Shouting and throwing things isn’t bullying, it’s just bad manners

27 February 2010

Of course it’s bad to persecute people, says Rod Liddle. But bullying has now become the latest politically correct public sector growth industry

My Concise Oxford Dictionary defines ‘bullying’ in the following terms: ‘to persecute or oppress by force or threats’. The charity at the centre of this latest furore about the Prime Minister, the National Bullying Helpline, meanwhile describes it thus, on its introductory webpage: Stress. Bullying. Workplace stress and anti-bullying advice for adults. Anti-bullying and Cyberbullying help for kids. Bullying help at Work. Anti-bullying in Schools. Anti-bullying in the Community. Bullying in schools. Domestic violence. Cyberbullying. Stalking. Redundancy. Bullying & Harassment Investigations. Workplace Investigations. Grievance. Disciplinary. Discrimination. Dismissal. Suspension. Mediation. Abuse in the Workplace. Stress. Work-related stress. Health and Safety at Work. Downsizing. Change Management. Leadership training. ACAS Code of Practice. Bullying in the playground and in the classroom. Mobile and text bullying. Dangerous websites. Happy Slapping. Facebook bullying. Gay bullying. Problems with Bebo. Advice for parents on bullying. Employment Law. Case Law. Statutory Law.

And really, that’s it. You don’t need to know any more, while picking your way through this latest controversy: it’s all there in that introduction. Bullying, as newly defined by a charity which relies upon the widest possible prevalence of bullying for its money, now includes being made redundant, having a grievance, being disciplined at work, being investigated at work, being suspended from work, working for a firm which is downsizing or changing its management structure in a manner which you might not like, and much much more besides. Including ‘problems with Bebo’. Who is this bastard Bebo, and why is he bullying so many people? It’s a mystery to me, maybe somebody should sort him out, and then he can claim for being bullied too. And then there’s ‘Gay bullying’. Is that people who are gay being bullied by people who are not? Or is it, as the phrase implies, gay people bullying straight people, perhaps by asking them to dress better, or to work on their pecs?

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