It Doesn't Matter You're Gonna Die Online Radio Show-Bully or Bullied?

Well, yesterday's radio show tackled a serious subject that is very much relevant right now and that is bullying. Of course we had some laughs when it turned into a Cornett family reunion as Tim's sister Tanya and older brother called in to share their experiences. We talked about how it was always ok to make fun of the fat kid growing up and still is today as adults. Although, we didn't need violence to cope, just a slice of pizza or a cupcake and we were over it. We discussed how bullying continues as adults and I shared a story about how my wife had this happen to her by other parents right in front of their children. And they wonder where it's learned from.

We talked to special guest Chris Claudio @TN_La_Famiglia who runs a non-profit organization at tnlafamiglia.org where they specialize in stopping gang violence and bullying. Chris knows from experience as a shy, gifted kid who described himself as "nerdy" went from being bullied constantly to being the bully when he learned that weapons made him powerful and he liked being feared more than being fearful, a lesson reinforced when he stabbed a person for the first time. That ultimately led him down the wrong path and when he shot someone he ended up in prison serving 15 years out of a 37 year sentence. Now, Chris uses that life experience to consult kids, parents and schools on the signs and causes of bullying and ways to stop and prevent the bullying.

Even though it was some tough "adult" talk, I allowed my 10 year old daughter to listen to the whole conversation and we discussed it afterwards. One of the main things that we talked about that I truly believe based on my own life experience is that whenever someone is behaving in a manner that is aggressive toward someone else whether that's verbal, emotional and/or physical abuse it has nothing to do with the person being bullied, but instead is something within the bully that they don't love about themselves. They act this out by hurting others. This usually stems from anger of unresolved issues possibly from abuse and neglect. We must teach our children that love can heal. We must make sure that we give our children the self-confidence and love to stand up for themselves and help others who are hurting and that is when change can happen.

We also talked about getting back a sense of community that seems to be lacking in our schools. When the school fosters a sense of community from the beginning and a zero tolerance policy is enforced by EVERYONE meaning students have an environment where nobody puts up with that type of behavior from the administrators to the parents down to the students themselves, it prevents bullying behavior, enhances the school experience for everyone involved and has been shown to even improve academic results. There is nothing more powerful than the students themselves taking a stand and not tolerating that type of behavior from each other and showing their fellow students that they love one another despite (and even because of) their differences. The type of behavior we see now (and it’s getting worse) stems from this believe that we are all separate and not only is that a fallacy but a dangerous concept. We are all connected, there is no "my kid" or "my situation alone", and we are all one and need to start acting like it. This includes and should start with our own government, it is funny to me how we aim to stop bullying in the US yet we are the biggest bullies of them all (that topic is a whole separate show). You can listen to the entire radio show here: http://www.itdoesntmatteryouregonnadie.com/idmygd-radio