Joe Calzaghe Leads U.K. Anti-Bullying Campaign

Retired Welsh boxer, Joe Calzaghe, who claims to have been the victim of severe bullying in his youth, has taken the issue to heart, helping to launch a widespread anti-bullying campaign in the U.K. that is sponsored by the charity Beatbullying. ↵↵The campaign will feature silhouettes of young people who appear to have killed themselves as a result of the taunts of bullies. The aim of the campaign is to have both bullies and the bullied go to a website, www.cybermentors.org.uk to learn about the impact of bullying.↵

↵↵It’s a worthy cause, and I applaud Calzaghe’s involvement, but I can’t help but think that his voice could have been used in a more creative fashion. Obviously, with most rational, right-minded adults, great sympathy is elicited at the image of a teenager committing suicide because of relentless bullying. But given what I know of young bullies, sympathy is not their strong suit. Usually, let’s face it, they are being bullied themselves in some way or another. ↵

↵↵Generally, history has taught us on scales both large and small that to appeal to the sympathies of a bully is to waste your time. Better, as Calzaghe himself learned, to speak the language of the fist. One thing I’ve found after years spent on the unforgiving schoolyard and in the haven of the gym -- most bullies can’t fight worth a damn. They have no science, as the old-timers would put it. So get a little science yourself, model your approach on, say, the highly scientific style of the great Calzaghe, and soon, I guarantee you, you’ll find even the most fearsome bully poses you less of a problem than 2+2. ↵

↵