Bystander Behavior

I have too often been a bystander to bullying. I am not afraid to speak up when I see something wrong happening, but often, it occurs so quickly that I find myself not speaking up in time. Surely we've all been in situations where we have witnessed something happen and had the thought to speak, but before we could the moment was over. Those moments are incredibly frustrating to me. I think it comes down to improving my skills at reading people and recognizing situations. This is something we all could work on.
One time I wish a bystander would have stepped in is when a coach at my school brutally yelled at my boyfriend and I. It went on for a while and it wasn't just that he yelled at us, but nothing we did could please him. If I smiled, I was laughing at him. If I frowned, I was being disrespectful. He was being a bully because that was the kind of coach he was. I tried to appease him to no avail. For someone with anxiety issues, situations like this can quickly become unbearable. I understand why none of my classmates spoke up, and I don't blame them for it It would have been nice though. I hope I can be brave enough to do that if I am ever a bystander to a similar situation.
I don't know why college students don't speak up. Probably because they are afraid or feel like they cannot help.
The biggest challenge in being an active bystander is knowing when to speak up, and when to not.

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." -Winston Churchill

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