Bullying, Who's to Blame?

Ok so bullying is such a hot topic. Schools take time out of learning to talk about it. My experience with that, well not mine but my daughters, is that they aren't really DOING much about it. The bully has "rights" and "feelings" and they are asked to leave the other child alone, warned to stop, ect..however our solution was to contact the child's family directly. To our surprise they had NO clue anything was going on. The child left my daughter alone from then on out. Ahhh, but I digress from my point. So the root of bullying. Lets see, do you watch television? Like at any time, do you watch television, read magazines, listen to the radio. Bullying is all around you. Adults are bullied just like children in school. We aren't thin enough, pretty enough, our teeth aren't white enough. Our cars aren't fancy enough, houses aren't big enough, jobs aren't good enough. You get the point. Unless we are super thin, super rich, have the best vacation spot and a 401K you are dirt in the eyes of society. They market us pills, spas, gyms, you name it to make us "fit in". Who are we trying to fit in with and where do we fit? How do you stop bullying among children when we are all bullied daily. Our government has joined the bandwagon. If your community doesn't like something or thinks something just doesn't make them "appear" to be classy enough to fit society, they just pass an ordinance or a law to stop it. Now don't get me wrong some of these ARE actually for the greater good, but some are just flat out telling you that you live wrong. Oh and the kicker of all bullying is the health care bill, but that is another topic all alone. Still bullying, and by the same adults that are telling your school systems to teach against bullying! So if bullying is going to stop, the stopping has to start with adults. We have to set the example for our children to follow. We have to step up to the plate and let our children know that it is ok to be different. That is is ok not to have the best of everything, that those things don't make the person. That it is what is on the inside that counts. We as consumers need to stop the constant bullying we receive from marketing agencies selling products. If we want it to end it starts with us....all of us...banded together to tell the world that being imperfect is ok. That different is ok. Sadly I think this is a dream. Tomorrow someone will try to keep up with the Jones', get their "fake n bake" on, whiten their teeth, get lipo and a face lift, use the most expensive face cream to remove wrinkles, ect...all the while teaching their child that they are not perfect, never will be perfect, well until they follow their parents example and listen to the bullying!