Flash Mob of Pink Shirts and a Stand (or a Dance) Against Bullying

Had to share this today. Seriously, what a cool thing. It took major effort on the part of the kids, the teachers and probably some parents to pull this off.

These are people who care and who know what it takes to help kids get the message and feel empowered. Music is so powerful.

Obviously, Lady GaGa knows that. This week she announced her campaign, Born This Way. The thing I liked about it is that she came around to thinking that it's not about bullying prevention. It's more than that. It's about empowerment and the things you do to enrich the lives of others. I could really relate. It's the same thought process I had. Three years ago, I thought it was all about stopping the bully, and it is to some degree because the harshness of some bullying actions border on criminal, but it can't be our only focus. Now I realize it's also about reminding kids about the power they have to improve each other's lives. My focus is now on the Upstander. If you create a culture of stepping in and stepping up for one another, the long tail of pain that bullying causes, will be diminished.

This week I had the pleasure of spending time with Girl Scout Troop 5397. They were bright and happy and not shy about sharing their opinion. When I asked them questions about bullying, they had all the answers. The school has done a good job. They've heard the talks about bullying.

The real conversation came when we talked about what we do for each other. It's one thing not to bully, it's another thing to step in to help someone and to be aware that our actions on the sidelines are the things that are either going to help the most, or hurt the most.

I shared the quote with them that

"If you walk away and go get help, you are part of the solution. If you stay and watch, you are part of the problem."

Sometimes I think the focus from a young age should be less on "bullying" and more on teaching kids specific ways to step in for each other. They're all heroes in training.

In case you were wondering and according to a study by the Girl Scouts Research Institute, yes, reality shows can make girls more mean.

We can put all the bullying prevention campaigns in place that we want, but when teens are surrounded by mean, it's hard to prevent it. People often say, "What's the big deal? Bullying has been around forever", but with the dawn of the reality show phenomenon, being mean has helped create a new low. Now, it's "funny" or "cool."

Are you reading this producers of Bad Girls Club? Do you care? Probably not, but it's ok for us to care. Ask your kids if they watch it. If they watch it and laugh at it, worry...and say something. Somewhere along the way, we have to get the message across that if it is reality, in any way shape or form, it's a very sad reality.

There's another aspect to this story. Often when we see someone doing something so extreme, we feel we're not as bad as and that gives us permission to be mean but not that mean. In other words, many popular reality shows lower the bar. It's not ok to be mean, even if it's not as mean as what we're watching for "entertainment."

When did it become ok to watch people, including teens, assault each other?