Since
my last blog, it occurred to me; as our health concerns rise, issues that fall
under the umbrella of violence seem to increase. We tend to put abuse, bullying
and acts of murder, rape, etcetera, in separate categories. To
the victims of these atrocities, they are all a form of bullying; (an act of
violence, aggression, or harassment against a weaker person). And let us not
forget the mistreatment of animals, the environment along with destruction of
personal and public property. While many may not see this as a typical health
concern, I feel that it should be since it shows that questionable mental
behavior is increasing and good mental health is
declining. These issues are negatively affecting the quality of life for all of
us and the time has come for creative, drastic, and provocative
actions. Until we make an authentic CONCERTRD and UNITED
effort, in spite of our organizational affiliations, this
scary problem will continue to fester.
What
prompted me to blog about this is that I received a tweet that revealed a
statistic which purported; 13 million children are bullied
every year. This statistic only included the
children being bullied. Unfortunately, victimization is an equal
opportunity offense. The perpetrators and the victims cover
every social, racial, and economic group. We have to bring powerful attention
to the masses before this issue becomes just another inevitable
part of our culture. As Lady O (Oprah) expressed, listening to the
details of these outrageous offenses is becoming like listening to white
noise. The danger of white noise is, if we are not vigilant, the increase
of this destructive conduct will be viewed as just another facet of cultural
behavior. We worry, as we should, about foreign terrorist, (someone
who uses violence to intimidate others, often for political purposes). However,
what are we going to do about the horrific acts we perpetrate against
each other? I also wonder how are we going to get people to have
respect for animals and the environment, when we continue to disrespect and
commit horrific acts against other human beings?
I
propose that we make a plea to the Ad Council and the NFL to create a Public
Service Announcement for the Super bowl regarding the problems that fall under
the umbrella of abuse, bullying and the alarming violent behavior we are facing
in today’s (civilized?) society. The message should denounce the
negative and detrimental actions of bullies, and abusers. Hopefully
it will also stress the need for authentic help
and counsel for the victims, as well as the perpetrators. This is a
service that should be supplied since frequently, abusers, bullies, and
executors of violence are often victims or, have been in the past.
Using football players (& sports celebrities in general) is ideal because:
they are influential and they have a medley of fans that admire and revere
them. Included in their fan base are those who are fragile, strong, straight,
gay, men, women, CHILDREN, unlawful and law abiding
citizens. Even those who are not football fans go to Super Bowl parties, watch
the half time entertainment, and find themselves unable to escape the fan fare
that revolves around this monumental event.
Encourage your followers to send tweets out to those who have influence regarding such a campaign. Some key contacts are listed below. Request that they tweet and retweet. We will have to put forth the same enthusiasm and energy the customers of Bank Of America used when they persuaded the organization to change their fee policy. While we may not be able to eliminate all behavioral misdeeds, as a civilized, intelligent and evolved society, we can for sure diminish this disturbing conduct. I am not so naive that I am closing my eyes to the big money that is spent for a Super Bowl commercial, however I am hopeful that someone can see the enormous predicament our children, families, and society is facing and the consequences attached if we don’t do all that we can NOW!!
Have followers send their tweets to:
Ad Council @AdCouncil Public Service Announcements
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NFL PLAYERS is the NFL Players Association's for-profit licensing and marketing subsidiary.
Drew Brees @drewbrees
Official Drew Brees Twitter account.
New Orleans ·
DeMaurice Smith @DeSmithNFLPA
Executive Director, NFL Players Association
Washington, DC ·
George Atallah @GeorgeAtallah
I work for the NFL Players...Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs at the NFLPA where the players dwell ·
