According to The Trump Effect: An Update, years of anti-bullying progress in schools have gone to waste since the 2016 presidential election. This article is a followup from the writers’ previous two-part post about “The Trump Effect”. At first, writers Rosemary K.M. Sword and Phillip Zimbardo Ph.D. defined this as “an increase in bullying in schools caused by the rhetoric Donald Trump used during his presidential campaign.” It has since spread to include “religious and racial bullying by adults as well as: misogyny, sexual assault, and other socially unacceptable behaviors.”
An American flag with the trump effect text written over it.
Our Thoughts
The Trump Effect is a serious problem. With support from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and more sources, Swords and Zimbardo Ph.D. shows that more people are being bullied. Also, more people are witnessing bullying without reacting. This tells us that bullying is becoming even more of a “normal” thing. This is changing how we interact with each other and more importantly, how our children interact with each other. We are choosing to use hate and biases instead of compassion and empathy.
We highly encourage you to check out this article and the two before it. As the writers stated. “the toxicity is spreading” and everyone should be aware of this. The awareness may cause us to pay closer attention to what we say and do. Also, as they stated towards the end, we may pay closer attention to what others say and do. To gain a better understanding of things to look out for, check out our 10 steps. Also, follow us on social media (Twitter & Facebook) as we post information dedicated to educating people on how to communicate better.
