Act 1: The men of Always aren’t interested in the children of Never
This story is partly fictional partly true. I was in an Uber pool ride in Chicago and one of my co-passengers Cory, was an ex-gangster. Chicago is infamously known for gang wars, drug peddling, violence and dangerous neighborhoods. I used to live close to the Magnificent Mile, one of the best and most vibrant neighborhoods in the city, close to my workplace and hadn’t really ventured to the suburbs much. So the stories I heard from this guy were pretty shocking to me.
Cory said he was introduced to the gangs via family members. Almost every one in his family were members of some gang. He mentioned how over two weekends ago, 15 people were shot in an incident but there was no investigation because most of them were African-Americans or Hispanics and had links to gangs. It was an open and shut case. However, a few months ago, a white guy was shot and the investigation went on for months. Forty one people were arrested. He said most of the members of police were aware of the gangsters and even had tags to who belonged to which gang, but still nothing was done when members of the Hispanic or African American community were shot. I am unable to validate the accuracy of these stories. This was his version. As an immigrant, yes I am aware of racism, but hadn’t ever spoken face to face with someone who had such experiences. He said about 10 years ago there was an incident where members of the rival gang had attacked his son and his son had a narrow escape from death. That was the day he decided to cut off all ties with the gangs. He wanted to start his life afresh. He changed his name, moved neighborhoods, changed his looks, colored his hair, started speaking differently, changed jobs, changed phone numbers, cut off all links with family members who were still associated with gangs, changed his son’s school. He didn’t want that kind of life for his son, he said. Being in those circumstances, he said it is not possible to not be a part of it because then you run the danger of being called a spy or a traitor and will eventually be shot by other gangsters. Even after taking all those measures and staying away and staying clean for 10 years, he said he and his son were still followed. “The men of Always aren’t interested in the children of Never”, famous quote from T.V. Series Narcos.
Act 2: Words scar, Rumors destroy, Bullies kill
Bullying at school is fairly common, especially for kids who don’t fit in. It can occur in various forms where the kids may not be included in groups and forced to eat alone or incidents where kids get beat up by the bullies for no good reason. They always teach you to be a leader, to stand out, to not be a sheep when in fact the main thing you learn from schools and these incidents of bullying is that the true power is in numbers and in being part of a flock.
Bullying can occur anywhere: in schools, playgrounds, offices, online on social media, or via online trolls. Bullies understand the power of numbers so they often yield a lot of power, have strong networks and have a lot of resources at their disposal. And because the bullies understand the power of numbers, they often operate by isolating the prey. These days, with social media, online trolling and cyber bullying are fairly common. However, cyber bullying is still bullying and in many ways can be more hurtful and hateful since it is easier to spread rumors/insults online by forming groups on social media to propagate the insults and isolating your prey. And it is more difficult to hold your cyber bullies accountable because they are all in this together. Just because there are no bruises to show, doesn’t make the bullying and mental abuse any less hurtful. Bullies operate by fear and intimidation, intimidation to destroy you, your social life, your professional life, your career and powerful bullies often have the network, resources, backing and support to execute this. Standing up to a bully is easier said than done, especially when it comes to huge groups of cyber bullies. If you see someone getting bullied, stand up for them otherwise you may as well be the bully. Stare them down and shout it aloud “Satan, your kingdom must come down”. Will it though?
Related articles: https://www.kathykeats.com/blog/sheep-bullies
*Satan, your kingdom must come down: A song by Robert Plant and used as a theme song for T.V series Boss
