One of the most common things people go through at least once in their life is getting bullied. There are only a few people who haven’t experienced it but there are some who can’t really tell if they have been bullied since it may not have gotten into them as much as the others have, because it may not have happened multiple times.
According to experts, bullying is something that started way before people knew what it is, then again, it was only during the 1980s when more and more psychologists in the United States who been researching on what exactly it does to the human mind.
Nowadays, people are very much aware of this, some may have experienced it when they were younger, some have children who are currently experiencing it, and there are even some are experiencing it right as of this moment. What most people don’t know is that bullying does not just happen to kids and teenagers, it also happens to adults.
However, bullying is something that people wouldn’t really understand unless they go through it or they know someone close to them who are going through it, which is why a lot of organizations are trying to push an anti-bullying campaign wherein they would conduct social awareness programs for people. IKEA, which is one of the most popular furniture stores in the world, decided to conduct a social experiment with some kids in the Middle East and actually ask them to bully a plant. Some people may actually think it is such a nonsense idea and that it was somewhat ridiculous, but the outcome was totally eye-opening.
Kids Bully Plants
In order to spread awareness on the effects of bullying, the famous furniture store has decided to do a little experiment. The said experiment actually involved not just one but two houseplants that were actually placed at a school in the Middle East. Students were asked to record their voices with some of them saying pretty nice and loving words towards the plant, and some were encouraged to say the opposite which is mean and hurtful.
Each of the plants was given what every plant needs such as water, sun, and fertilizer. However, only one of the plants were provided with nice compliments and kind words every single day, which then led to it growing beautifully and healthy.
The plant that was given the opposite grew differently and is not exactly in a very good shape compared to the other plant. This does not justify that plants actually have the same emotional state as a child, but it is merely a representation of what is going on when someone is getting bullied.
The goal of this experiment is to basically make people aware that there is indeed a huge impact on kids when they are bullied. Unfortunately, there are times that there are children who got bullied so much that it has affected their mental state as they grow older. This often results in poor academic performance, health problems, and most especially their personalities.
Bullying stops them from being who they are and doing what they want, it stops them from exploring new things and learning. According to child experts, bullying could mold a change into a completely different person and it is a dangerous matter. So far, there are 3.2 million children in the United States who are victims of bullying, but that is the number of those who have had help, there are still more who haven’t got a chance to seek the exit path. Then again, children are not the only ones who get bullied, teenagers and even adults do.
What happens when you bully a plant? 🌱😡🌱 Find our more https://t.co/JBvNvItuCG #SayNoToBullying pic.twitter.com/w0Wb3xUPyd
— IKEA UAE (@IKEAUAE) May 1, 2018
Bullying Teens And Adults
They say that when a child gets bullied, there is a chance that this could help them become a stronger person especially if they receive all the love, support, and help they need to overcome that dark journey.
However, teenagers are a different matter, they are much more vulnerable since they are on a stage where they are figuring out who they really are. This is where depression and anxiety come in, suicide rates of teenagers go up almost every year, a Netflix original series was even based on it to let people know that it is indeed happening.
Adults get bullied as well, people may think that adults could definitely defend themselves if ever they get bullied but in the digital world we are currently in, bullying just made easier and now it is referred to as cyber-bullying, wherein a person could anonymously make mean and nasty comments all the time.