A Kid’s Nightmare
Robert is the typical teenager who enjoying playing video games and watching movies whenever he can. He’s also very quiet and studious. One day, he decided to stop by Burger King but had no idea it would turn into such a disastrous day.
A Kid’s Nightmare
Mean Teens
He did not understand why, but Robert caught the attention of some other teenagers while he was at the Burger King. This was a group that was harassing him often for the past few weeks, and he felt like whenever he went, this particular group seemed to find him.
Mean Teens
Tough Kid
Even though these other kids were bullying him, Robert stayed tough. He did not let their jeers and name calling get to him. However, the bullying was reaching a point that it started to get more frightening. These teenagers were becoming quite unpredictable.
Tough Kid
Being Approached
Robert was enjoying himself at Burger King, eating his burger and fries and minding his own business when these three teenagers approached him. He immediately identified them as the ones who had been bullying him previously.
Being Approached
Sitting Down
To everyone who was nearby, it looked as though these teenagers know Robert. They marched right up to his table and sat down, so it was not immediately suspicious. However, beneath their fake smiles, they hid their true intentions.
Sitting Down
No Escaping
One of the boys who sat down turned to Robert and said to him: “hey kid.” He did not have a chance to escape, and soon found himself surrounded by the three teens. They sat on each of his sides and started to provoke him.
No Escaping
Protesting
He kept telling them: “leave me alone!” but the boys did not listen. One of the teenagers grabbed Robert’s drink and poured it all over his burger and fries. What these bullies didn’t realize was that somebody nearby was watching the whole ordeal.
Protesting
Watching Eyes
Close by, there was a man who was closely watching the situation unfold. He was sitting at a nearby bench, eating his meal, when he noticed the bullies. He immediately started paying closer attention to what was going on with Robert and the three bullies.
Watching Eyes
Escalating
The situation continued to escalate, and that’s when the man noticed what was going on. After he witnessed the bullies ruining Robert’s food with the drink, the man knew that it was time to step in and do something about these bullies.
Escalating
Intervening
As Robert was trying to fend off the bullies, the man stood up and made his way over. He felt that the pouring of the drink was likely just the tip of the iceberg and he wanted to get involved before anything physical would go down.
Intervening
Shocked
As the man approached the situation, he said to them in a stern voice: “Gentlemen, what are you doing?” At first, the teens were stunned. They could not believe that someone was intervening. The leader of the bullies tried to play down the scene and told the man that they were just playing around.
Shocked
Didn’t Believe It
The man knew that this boy was not telling the truth. He asked the teenagers what the deal was and why they were picking on Robert. The bullies did not have an answer and seemed completely dumbfounded by the whole confrontation.
Didn’t Believe It
Just Playing
The teens doubled down, repeating their excuse that they were only playing. They seemed very uncomfortable and were standing with their heads low. They were definitely affected by this man’s intervention.
Just Playing
Berate Them
The man continued to give them a piece of his mind. He asked them: “Don’t you think your parents would love to see what you’re doing? Do you think they would be proud?” The bullies stood sheepishly, listening to the man.
Berate Them
Answering Sheepishly
The bully who seemed like the leader, and was the oldest, answered sheepishly: “no sir.” However, it was not over yet for them. The man turned to the bully who had remained silent the entire time. What did the man do?
Answering Sheepishly
Getting Grilled
The man questioned the silent boy: “why didn’t you stop your friend from picking on this boy?” The man demanded. The boys then agreed that they regretted their actions. After all this, the man finally turned his attention to Robert.
Getting Grilled
Offering Company
He asked Robert if he was alright, and then asked him if he wanted to come and sit with him in the man’s original sitting area. He also asked the bullies to leave the establishment. However, this story isn’t finished yet…
Offering Company
One More Thing
The kind man had no idea that the whole bullying situation was orchestrated by Burger King who had joined forced with No Bully, an organization that aims to increase awareness against bullying.
One More Thing
Thought-Provoking
The experiment was meant to be thought provoking and to show how people can be bullied on a regular basis and to see whether other people would intervene. Nobody knew that there was another form of bullying happening that very same day.
