Bystanders, observers and witnesses - why don't they help the target of bullying?
(It is very tempting to take the side of the perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks is that the bystander do nothing. He appeals to the universal desire to see, hear, and speak no evil. The victim, on the contrary, asks the bystander to share the burden of pain. The victim demands action, engagement, and remembering. -- Judith Herman)
in environments where the bullying is entrenched, it's regarded as "normal" behaviour
unlike assault and harassment, bullying is subtle and comprises hundreds, perhaps thousands, of incidents which out of context and in isolation are trivial - thus bystanders can't see the full picture
bullies poison the atmosphere and actively poison people's minds against the target
when close to being outwitted and exposed, the bully feigns victimhood and turns the focus on themselves - another example of manipulating people through their emotion of guilt, eg sympathy, feeling sorry
in an environment where aggression is dominant, good people become disempowered and disenfranchised
some observers regard behavioural responses that are reasonable and civilised as a sign of weakness rather than maturity
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