A remark in a group
Somebody says something about a whole group of people. A couple of people laugh. Somebody it applies to is standing there.
What do you do?
Life Skills · Decide · Grades 6 to 8
Chapter 8: Community
Silence reads as agreement here too.
Silence reads as agreement here too.
2 situations to decide. There is often more than one good answer: pick one and see what happens.
A remark in a group
What do you do?
Not safe to speak
What do you do?
When somebody says something about a whole group of people and nobody objects, the silence is heard as agreement — especially by anybody in that group.
"That is not okay." "I do not think that is fair." You do not need an argument. Objecting once changes what a room feels like.
If it was aimed at somebody, going to them afterwards matters more than anything you said at the time.
One remark can sometimes be handled between people. Something that keeps happening, or that comes with threats, goes to an adult or a formal process.
If speaking up would put you at risk, do not. Get somebody else, report it, and support the person afterwards. Those are real options, not failures.
These ones do have right answers.
Sort by whether it makes any difference to them.
Somebody has been targeted for who they are.
Tap something to move it.
Question 1 of 1
You could not say anything at the time. Is it too late?
Something to do away from the screen. Nobody is checking.
Why: Prepared words come out. Words you have to invent in the moment usually do not.
The evidence on bystanders is consistent: one person objecting substantially reduces the likelihood of repetition, and it does not require confrontation.
Explicit permission not to intervene where it is unsafe matters. Without it, young people who could not speak up carry guilt and often do nothing afterwards either.
Checking on the person afterwards is the action people report remembering most, and it is the one least often mentioned in advice about this.