"Mightier than the sword"?

Is the pen mightier than the sword?  Simply saying those words sets one to pondering whether the effect of putting just the right words together with the intent to harm someone is more effective than a physical violent act.

It's accepted practice to write, criticizing someone as a part of your profession. There are paid journalists who are experts in their fields who write and publish critiques of a person's artistic or athletic performance - just to name a few of the critic's possible assignments. And most of it is opinion and does not get into the personal lives of the people's work they are critiquing.

Additionally, there are artistic works such as plays, songs and poetry and even blogs that criticize ideas, rules and governments in an effort to effect social change.  

Who coined that phrase?

Created by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, indicating that the written word is more effective than violence as a means of social or political change.  Read more on Wikipedia here about the origin of the phrase.

In Canada - this is called free speech - and we are all guaranteed that right - to speak freely and to express opinions.

When is free speech no longer free?

So when does free speech cross the line into something prohibited by law?  When it is untrue, is not an opinion and is presented as fact with the intention to injure the reputation of a person.  This is when the pen is most defintely mightier than the sword.  And the cyberbully knows it.

In Canada, free speech is guaranteed under section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - but it is limited under Canadian Criminal Code section 298(1).  The Criminal Code says that if the written word or 'free speech'  "is likely to injure the reputation of any person by exposing him to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or that is designed to insult the person of or concerning whom it is published" - it is not legal.  It is no longer free speech.

Verbal abuse is a type of emotional abuse.  It includes the written word and does not have to be spoken to a person - especially if it is directed at someone through a publication.

And publication means that it is distributed to more than one person.  So anything written on a social media, in an email where one or more people are copied, or in any other forum such as a blogpost where people are invited to read the words printed there, is publication.

Wikipedia defines verbal abuse as "the act of harassing, labeling, insulting, scolding, rebuking, or excessive yelling towards an individual. 


​These kinds of attacks may result in mental and/or emotional distress for the victim.

Verbal (or written) abuse can be used to harass people by humiliating, insulting, criticizing, or demeaning them using words and can be used as a way to intimidate or bully people in a variety of settings.  It can also include the use of derogatory terms, the delivery of statements intended to frighten, humiliate, denigrate, or belittle them. 

​The effect of this kind of written word can be incredibly harmful for the victim of of verbal abuse - often referred to as defamation, but also categorized under cyberbullying.

According to Sherri Gordon - a bullying prevention expert, "people engage in verbal abuse for a variety of reasons.  Family history, past experiences, personality, mental illness are a few factors that can play a role."

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The impact on the victim?  Well in the case of the sword - stab wounds, loss of limbs and in the worst case - death.  ( not recoverable)
Wounds however, can be stitched and eventually heal.

The impact of the pen when writing verbal abuse is much different.

Experts report the wounds as including: Anxiety, Chronic stress, Depression, feelings of hopelessness and shame, PTSD and social withdrawl among other things.  And we all know some of these disorders when prolonged can lead to emotional death or someone taking their own life. (such was the case of Amanda Todd - read that here)

The goal of the abuser is to control you by making you feel bad about who you are." Sherri Gordon

So how does one heal from verbal abuse?  Ending the verbal abuse is the first step toward healing. 

​In the age of the internet however, where the abuse is posted online - it cannot ever be ended.  The internet has a way of repeating an abusers words infinitum.  Many people do not realize this - but the internet never forgets.

So in this case - the pen is definitely mightier than the sword -  and the victim dies the death of a thousand paper cuts.

Read Sherri Gordon's article here