We reward bullying!

You know, I was really thinking about the whole issue of bullying in schools. It has been happening since probably the beginning of time, it's a kind of social Darwinism. The presumed weakest get picked on, bossed around, even beaten up! There are several programs and campaigns marketed to schools to stop bullying. I am a school counselor, it is part of my job to curtail this behavior, but it will never go away completely. It's a part of human nature, just not a very pretty part.
The interesting thing here is this. We tend to reward this behavior in adults! Example: There is a parent at our school that gets her way by bullying other parents and teachers alike. When she doesn't get her way she goes straight to the district office to threaten and yell at them. This is how she gets what she wants. We have given in to her threats, demands, and outright tantrums just to get her to leave us alone! She has threatened lawsuits, grievances, you name it! The entire PTA is scared of her! Yet, she continues, and gets what she wants through bullying and intimadation. She is not an isolated case by any means. I bet any of us could think of someone that gets what they want by bullying.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for advocating for your rights, but it's how one goes about doing it that makes the difference. This just makes me wonder what kind of message are we sending? If you are under 12 years old here you get punished for this behavior, but as an adult you get rewarded, you get your way no matter who you've hurt or stepped on! Ugh! It just frustrates me! I'm sure some of these people are just misguided souls, but I think it's our job to guide them towards other ways to get you needs met, you know? Anyways, that is my Monday rant. Feel free to argue, agree, or add! Thanks for reading this!

P.S. I disabled the 'word verification' feature. This should make it way easier to post a comment!