1

Passivity:JustDoSomething
Imagine,youareamiddleschoolgirlmercilesslyridiculedforyourinsecurities,
whileotherswalkbyskirtingtheireyestoavoidintervening.Itmaynotseem
considerableontheoutside,buttheemotionalwedgeisdrivendeeperwithevery
passerbysstep.Crueldeedslikethisarerooteddeepwithpassivityifcitizensarenot
helpingtheproblemend,theyarehurtingitssolution.Whenotherschoosenottoget
involveditisasthoughtheythemselvesaretheonebullying.This,tragically,isnota
newconceptithashappenedformuchlongerthanwhenbullyingbecameahottopic.
Greatchangecanonlyoccurwhenpeopletakesaction.Ergo,evilwillalwaysthrive
becausepassivitywillyieldtoit.
Theroleofabystanderinbullyingexplainsthenumerouswaysthatpassivityis
theculpritofwickedacts.Tobegin,bullyingcanendwithin10secondsthemajorityof
conflicts,ifsomeonestepsin,accordingtoastudybyscientistsDebraPepler(York
University)andWendyCraig(QueensUniversity)fromtheFamilyResourceFacilitation
CenterofCaliforniawebsite.Thatisalarge
if
whenfewerthan20percenttryto
interpose,notwithstanding,90percentofstudentsnotlikingtowatchbullying.
Bystanding,alsoknownasnotactivelyhelping,isthemostfrequentreactiontobullying.
Somereasonsbystandersdonotinterveneis:notknowingwhattodothemselves,fear
ofbecomingthenexttarget,notbelievingitisnecessarytostepin,orthinkingtheir
actionswillmakethecircumstancesworse,basedoninformationfromEyesonBullying.
Eventhoughthepassivebystanderdidntdirectlycausetheproblem,therearestill
negativerepercussions,likeguiltornervousness,letaloneactualpunishmentteachers

orauthoritiesmaygive.Dosomething.orgreportedgreaterthan3.2millionstudentsare
bulliedeachyear.Thatnumberisunacceptableandinexcusablyhigh,especially
consideringthata2004studyaboutmiddleschoolstudents,whenbullyingisatits
worst,foundthat86percentofmorethan1200boysandgirlshaveseensomeone
beingbullied!Aboveall,recentstudiesshowhalfofbullyingoccurrencesarenot
reported.Thecrucialrolethatisthebystandercannotbeunderstatedbutiscommonly
overlooked.Forterribledeedsofbullyingtoend,itiscriticalthatmorebystandersstep
in.
Next,historydemonstratesthatsolutionstoconflictsareslowedorneversolved
becauseofsubmissiveactionsorlackthereofastrongexampleisthecivilrights
movement.Thecivilwarmayhavelegallyimprovedequalityamongraces,butsocially
largedivisionandresidualtensionremained.Duringtheroughly80yearsthatfollowed
theReconstructionoftheSouth,JimCrowlawswereenacted.FerrisStateUniversity
claimedtheselawswerenamedafterahighlyracistandstereotypicalportrayalof
AfricanAmericansinaplay.Theselawswerebasicallymanycourtsandlawmakers
waytogetaroundtheThirteenth,Fourteenth,andFifteenthAmendments.Inaddition,
theseAmendmentsweredecisive,sayingthatslaveryisabolished,andcontinuallywill
be,anyonebornornaturalizedinAmericaarecitizens,andyoucanvotedespite
race,color,orpastservitude,asstatedbyushistory.org.Also,accordingtothePublic
BroadcastingService(PBS),thelawsweredubbedbysupportersseparatebutequal,
thoughinactuality,werefarfromit.Someoftheoutrageouslawswereaboutinhibiting
intermarriage,integratedschools,butmostlawswereaboutkeepingpublicspaces

separatephonebooths,restaurants,buseseventextbooks.Moreover,supporters
createdsneakytacticsofkeepingvotingballotsoutofAfricanAmericanshands.Infact,
aMississippilawforbadethecirculationofmaterialpromotingequalityorresistanceof
JimCrowlawsviolatorscouldbeincarceratedorfinedassaidfromtheNationalPark
Service,specificallytheMartinLutherKingJr.NationalHistoricSite.Theselawscould
bewidelyenforcedthroughoutthecountry,yetsomeboldindividualswouldstandupfor
theircause,knowingthehighrisksinapopulationwithmanyhatredfeelings,littledid
theyknowthattheywouldforeverchangethecourseofhistory.PeoplelikeMartin
LutherKingJr.,RosaParks,RubyBridges,BlancheK.Bruce,andJackieRobinsonall
brokedownmanypolitical,social,andeconomicbarriers.Alloftheirsactionsproveno
matterwhatanindividualdoes,anyonecanmakeachange.Greatstridesinprogress
canonlyhappenwhenpeopletakeactionandwholeheartedlybelieveintheircause.
Somepeoplebelievethateveryonehasothersbestinterestatheart,butmake
lapsesinjudgementorthataccidentshappen,exceptcontinuallymakingunethicalor
unlawfuldecisionsisnotafewwrongchoiceswhenpeoplearemaliciouslybeing
murdered,persecuted,abused,terrorized,orbullied,allwhileotherswatchinsilence.
Passivityisachoicejustlikeevilnessandmoralityhoweverinactionwillcausejustas
muchharmasdoingevilvindictively.
Lastly,AlbertEinsteinoncesaid,Theworldisnotdangerousbecauseofthose
whodoharmbutbecauseofthoselookatitwithoutdoinganything.Theimportanceof
thebystanderandthegreatreformcivilrightsleaderscausedareprimeexamplesof
thatidea.Thereareoversevenbillionpeopleonthepieceofrock,Earth,thatwecall

homehumanitymustcoexistsomehow.Peaceisthemostprogressive,safe,and
simple.Theonlywayforconflictstopersistisifnoonedoesanything.Sothenexttime
akidispinnedagainstthewallbeingtaunted,willsomeonestepin?Whowillbethe
change?

WorksCited
PBS
.PBS.Web.28Feb.2015.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/issues/jimcrowlaw
s>.
"11FactsAboutBullying."
11FactsAboutBullying
.Web.02Mar.2015.
<https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11factsaboutbullying>.
"BillofRightsandLaterAmendments."
Ushistory.org
.IndependenceHallAssociation.
Web.09Mar.2015.<http://www.ushistory.org/documents/amendments.htm>.
"EducationSite."
BullyingStatistics
.Web.11Mar.2015.
<http://www.frfp.ca/parentsresources/parenteducation/bullying/bullying_stats.php
>.
"EyesonBullying."
EyesonBullying
.Web.08Mar.2015.
<http://www.eyesonbullying.org/bystander.html>.
Hawkins,D.Lynn,DebraJ.Pepler,andWendyM.Craig."NaturalisticObservationsof
PeerInterventionsinBullying."
SocialDevelopment
10.4(2001):51227.Print.
UnitedStates.NationalParkService."JimCrowLaws."
NationalParksService
.U.S.
DepartmentoftheInterior,24Feb.2015.Web.24Feb.2015.
<http://www.nps.gov/malu/learn/education/jim_crow_laws.htm>.
"WhoWasJimCrow."
JimCrowMuseum:OriginsofJimCrow
.Web.10Mar.2015.
<http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/who.htm>.