cowards with camouflage

#MMBA 4

“Is it just me or this person looks like him?”

“What?”

“Right behind you.”

Mazeedah turned in time to see Kolade Martins’ face beaming with a smile as he talked to the waiter. Just when she was about to look away, he walked up to their table trying to hold a conversation.

“Hi girls!” He said excitedly.

“Don’t you dare! Hold your greetings!” Mazeedah flared up.

He was too shocked to utter a word or move. How would a school mate he has not seen in years be cold towards him? He stood there with confusion spreading from one end of his head to the other.

 “Have you forgotten so soon? You were a bully and would always be one in my books. Effortlessly, you picked on me because of my forehead. You had a lot of demeaning words for me.” Mazeedah said, trying to hide how hurt she was.

It has been almost fifteen years but she remembered everything clearly like it was yesterday. Kolade tried defending himself but he has no words. As much as he tried to speak, the words were stuck to his throat. Mazeedah picked her bag and dashed out of the restaurant with her friend following closely behind.

. . .

Words are not just utterances or letters strung together, they are swords that pierce with nobody’s consent and they are not easily forgotten. Such is the case when it comes to verbal bullying. Bullying is a common and complex issue which is capable of causing damages either physically or emotionally. It is an offensive act that deals with social power imbalance. Bullying entails picking on people unnecessarily because of their thoughts, opinions, lifestyles, etc. It can be regarded as an aggressive behaviour where one person or a group of persons intentionally abuses, intimidates, or coerces an individual with the intention of hurting the person. It is quite disheartening that there is every tendency that this act will be repeated from time to time. The commonest type of bullying is name-calling and hurling derogatory words at people. In a world as evolving as ours, bullying has slowly metamorphosed from a physical act to a cyber one. With the aid of social media, bullying seems to be prevalent and easier to engage in. The keypad becomes the shield everyone hides behind while throwing demeaning words at a fellow or when purposively bent on ruining their mood. In some cases, there might not be any tangible reason behind being bullied. Imagine being bullied for having a small stature or being dark? That is ridiculous, right? It is the way of bullies! They are unnecessarily offensive.

Most, if not all of us have been victims of bullying. Relax! On the brighter side, bullies are people battling with low self-esteem and confidence. They try to make other people feel less of themselves just to boost their own ego. Rather than give them an edge over you, stand up to them. They would always try to intimidate you but they are just cowards with camouflages. Remember you are stronger than you ever think and no one is going to fight for you like you would for yourself.

Now, what are we saying to the bullies?

Not today! Go get a life.