Did you wear pink this week to show you are against bullying?
Ten years ago, two teens in Nova Scotia wore pink to support a fellow student who was being bullied.
It was 60 years ago that I was being bullied. Pushed around, knocked down, cursed out.
I was small for my age, and a couple of guys who were big for their age were mean. They’d make a nasty remark to me and I always had a smart aleck comeback, even though I knew I’d pay.
I came home bruised one day and my mom called the school but they would do nothing, because, you know, boys will be boys.
My dad talked to the Mountie who lived down the street. He also could do nothing, but pointed out that every Monday night he drove to the city to take Judo, and he offered to take me along.
The Master said he would only teach me if I promised not to use it until he said I was ready.
It would be a couple of months of hurting until the confrontation that saw a very surprised bully go over my shoulder and onto the floor. The bullying ended but then other guys wanted to fight me.
Too bad we didn’t know then about the power of… pink.
Bob Layton is the news manager of the Corus Edmonton group of radio stations and a commentator for Global News.