I can assure you that the "bullying" you see portrayed on television is nothing compared to what it's really like.
Trust me, I know what it was like. And I'm female. :-)
For some reason bullying isn't taken very seriously. It's this whole "boys will be boys"
I have three sons, and boys tend to be more physical with the roughhousing, etc. So there is a certain truth to "boys will be boys." But, the key is to make sure they don't cross the line. It's easy to tell the difference between "roughhousing in fun" and "picking on someone." And, when the line is crossed, the adults should step in.
The problem is, too many parents don't step in when their own sons go overboard. They'll even defend their sons even when their sons are clearly in the wrong. My husband and I lay down the law with our kids, but too many other parents don't do that. A lot of parents are teaching their sons to push everyone else around. Sometimes I even wonder if we should be raising our kids to be nice guys when they're living in a world run by the not-so-nice guys.
And bullying isn't limited to boys. I set what I thought were very clear groundrules with my sons, and one of them was never to hit or push a girl. But, a lot of parents seem to find it "cute" when their little girl walks up and pushes or hits or kicks a boy.
And I agree with you: Bullying is not a conservative thing to do. We live in a blue state, and we're surrounded by Democrats. Many raise their kids to be bullies. Considering the rhetoric you hear from the Left - the name calling, throwing food at speakers on stage, etc. - the Left is where the bullies are.
Thank you for your post.