Step 4

Step 4: Stand Up or Stand By

This step is really the heart of our project: the bystander.  When the FHS team began to work on this year's project, it was our belief that most students were not bullies and not victims.  They were more likely to be the bystander -- and could they, would they have the ability to stand up against bullying?

Once the student answers were collected, it was time to begin Step 4 of "Five Steps to Tyranny."  The highlight of this segment is an experiment in which football fans had the chance to help an injured man, who would be wearing either the jersey of the home team or the rival team.

Students clearly had a lot to say.  We discussed the experiment if it happened with someone wearing either the jersey of our team or of our rival team.  All students, regardless of their peer group, agreed that they would help someone wearing the home team jersey -- and then laugh and step over the person wearing the rival team's jersey. 

This then led to the question: As humans, do you think we have a need to belong to a tribe?  Students considered this for a moment, and then agreed that yes, we do need to belong to a tribe -- especially during a sporting event, where we are all one.  But once the game is over and the jerseys come off, they all return to their smaller subtribes -- and the usual tribal lines discussed in Step 1 (Us and Them) return.

More alarming, however, were the written responses, in which students were asked if they had ever been the victim of bullying.  Their answers completely tore apart our initial idea that most students were bystanders.  In fact, it was evenly split between victim and bystanders -- and their answers were brutally honest.

"When I was in elementary school I was almost choked because I was smart.  Also, since I am Hispanic, it is often assumed that I don't have potential."

"I have been a victim of sexual harassment and verbal harassment.  I have, after being bullied, verbally bullied other people.  Hypocritical?  I know."

"I have been a bully in elementary school.  Then, in middle school and high school, I've been the victim.  I apologized to the people I used to bully because I was going through a lot in that time.  But I still feel horrible about it."

"I sometimes find myself judging people based on how they look."

"I have never been teased.  I have witnessed kids being harassed.  It is mostly the gay kids and fat kids.  The Special Ed kids are also made fun of, which is disgusting."

Then came the million dollar question.  Could the students stand up to wrongdoing?  There was a broad spectrum of responses, and it appears that speaking up is a process -- easy for some, not so much for others.

"It is pretty hard because if you are part of the friends of the bullying group, then you are going against your friends.  Also, you don't want to be the next target, so you simply don't do anything."

"Standing up is easiest when there is someone there to stand up with you."

"It is very hard for me to stand up to wrongdoing because then I would be putting myself into the path of being bullied or looked down upon."

"I cannot stand up to anyone.  I am constantly walked all over by people."

"It is difficult because I am a fearful person."

"It is mostly easy for me to stand up to wrongdoing.  I've always had a mind of my own.  And when I see helpless people getting picked on is when I decide to stand up."

"I'm normally the bystander who voices to my friends how wrong I think it is but never has the guts to stand up against a crowd.  There's so much bullying going around that if it doesn't have to do with you, you convince yourself it's best to stay out rather than make yourself a victim, too.  Though it's wrong."