How Stranger Things Taught Us To Deal with Bullies

I’m just going to come right out and say it: Stranger Things is the greatest show ever made.

OK- backtracking here, let me walk you through my obsession. The entertainment industry has been a buzz this past month, starting with the announcement a few weeks back that there will definitely be a season 2 (!!!!!!!!!!!!), followed shortly by the sweet Gaten (Dustin)’s openness on his Instagram about his bone and tooth disorder. And naturally I’ve devoured every article I can get my eyeballs on– from Vogue to Buzzfeed and everything in between. The Netflix original is officially taking the world by storm.

Set in 1983, the show is centered around a boy, Will, who has somehow found himself transported to a supernatural other-world (known as ‘the upside down’) and must survive the deadly advances of ‘The Demagorgon’, a scary alien creature. Meanwhile, Will’s friends and family back home in the real world are working tirelessly to find a way to bring him back home. More people in the town begin to go missing, a strange science lab shrouded in mystery is discovered on the edge of the town, and a young girl with super powers and no name one day appears. Are they all connected? Will Will ever find a way back home? Tune in to find out.

Though the show is best described as a sci-fi thriller, the middle and high school aged kids in the show face a variety ‘normal’ issues in addition to fighting a weird supernatural monster and saving their friend. Ah, to be young. One of these such issues is bullying. From Jonathan getting pushed around and having his camera broken by his crush’s boyfriend to Dungeons and Dragons-loving 10- and 11-year old boys being bombarded with homophobic slurs, though grounded in fantasty, this show can at times be is unbelievably relatable.

According to a recent Care.com survey, 1 in 4 people said they were bullied as a child. According to the same survey, 57% of parents worry about their children being bullied.

Let’s be honest: bullies suck. But they’re something every generation deals with in one way or another – be it on the playground, cyberspace or even the Upside Down.

Here are 4 times Stranger Things showed us how to deal with bullies {Spoilers Ahead}:

1. Stick up to bullies.

This following his continuous homophobic insults.

Nobody messes with Eleven’s friends. Especially if they are threatened by a bully with a knife.

[In no way am I condoning violence. But come on, that was awesome.]

2. Stand up for each other.

But really, they are the sweetest friends ever.

All the feels…

3. Stick up for the bullied.

When Nancy became popular and started dating a jock, she still stuck up for Jonathan. And Jonathan was going through a really awful time, with his brother missing and mother becoming psychotic and all. Which leads me to question why anyone would think it was ok to be mean to him in the first place…?

4. Go against peer pressure, even if it makes you unpopular.

Steve finally stuck up for himself, and for Nancy and Jonathan, against his really crappy, non-redeeming, (bully) friends:

Like WOW, they really suck.

And he joins Nanc and Jon to fight the real monster, becoming the ultimate hunky “bad boy turned good”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eEa48vh60w

This October will be the 10th National Bullying Prevention Month. Nearly a decade old, Bullying Prevention Awareness month was initiated by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in October 2006. So while we patiently (or not so) wait for Season 2 of Stranger Things, let’s look at some ways we can raise awareness of real life bullies:

Share These Videos. You know we all stop our scrolling and watch videos on FB or Twitter. Try one of these to help spread awareness and get people talking: This one evokes nostalgia similar to Stranger Things, and has a similar twisted tone. This one is produced by Disney and has a more positive tone. And this one will make you cry (sorry in advance).
Start Using the Witness Emoji (and encourage your kids to do it too) This is really the best! “I Am A Witness” is a teen bullying prevention ad campaign. According to the campaign website, “The campaign aims to stop bullying by activating the “silent majority” of kids who witness it each day transform them from passive bystanders into a united, empowered and active collective that will speak up against bullying.”
Wear a Blue Shirt. The first Monday of every October is “Blue Shirt Day World Day of Bullying Prevention.” This year’s is October 3. When everyone wears blue in solidarity, this day can drive awareness and spark a conversation. If everyone thinks bullies suck and lets everyone know, who would want to continue bullying?
Wear Orange. So yes- this is getting redundant. But is it really that hard to pick your orange shirt that one day? Even Ellen did it in 2011! Wear orange on Unity Day, Wednesday, Oct. 19. That’s the day everyone can come together — in schools, communities, and online — and send one big, orange message of support, hope, and unity.
Add Your Name to This Petition. Sign this and join over 70,000 people who have pledged “the end of bullying begins with me.” https://www.pacer.org/bullying/digitalpetition/

I’ll just leave you with this, because it is awesome: https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/anti-bullying-psa-captures-reactions-bystanders-witness-child/story?id=34689829