Bullying

Bartmanhomer · Post by **Bartmanhomer** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 6:34 pm

Have anyone ever been harrassed by a bully before?

Notabot · Post by **Notabot** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:04 pm

I'm not in favor of bullying (quite against it, actually), but why is everyone all of a sudden obsessed with it? Media campaigns, school promotions, celebrity awareness... did people just now realize that bullies exist? Have they magically gotten worse since I was a kid? Or are the effects more noticeable now that we've raised a pansy generation with all danger and conflict removed from their childhood?
As a kid, I was bullied, I dealt with it, and I moved on. At times (sadly), I bullied others as well, they dealt with me, and we moved on, even without Angelina Jolie's help.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:11 pm

TEN PENCE FOR YER UNCLE GRIPPER?

Post by **Hound** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:26 pm

Bartmanhomer wrote:Have anyone ever been harrassed by a bully before?

Not since I was like 14 years old.

I suppose since I've grown up to be an adult there have been attempts to bully me, but as an adult I can just choose to remove myself from that situation.

I'm much to stubborn to let myself be bullied anymore.

electro girl · Post by **electro girl** » Wed Apr 25, 2012 12:00 am

As a kid yeah but once you grow up it's better as you're not forced to occupy the same places (such as school) and for the first time you can almost exclusively surround yourself with people you acctually like. I dealt with my bullies and my Dad was also proper hard which helped a lot so for the most part I could rise above it.

I'm guessing you're mainly refering to school but that kind of bullying has to be taken with a pinch of salt (even though it sucks) for the most part as I've since met people who were dicks to me at school and had no problem with them, it gets better trust me.

The point is as you grow up you're in a more mature and tollerable environment. If I'd have come out in school instead of when I was 20 it would have been hell, I was just lucky to have not figured out I liked the same sex by then (not that I'm ashamed).

Dinobot#1 · Post by **Dinobot#1** » Sat May 12, 2012 1:18 am

Bartmanhomer wrote:Have anyone ever been harrassed by a bully before?

Every f***ing day except Saterday and Sunday mostly because of my love of Transformers

Sir Auros · Post by **Sir Auros** » Sat May 12, 2012 7:54 pm

As someone who teaches teens, bullying is the same as ever but also very different. Social media has made it easier for bullies to harass others outside of a physical space, and it's harder for schools to deal with. We can deal with bullies if it happens in school, but if there's a dogpile on someone over Twitter, and it doesn't happen during school hours, we're powerless. Kids have always treated each other pretty horribly, but it's even worse when they're able to do it through the internet.

Notabot · Post by **Notabot** » Sat May 12, 2012 10:40 pm

Good point. I guess I hadn't really considered that aspect of it. Not only is it harder to detect, but it's a lot easier to be a bully from the safety and comfort of your computer/phone because you know the recipient can't haul off and slug you. That and you don't see the pain it actually causes. That's what actually made me quit being a bully in high school.

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Sun May 13, 2012 6:17 pm

I remember when I was about 13, there was a time when a lot of kids in my neighborhood were friends. Some of them went off to do a lot of bad things - picking fights, getting into some drugs, stealing, etc. It was like a slippery slope over a period of time. Eventually, opting to stay away from these folks made myself and a few others targets. It led to some fights as well. I still made a great decision to stay away from them. Many of these are people that became parents in their teens, were locked away multiple times, became high school drop outs, or just died from a drug overdose. Only a very very few of them of that group got their act together and managed to make something of their lives. Two of these individuals that did so even apologized to me years later for some of trouble back then - I was surprised by that.

EDIT:

It made for a rough period, but I'm proud to say that I finished HS, College, and work a good paying IT Job. Strangely, I look back on that batch of folks and feel pity for them now.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Sun May 13, 2012 8:01 pm

Notabot wrote:That's what actually made me quit being a bully in high school.

Mmm, been there. Wouldn't say it was bullying exactly; for reasons I can't exactly remember I got goaded into smacking some kid a couple of years younger than me in the face, broke his glasses. Felt like a complete ****ing monster, helped him to the school nurse in the end and admitted it all. We're actually pretty good mates now.

Notabot · Post by **Notabot** » Sun May 13, 2012 8:09 pm

I'm not sure I was so much a bully as an oblivious oaf who didn't realize how hurtful I was. Like Jim's experience, I have gone back and apologized to some of the people that I had inadvertently tormented, and actually became pretty good friends with them. Some however still detest me, and I can't say I blame them.
I remember the summer I turned 16 I realized that I had no friends, and started looking back over the previous years and realized why. Decided then and there to change myself completely (including clothing options: Went from too-tight blue polyester slacks to torn army shorts with a tow chain for a belt) and to actually be aware of people around me. 'Twas a good summer.