Actions speak louder than words? Not necessarily. Words are, in fact, stronger than actions in some cases. They can help or they can hurt, simple as that no confusion because there is no gray, just black and white.
Gay. Faggot. B****. N*****. W****. S***. People nowadays use detrimental derogatory slang as much as they brush their teeth or take a shower, maybe even more. But the fact of the matter is with technological advancements such as Facebook there has been a significant increase in bullying.

Language Aspect:
Two Types of Bullying…Oh My!
Bullying describes judging someone, criticizing someone in a way where they can’t find improvement (non-beneficial criticism), embarrassing someone, pointing out their worst qualities- that’s my definition of bullying. It can be physical; it can be mental. Either way words whether they be typed or spoke can be uplifting or harmful. However there are two different types of bullying: ignorantly/ aimlessly and purposefully/ knowledgably.
When you ignorantly or aimlessly bully someone you are unaware of the power and influence your words have. You are…ignorant, speaking without thinking. You spout words you don’t even know meanings too. I bet most people who use the words gay, faggot, b****, n*****, w****, or s*** would not be able to define nor give the historical background on them. Did you know the word faggot in the book Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes meant a bundle of sticks?
And then there’s purposefully and knowledgably bullying someone, which describes someone who most likely is aware that they are inflicting pain, physically and mentally, on another but like the idea/ concept of it. Both types of bullying are used equally, and both are wrong, immoral.

Cultural Aspect:
Hawaiian
Hawaiians believed that once you said something there was no way you could undo what you said, there was no delete or backspace button. Watch what you say. Words are mana, power. One of my most favorite ??lelo n??eau is “i ka ??lelo n? ke ola, i ka ??lelo n? ka make,” life is in the word, death is in the word. This proverb changed the way I spoke, changed the way I thought. I became more aware; the saying actions speak louder than words became irrelevant because in some cases words would speak for themselves, something my ancestors knew.

Analyzing bullying is hard because the root of the problem is our language and our culture: the way we use words, the way we define them, and the way we act. But there is no excuse, the truth is we need to watch what we say and do because that is how we express ourselves the most- through our actions and our words. No matter what type of bullying it is, it needs to stop. People, teens especially, are turning to radical actions in order to cease their pain- that however is another story for another time.