EDITORIAL - Bullying should not be tolerated

According to Senator Robinhood Padilla, students should be able to manage a little physical bullying as opposed to mental bullying.

He said this during a Senate hearing last February 13 where lawmakers studied the implementation of the Anti-Bullying Act.

“For me, physical bullying is manageable... physical torture, for me, helped me, not only about facing life challenges. I think it helped me 20 or 30%... those little push is okay,” Padilla said.

No, it’s not okay. Padilla seems to misunderstand how bullying, any kind of bullying, works.

Yes, there are physical “pushes” that are good for us. In fact there is this thing known as tough love, which includes the corporal punishments like whipping, kneeling on salt, standing out in the sun, and all the punishments that the older generation experienced but seem to be taboo today.

But tough love only works when the one dealing it is the right authority and with the right intentions in mind. By that we mean parents, siblings, relatives, teachers, and those in similar positions who want the person straightened out, to become disciplined, to improve, or to get important life lessons.

And tough love results from certain actions or offenses committed, it does not come out of the blue.

Bullies aren’t persons with such interests. They don’t pick on others to make those bullied persons better; they bully others only to make themselves feel better about themselves. Unlike tough love, bullying also comes out of the blue and often undeserved.

And while it is true that exposure to physical bullying can make one tougher, it is a toughness that comes with trauma, resentment, and even anger, and most likely will be passed on to others when that person comes into a position of power. From student to student, parent to child, employer to employee, among others.

Any kind of bullying, physical, mental, or whatever, should not be tolerated. It is not okay.