“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Are you even Jamaican if you never said that with a-tti-tude on the playground as a little kid?

Bullying: it may seem like a newly minted word in Jamaican vernacular but we all get the gist of what it means more or less. And though we might not all call it by that name, we can’t  reasonably deny that it happens. But when has a thing like reasonableness ever stopped some of us? 

Unfortunately the only thing harder than getting some Jamaicans to open their eyes to the seriousness of bullying and condemn it as they should is getting that same set and even some others to do the same for cyber bullying.

It’s time for us all to recognise that saying mean things isn’t cool in the least and that there are kinder, smarter ways to address and resolve conflict than pushing, fighting, shoving or calling names and spreading lies. Physical assault or threats are not okay, and verbal assault is not okay either.

And all that applies to cyberspace as well. Those that are religious and spiritual are on to something when they point out the weight and significance of words: the same way self-affirmation and positive self-talk can help build you up, negative words and microagressive behaviour can take its toll over time on even the strongest of us all.

Instead of making it our priorities to tell victims to ‘man up’ or stop being thin skinned, it ought to be our first priority to condemn such cruelties.

Bullying is a very serious matter and so is cyber bullying; the law has names and punishments for many of the things that these two entail. Section 9 of The Cybercrimes Act of 2015 addresses malicious cyber communication and the legal penalties it can attract, which include up to five years in prison and/or five million dollars in fines. Yeah, it’s that serious, guys.

If you or anyone you know is being bullied don’t hesitate to talk it over with as many trusted, sound adults as possible (not someone who’ll laugh or downplay your problem). And if you see someone being bullied or mistreated and you fear speaking out against the aggressor, a good friend or someone in their corner might make a world of difference to that person anyhow – you can be that person.

Sticks and stones can break bones and words can hurt so let’s all find opportunities to be kind to each other instead of being cruel. After all, it costs nothing to be nice.