Thought Provoking
Bullying the Burgers
The teenagers bullying Robert were not the only bullies that they. The Burger King employees were instructed to “bully” the burgers by smashing them with their fists before wrapping them up and serving them.
Bullying The Burgers
The Reactions
There were many responses to this publicity stunt when the video of the incident was released. It sparked a conversation that spanned nationally about the effects of bullying. How did customers react to receiving smashed burgers?
The Reactions
Very Telling
Customers not only responded to the bullying situation that was taking place in front of them, but also to the “bullied” burgers that were being served. There were many heartbreaking and telling responses. What were they?
Very Telling
The Results
Not a lot of people chose to step in and intervene with Robert’s situation of being bullied. However, 95% spoke up about the burgers being smashed while only 12% stood up for the boy being bullied.
The Results
Hitting a Nerve
The video, called “Bullying Jr.”, was released to see how people would respond to a situation where a child was being bullied right in front of their eyes. The video reached 8 million views and seemed to have touched a nerve.
Hitting A Nerve
A Heartwarming Moment
The experiment was done two more times. While there were many people who chose to step in a help Robert, there was one truly heartwarming moment when a woman decided to sit down next to Robert in order to show him support.
A Heartwarming Moment
A Great Idea
The video was a great idea to spark a conversation about bullying and where people’s priorities are, regardless of how uncomfortable the truth made them. The thought-provoking campaign made people start to ask, how can we truly combat bullying?
A Great Idea
Making a Difference
Bullying is a huge problem at many schools, but a lot of schools are not taking the problem seriously or simply do not have the resources to do so. A lot of parents complain that teachers downplay their concerns about their children being bullied.
Making A Difference
Learning
This campaign aims to show that adults like parents, teachers, and even strangers, can help make a difference. Any adult who noticed bullying can step in and help out.
Learning
What to Do
Despite many awareness programs, many children continue to be bullies. This is why parents should arm themselves with knowledge about what to do in this situation. The main thing is for parents to listen without getting angry or upset to the point where they can’t actually help.
What To Do
Listening
The most important thing is to put your feelings aside and listen to your child. This will let you understand how you can best give the support they need. You should encourage the child to not respond with more name calling or violence, because that can escalate the situation.
Listening
Adding
If your child is not confident, encouraging yelling and fighting could make their stress and anxiety much worse. You should instead focus on working together with their teachers and make it clear that you want to find a solution with the school.
Adding
Supporting
While sitting down with your child, ask them how they would like you to continue approaching the situation. This way, they can feel included in the process of resolving the situation without being afraid to confront the bully.
Supporting
Not Their Fault
Make sure to emphasize to the child that none of this is their fault. Remind them that being bullied is not a sign of weakness on their part, and that the bully must be dealing with their own problems and are choosing to take it out on others.
Not Their Fault
Encouragement
A great way to encourage a child in this instance is to aid your child in building resilience. Body language and voice tone can help immensely against bullies. A lot of bullies are looking for a reaction, so if you can help your child avoid this, it can help a great deal.
Encouragement
Stopping It
Once they realize they can’t get the reaction they want, bullies tend to stop picking on people. That’s why working on your child’s resilience is a great tool. You can try role playing different scenarios in order to help teach them how to overcome this.
Stopping It
Sending Messages
We can also teach our children that our bodies, faces, and voices send signals to others. A lot of times, actions are more powerful than words, so they should try to make sure that their bullies do not dominate their lives.
Sending Messages
Avoid
What you should avoid in these situations in charging at the other parents or teachers in these situations. Usually, no child wants this sort of escalation and can even make the bullying they face even worse.
Avoid
Their Experience
Make sure you are not dismissing their experience. It can be quite difficult to be told that your feelings are not valid, especially when you’ve shared your experience and become vulnerable. That’s how your child feels if they do not feel like their feelings are valid, which you can help control.
Their Experience
Dealing
While it is normal for you to feel helpless, hurt, angry, and even guilty, you need to deal with your own emotions and not let this cloud your judgment. Do not get offended if your child prefers to speak to others about what is going on.
Dealing
Getting Support
Schools are required to have an anti-bullying policy, which shows how the school has an obligation to support those who are being bullied. Make sure you come prepared with evidence before approaching the school.
Getting Support