Bullying continues to be a major issue in our society today.
Most recent in the news is the sad death of Jamey Rodemeyer, who killed himself after being bullied relentlessly. The story made national news when Lady Gaga dedicated her song “Hair” to him at the iHeart Music Festival (chronicled by many, including the website Bullying Stories)
There are, thankfully, many who are willing to use their talent and audience to get the message out to the youth of this age that there is help, and that they are not alone.
In addition to Lady Gaga, I’m particularly grateful for the star power of the It Gets Better Project supporting LGBT youth, and also the many Glee episodes struggling with the problem of bullying.
There have been many clergy and lay leaders who have lent their voices to the cause as well: addressing not only the problem of bullying within our schools, but honestly discussing the many sources of bullying culture. Politics (for some reason) comes first to mind, as do many television reality shows that seem to celebrate bullies (Simon Cowell, Gordon Ramsey). But let us not forget that the Church itself is also one of these sources.
Perhaps no one has taken this as seriously as Bishop Alan Wilson. His blog is full of articles discussing the challenging realities of the culture of bullying within the church itself:
Bullying of and by clergy: a way ahead? (9/29/2011)
Clergy Bullying revisited (9/12/2011)
Dickens Lives! Bullies Rule OK! (6/7/2011)
And perhaps as a first summary:
Dignity at work: Systemics (1/7/2010)
Bishop Wilson rightly reminds us that the abuse of power is almost always the key issue concerning bullying, and that our hierarchical structure must truthfully struggle with the challenges ahead.