Poem - Bullying Redefined

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Poem - Bullying Redefined Bullying’s not bullying if the bully only does it once Is like saying when he only molested one kid, he’s not a proper nonce That’s an actual official excuse doing the rounds Apologists dismiss the pain of one-off attacks on the grounds That it has to be ongoing, repeated systematic abuse. Such a dismissive policy is not fit for anyone’s purpose or use There’s no recurring pattern of abuse here Just a single threat, with a punch or mean insult to induce anxiety or fear We can redefine this as rough-housing, hijinks and jape The chap you accuse can make good his escape Because we can dilute away the seriousness of what was done Your client took it for assault, when it was just someone having fun You say you were intimidated, but can you really be sure? After all you were never targeted by the accused before Oh you were, but as you never formerly reported the situation We never even conducted an off-the record investigation. Regardless of the pain you are now clearly feeling We are not suggesting that stabbing, raping, and stealing. Are not serious unless equally habitual criminal behavior Though the current convenience rules act to the bully’s advantage and favor We are really just protecting our own reputation By subjecting the charges to some refutation We can say bullying is down compared to last year’s statistics By redefining and aligning the definitions and characteristics You weren’t really bullied, you were just messed about a bit A game and a joke got out of hand and somehow you got hit You were called names, but it was just a bit of a joke You weren’t jabbed with a stick, it was just a bit of a poke Frankly we’re disappointed with you raising such accusations People will fall out on a number of issues on a number of occasions So don’t come telling tales every time you’re insulted We are acting on professional guidelines from experts we have consulted Someone treated you like a leper when you wear a stoma The one that saved you from death, cancer and coma I’m sure he meant no harm by such insensitive remarks It’s only your post-op depression that ignites your sparks And yes, he has a reputation for doing this to others as well But as it’s the first time for you, don’t expect us to spell Out to him any disapproval or disciplinary measures at all It’s you we’ll distance ourselves from if you continue to call For justice, closure and some kind of common sense By speaking out you threaten to knock us off our neutrality fence Exposing us for turning a blind eye for far too long Knowing we’re unwilling to intervene makes the bully so strong Our policy is strictly Laissez faire Or do nothing all, even though it’s so obviously unfair So why don’t you go and apologize to your tormenter If you don’t, he’ll still be welcome here but you’ll never enter Our company, house, school or society again I know this response won’t ease your pain But we won’t be forced into taking a side Unless someone really gets hurt, as in murdered, so just let it slide. There’s no harm done - you got knocked about a bit Much to our relief our investigation tells us we had nothing to do with it Our house is in order - no bullying here We dumb down the facts to make it appear Those driven to self harm, or suicide Were already deeply troubled inside While anyone physically harmed Probably provoked it, and cannot be calmed The bully is repentant and really atones For breaking your son or daughter’s bones And as he never got caught doing anything like this before We’ll let him off this time, but rest assured he’ll get what for If he ever does anything like it again. That’s the line of action our rules explain Bullying’s not bullying unless we say otherwise Your accusations are nothing but slanderous lies If we thought there was bullying we’d do something about it You’re claim of bullying will be ignored no matter how loud you shout it Now shake hands and be friends, so we can put this to bed And put all thought of bullying and abuse out of your head. You must think we are afraid to act Or perhaps see us as in some sort of alliance and pact Where we actually enjoy the agonizing torments inflicted And the victim’s emotions and thinking getting all conflicted Because we won’t intervene saying stop this, you sadistic fool We can’t tolerate or condone this - it’s simply not cool. Far from dealing harshly with any physical, mental or online bullying assault We will leave everyone thinking it was in some way or other the victim’s own fault. Zero tolerance is the best way to deal with such wilful abuse Schools should expel, workplaces should sack No bully should be let loose Ot given liberty to prepare for some future attack On the same target or a fresh victim The consequences of that could be really bloody and grim Nevertheless we see no reason for us to get off the fence Rest assured if he does it again We’ll look into it as a serious offense You’ll just have to live with the scars and the pain Though we know how useless and ineffective this must seem We won’t be lifting a finger The hurt you feel must be pretty extreme The trauma and anxiety may forever linger The current widespread policy is not even a light sentence for a first offense It’s doing literally nothing, which is cowardly and makes absolutely no sense. Arthur Chappell