NAME-CALLING/NICKNAMES - AN ACT OF BULLYING?
I was privileged to a watch a documentary in relation to bullying. The specific part of the programme which caught my attention was that of a pupil who decided to opt out of school because he was called different names by fellow students.This student was not able to withstand the attitude of his fellow peers and this really affected his self esteem and confidence.
After pondering on this matter, my mind went straight to my high school days as a student. As a high school student, student life was never boring and name-calling was an integral part of school life if you like it or not.
There were some students during my high school days that had Doctorate degree in christening fellow students by dishing out names like freebies. Many students were called names different from the names given to them by their parents, but in Africa, we do not regard this as an act of bullying or victimisation.
It got to an extent that students were called names based on character, appearance or academic performance. The most notorious classes when it comes to name calling and giving of nicknames during my high school days were S.S.3C, 3D and 3E. Those were commercial and art classes respectively. The science students were too academically engrossed with physics and chemistry to indulge in such act.
During the course of watching the documentary, I really wondered why the individual in the documentary I watched could opt out of school for being called “fish head”? Is really amazing that some students during my high school days that were called rib-cracking names like ARUGBO (An elderly person), ISO (Nail), ETI (Ear), ABO (plate), ERUKU (Dust), EWEDU (A form of vegetable), BACTERIA, OJU IGO (Someone who uses glasses), LEPA (Slim person), IDE (Bondage), STAINLESS and many more were able to adapt. These were some of the names given to some students during my high school days and this act was never regarded as an act of bullying.
By watching the documentary and seeing the impact name-calling is having on some students in some Western countries, I could only imagine the effect name-calling was having on some of my fellow students during my high school days. If it was affecting some of them, their laughter and smile did not depict their anger…SUFFERING AND SMILING SYNDROME.
Written in the loving memory of Usman .A. (Forgotten by some but remembered by many).
