those of us who stand witness to their actions will not do so idly or silently.
We will step in to stop the bullying.
In our national life, there are bullies, too.
As our nation greets the New Year, some of them will seek to impose their will on us as we grapple with the problems of illegal drugs and corruption, which remain despite the President’s promises to eradicate them.
The methods employed to quell the drug problem have been extreme and polarizing—and have been criticized as being anti-poor.
Then, for all our talk about sovereignty and self-determination, our leaders cave in to the bullying from Beijing in the guise of “friendship.”
Some leaders, too, have exhibited an inordinate oversensitivity to feedback and criticism, and truth is bent or twisted depending on the interests of whoever is speaking. A misogynistic mindset prevails, and worse, people who should know better do not speak out and merely laugh along, unwilling to confront the bully.
Indeed much remains to be done in terms of asserting national dignity. People need to be educated that leaders who talk tough or make them laugh are not necessarily the ones with their best interests at heart.
We need to perform civic duties beyond commenting from behind our computer and mobile phone screens—the modern-day armchair —and actually get out there and make a tangible difference however small.
The new year, an election year, is a good time to assert our refusal to be buffeted by poor governance, buffoonery and political stunts. We will stare at bullies of whatever shape or form straight in the eye and say we choose dignity. To choose otherwise would be to betray ourselves and our nation.”‹