No one can fail to be appalled by the images that emerged over the weekend of a 12-year-old boy being set upon by pupils at Perth Academy.
Judging by the online comments, the Facebook community has united in disgust at this seemingly unprovoked gang attack.
I suspect even those responsible will turn ashen as they watch the clip and struggle in their minds to justify what they did.
It’s good that the actions by staff at both the academy and Perth High has been swift, with several pupils excluded, including those who filmed the incident on their phones.
Police Scotland should also be commended for recognising that this was a case where playground bullying crossed the line into an horrific – and possibly criminal –Â assault.
Of course, bullying has been a problem at schools since year dot and there is no easy solution.
Thankfully, gone are the days when it was dismissed as a bit of a laugh or – even more depressingly – just a way of life in the pages of the likes of the Billy Bunter books.
Bullying is probably taken more seriously than ever before and that should bring peace of mind for parents.
However, we now have the added dimension of social media where taunts, flare-ups and attacks can all be recorded for posterity.
Hearing someone talking about you behind your back is bad enough but it is so much worse now that you can forever dwell on the precise wording of a text message or analyse a viral video clip until it burns into your retinas.
Earlier this week, local councillor Xander McDade spoke out about another form of bullying – not at a school, but in the council chambers.
He said fellow Perth and Kinross councillors had shouted and sworn at him, and made ageist jibes about him behind his back.
“A lot of people.. will just think it is banter,” he said. This is true; many folk will argue that its Xander’s problem, he just needs to toughen up.
But why let the bullies win? The first step is recognising that this behaviour – once dismissed as just jokes – is not acceptable any more.
At a time when certain people in power – as well as baying mobs on the internet – actually encourage such behaviour, we need to check ourselves more than ever.
For example, we’ve managed to ditch all the casually racist language that used to be rife when I was growing up in the late 1970s, so let’s keep going.
If we keep evolving we can leave the bullies behind. Don’t let them drag us all into the gutter.
