In the wake of yet another mass shooting, we have to remember that there are multiple sides to every story. Gun control is one, but we must look at it from another side, too: bullying.
Yes, maybe we need tighter restrictions on the ownership and usage of guns – but that’s not good enough. You see, not every gun owner carry out a mass shooting like the ones with which we have grown all too familiar in this country. There are factors that underlie someone’s choice to bring tragedy to a group of people – and they are unrelated to guns.
In the most recent mass shooting, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz on Feb. 14 walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, to claim the lives of 17 students and staff using an AR-15 assault rifle. In addition to the already hot gun-control debate, the coverage of this event has also sparked discussion about mental health, the importance of family life and the qualifications of law enforcement. However, one factor that likely played a vital role in Cruz’s decision of location and violent actions has been largely glossed over by the media: bullying.
High school can be a brutal place. It’s a place where we grow up and figure out who we are; but there are also immense social pressures unique to its environment. In Cruz’s case, these went above and beyond normal social awkwardness and turned into bullying; his actions turned an institution of learning to an unwelcome symbol of torment. “To Cruz, the campus’ sun-splashed courtyards were a dark place where he was mocked and ridiculed for his odd behavior, according to interviews with close family friends, students and recently released police and mental health reports,” the Miami Herald wrote in an article about the motivations behind Cruz’s actions. Cruz’s classmates noticed that he was frequently bullied; at least one individual wished he would have said something to an adult about the trials Cruz faced, according to the Miami Herald.
Cruz’ next-door neighbor Paul Gold “recalled seeing Cruz as a kid attempting to join other kids riding their bicycles in the neighborhood, but the kids brushed him off and called him names,” according to the Miami Herald. The Sun Sentinel, too, shared in an article in which Cruz’s younger brother admitted to bullying Cruz when they were growing up; he regretted not being kinder.
With all facets of his life being dominated by messages of inadequacy and worthlessness, it’s easy to imagine why Cruz was depressed and lonely. The sad part of this realization is that Cruz is not alone. According to stopbullying.gov, roughly a quarter of middle and high school students experience bullying; 70 percent of students say they have witnessed bullying, and only 20 to 30 percent of bullied students reported it to a trusted adult.
The culture of bullying in our society has conditioned us to neglect statistics like these — we forget that it could hit close to home. Bullying happens in so many forms. It doesn’t matter how old we are – a fellow student sitting in lecture with us, a coworker, a sibling or even ourself are not out of reach from the effects of bullying. We must change this culture.
Sure, Cruz may have still walked into his old high school on Valentine’s Day with a gun and the intent to kill even if he were never bullied a day in his life; the bottom line, though, is that we’ll never truly know exactly which, if any, variable could’ve been altered to completely prevent this school shooting from happening. However, removing even one of the variables may decrease the chance of the incident. Bullying would’ve been an ideal variable to eliminate; so many people have witnessed and experienced it. We can implement simple steps to address it.
Let this lack of action from bystanders be a lesson to us all. Whatever bullying you see – whether in the classroom, online or in the workplace – please stand up to it. Until we teach kids to stand up for each other and to say something when they see such treatment, it will be too little, too late. There may be a chance you may make someone’s day brighter; there may be a chance you help prevent the next national disaster; but there is one thing that’s absolutely sure: you will be a stepping stone to making this world a better place. After all, there’s no room for bullying of any kind in 2018.