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I'm just wondering about people's views on covert versus overt bullying. I've experienced both throughout my lifetime and I think it would be safe to say that the covert bullying has been the type that has stuck with me and affected me the most. I was beaten up on the way home from school at 5 for weeks but I can't remember this at all. A girl stuck a hockey stick up my nose when I was 14 so hard that I had brain fluid dripping out of my nose but it's the fact that my best friend instigated it so that it would look like an accident that I remember but the incident itself is almost immaterial to me. The fact that a whispering campaign was conducted at work against me for a full year but nothing could be done about it (my boss's words) because no-one 'saw' anything affected me badly. I consider this to be one of the worst forms of 'covert' bullying. The type of bullying people turn a blind eye to and you can be accused of being 'paranoid' about. It has started with my son already. He had his trousers yanked down at a party on Wednesday and his bottom spanked by a little boy who up until now I have thought was a little chum. I had to speak to his mum today and it wasn't easy. She said (although what could she say otherwise?) that he couldn't have meant it - that it was 'fun' as he's seen his big brother doing play WWF wrestling... My neighbours think I'm being weird and the ostracisation has begun (I can feel it) because I've taken a big step back from them as it was starting to really upset me to see their kids ignoring him when he says 'Hello', seeing one of them in particular just sneering at him and another desperately trying to get him into trouble. This was at a street BBQ where I felt he was picking up on all the negative vibes directed at him so he was very anxious and acted accordingly. Then, I felt like I was being judged for poor parenting skills. However, I don't think people even take this covert form of bullying at all seriously and in a sense I feel like I did when I was a lot younger again....gagged it because it looks like you're being melodramatic and overreacting which I probably am to an extent.