Back to School - Beat Bullying!!!

I just wanted to share our little ‘Back To School' note from myself and the Extreme Rhythm cast! This is not a copy/paste - it's @originalworks a personal note to you guys out there starting back at school or college this week. In these coming days, you're going to find yourselves back in those familiar classrooms, schoolyards, and corridors - and most days you're going to PARTAKE in bullying - yes, you read that right! YOU are going to PARTAKE! Bullying is not necessarily the stereotypical TV version where three or four kids have another up against a wall stealing their lunch money - and you all know that. If you're still reading this, and you have any common sense at all, you KNOW bullying when you see it. Even the most subtle smart comment directed at someone can cut them to the bone if its the 50th comment they've had that week. Comments, Sly smirks, excluding people, joining in with the 'crowd' jeering or laughing - sorry, but they all count. They're all bullying - and they're all for losers.
The big fear of course is that if you're not seen to join in, you'll be next. And the thing is, you can easily get around this if you want to. Even if you're not 'that guy' who's prepared to ask the main perpetrator 'What the **** do you think you're doing?!', would it not be at least possible for you to hang back from the direct bullying? You don't HAVE to laugh along - they're not looking at you, they're just looking at that poor individual who's bearing the brunt of their insecurities. But here's where you can make a difference - and you can't actually fathom how much of a difference you CAN make if you're prepared to do it. You don't have to stick your neck out -wait till they're all gone if you want. But - that kid who has just been the victim of the bullying is now feeling so alone and vulnerable, you can completely change their day, and sometimes even their life - by a simple kind word on your way out the door - just to let them know they're not alone. The simplest of hands on the shoulder, and a kind word - 'Hope you're okay', or 'Don't take it too hard, it'll be someone else next month' ... can make all the difference. It'll make the difference to YOU too - you can go home knowing that you rose above the bullying, and at least made the effort. If you're a particularly strong individual, you could even send them a well composed private message later that night, to give them a little encouragement, and maybe even advice in how to make themselves become less of a victim ... you probably know how they can help themselves more than they do!
And that's it really - life is pretty simple - if you try to make a small difference for the good, that good will always return to you! One of the greatest evils in life is bullying, and it's absolutely for losers. If you're not against the bullies, then you're with them, that's an unfortunate fact of life. So please, try to make that small difference wherever you can.
There's no greater feeling than going home in the evening knowing that you've helped someone get through a difficult experience. So toughen up - the real 'tough guys' in this life are the people who stand up for the weak. If that's you, and you're an Extreme Rhythm fan, you'll be happy to know that it's actually the other way around - WE are YOUR fans!!!
Enjoy school - work hard, play harder, and look out for those not as strong as you!
Thanks for reading to the end 🙂 Nick Bailey / Team XR