Why do they bully?2 min read

Whether we have been physically and/or verbally bullied or not, we have all been in that situation in which something said/done by another person hurt us or left us uncomfortable.

Most of us can indeed relate or sympathize with Keaton Jones, the child from Knoxville, Tennessee, whose video went viral.

In a heart-breaking video, posted by his mother on Facebook, he asks the viewer “Why do they bully? What’s the point of it?”

Nobody has an answer for that.

Socially, psychologically and emotionally there are different reasons why a bully could enjoy attacking someone else. Sometimes it comes from their own traumas and discomforts.

What we can do is support the victims and try to communicate with bullies, trying to stop the problems and trying to build a more peaceful and diverse environment for everyone.

When I say diverse, I mean an environment where we accept everyone’s slight differences that makes us unique, although at the end of it we are still equally human.

Celebrities and people around the world showed support for Keaton, meeting him and calling him ‘their best friend’ in an act that touched and set a good example for many.

Although, everything turned sour as people started sharing photos from the Facebook profile of Kimberly Jones, Keaton’s mother.

His mother openly supports the Confederate Flag, making her as a racist.

Many rightly defended Keaton, stating that he’s just a kid and not culpable for the beliefs of his family. No one should ever say that he deserved to be bullied because of his family’s faults.

If anything, the only question that we should be asking is: will his mother, his family, learn something from this? Would they understand that their racism is as bad if not worse as Keaton being bullied?

As Keaton says, those who are bullied are innocents and they are just the same as everyone else. Nothing good ever comes from hatred. Building a society on hate and prejudices can only bring more hatred and intolerance, just as history has shown us.

Let’s use our difference to build bridges rather than walls.