Social Acceptance: The Tyranny of the Majority

by Dodo Charles

Being popular is not all it is cracked up to be. I can understand why some individuals want to climb up the social ladder into popularity, however I simply cannot comprehend why people then feel that this is an excuse to pick on someone “beneath” them.

There are some individuals who are more likely to get bullied than others, namely:

1.      Those with disabilities- this can be anything from being blind, being in a wheelchair or being deaf. It is thankfully becoming more rare to see people with disabilities being bullied, but society is still not capable of walking past them without looking uncomfortable and, in some cases, avoid people with disabilities completely.

2.      Visible illness- I am talking about illnesses that cause a change in physical appearance. People often assume that there is something morbidly wrong with you, which is not always the case and can be upsetting to the recipient of the worried looks. Not to mention, the loss of friends who feel awkward talking to the ill person.

3.      Personality- bullying someone for not fitting in with the majority of the public. This is one of the worst forms, as it is picking on someone who is just trying to be themself. Many of us have been affected by this attempt to degrade someone and it really lowers people's self-esteem.

Society will always have difficulties with accepting people. It is something that we cannot prevent no matter how hard we try. The question is: Why?