I DON’T GET BLOCKED ON SOCIAL MEDIA MUCH, BUT WHEN I DO….
I have been thinking a lot about bullying lately. When I was a young girl I was bullied in grade 4 badly by a girl much bigger in size than me. I began to get nervous about going to school. The more this bully bothered me at the bus stop to and from school the more I dreaded going to school. I am already terribly shy (yes I am) so this could have really had impact on my personality. Let me just say, I am lucky to be the last of seven children!! When my brother noticed and asked me what was up I told him about my bully. His response was so simple it may have been the first time I experienced the whole men are from Mars women from Venus analogy. He said to take care of it the way I would if it was my sister bothering me.
Of course I got off the next day and beat up my bully!!!! I am NOT condoning violence AT ALL but it worked. I felt on top of the world when I went running home, leaving her glasses flying in the wind behind her…. OK, maybe that was added drama to read but I did really let her have it!! After the adrenaline wore off I went home and hid in my room wondering if I was going to get in trouble for standing up to my bully. I actually heard my Mother when the young girls' Mother came to the door. “My Cindy?” Um, “No, not my Cindy, have you seen the size of her?”. She didn’t think it was even possible. I waited for my Father to come home and fessed up. “Yes, I did beat up the girl from down the street”. I hate to admit it but I think my Father was proud of me. Again, not condoning violence but I was pretty small, took a long time to get my growing spurt so in retrospect I think he was just happy I could take care of myself after I spoke of the bullying I had endured.
Here it is, over thirty years later. I have expressed many times how happy I am that I did not grow up with the internet, particularly Social Media as I don’t know if my skin was thick enough to handle the likes, the no likes, the comments, the no comments etc. and so forth. UNTIL everyone becomes a reviewer of everyone and every business. What does this have to do with bullying?? Well, here’s an example of my most recent case (although by the time this is posted there may be a whole new slew of stories)…
I answer the phone at work one day last week. It was Jeannie Rush on the line asking the cost of a haircut. I asked her how long her hair was as she had NEVER been to my business before. She was clearly annoyed at the questioning, replying with a “Why? I don’t want a perm!!!” I said that we would never book a perm unless asked. She then got angry when I said our students haircut on hair below the shoulders costs $20 including the shampoo, conditioning, and styling. She basically lost her shit on me. I suggested she go elsewhere if the cost wasn't in her budget. She said it’s too expensive for a student’s service, she became hostile before I suggested that if she’s looking for a “cheap” service to go to one of the franchises that will trim dry for a low cost. This seemed to upset her more and she said “No, I will review your business instead”.
In comes the reviews!! Remember, this person (Jeannie Rush) has NEVER even stepped foot in my business. I made her mad with a reasonably quoted price on a hair cut and she reviewed pure garbage lies. She stated that she came for a perm and her hair fell out???? I tried to contact Google and flag it, she also Yelped that she had a bad hair service with my salon. Interesting that even when I found her on Twitter (@babybunniebaby) and tweeted to Google about how much I hope they will see that it is totally FAKE review but with no response from Google, she tweeted back that my school sucks and to go to VCC for hair services!!! She has NEVER stepped into my business. In fact, she wanted to but was too cheap!!! She blocked me on Twitter. I have been told I am relentless at times on the obsessive. I had to find her on Facebook under hername and also to make 100% that it was in fact the person I spoke with on the phone as I would NEVER shame someone without knowing I am shaming the right one!!
Oh, and her hair by the way was all there!! She said in her “review” that it fell out after a perm we did. Should one not have to provide proof of such an accusation before Google and Yelp post them?? Bullying is not just for kids that are in school. Bullying is for anyone who, like Jeannie Rush, have a chip on their shoulder that bares a lot of split ends that she thinks she’s entitled to having cut for a very cheap cost to her or she will come after you on Social Media and any Review Site that will allow her to!!! When children bully it’s bad, when adults bully it’s cowardly! DON’T BE A BULLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
