Ask A Cartoonist: Bully for You!
A lot of cartoonists experienced bullying as children. Quiet artistic types are often the brunt of jokes– I know I was picked on more than once for preferring to sit in the corner and doodle! So it’s only natural that cartoonists would have something to say about such an important topic.
This week, in keeping with the theme of the week, our guest blogger, Kurt J. Kolka, asked our cartoonists the following question:
“What advice would you give to a kid who is being bullied?”
My advice is to tell someone. Tell a teacher, guidance counselor, or trusted older person. Or tell your parents. You’re not in this alone. Even the moral support alone is helpful when you tell someone who is in a position of power.
–Karen Moy, Mary Worth
–Bud Grace, Piranha Club
Rusty Welding was the victim of cyber-bullying. The school administration’ s response was…slightly behind the times. But Rusty and his friends resolved it in a unique fashion.
–Bill Holbrook, On the Fastrack and Safe Havens
My advice would be to tell someone you trust. If you keep it to yourself, you risk coming to the conclusion that – it was your fault, it didn’t really matter, maybe it didn’t even happen! (The illustration below is from Raconteur #6, available here.
–Isabella Bannerman, Six Chix
I was bullied as a kid and it’s horrible. Sometimes it feels like there is nothing you can do about it. Fighting back makes it worse, but when you ignore it, it doesn’t go away. My advice would be to distance yourself from it as much as possible (if the bullying is happening online, don’t go online. If it is by text, block those people, or delete the texts without reading them.) and don’t be afraid to talk to your parents or teachers about it. Hang in there! You will find your own friends and happiness in the end.
I’ve just written a book about bullying, called The Friends Against Bullies Club, so watch this space…
–Alex Hallatt, Arctic Circle
Initially, I think I would recommend that the child being bullied try talking to the bully about how it makes them feel. Then, secondly, I would tell them to talk with a trusted adult about the situation.
–John Rose, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith
So there you have it– advice about bullying from the folks who had their own crayons shoved up their noses more times than they can count.
Bullying is always awful and comes in all shapes and sizes, but knowing you have people you can count on for support helps a lot.