They deserved to die
- Thread starter Sanha13
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Sorry but no-one thinks any of this is profound outside of bored 4chan kiddos pre-2013. It is just trite unadulterated cringe.
- Apr 1, 2009
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- Whatever, just wash your hands.
I was going to start questioning this whole thing, but, uhh... yeah, hard to not explain away with just that alone
I think for people who have been bullied, there are two general ways people respond. Some learn that bullying is wrong and should be avoided / prevented. Others decide that in future, they're going to be the bullies.
The problem with the OP is that, effectively, it advocates the latter, in just about the most horrific way. There's a lot of hate and anger in there, and that needs to be dealt with constructively: if that were written by one of my students, I would be legally obliged to report it.
It's also worth bearing in mind - although I appreciate it's difficult to do when being bullied - that bullies are often unhappy people. They are bullying others because it's what they need in order to feel good about themselves: if a person needs to do that, it's often because they are insecure, unconfident, psychologically weak. People who are genuinely strong and confident about themselves don't need to put others down to feel better about themselves. Of course, it's not always true that bullies are weak: some bullies are just malicious, and some may have learnt to act as bullies because of the example their society and peers set them (although I suspect they're often very half-hearted about it).
The problem with the OP is that, effectively, it advocates the latter, in just about the most horrific way. There's a lot of hate and anger in there, and that needs to be dealt with constructively: if that were written by one of my students, I would be legally obliged to report it.
It's also worth bearing in mind - although I appreciate it's difficult to do when being bullied - that bullies are often unhappy people. They are bullying others because it's what they need in order to feel good about themselves: if a person needs to do that, it's often because they are insecure, unconfident, psychologically weak. People who are genuinely strong and confident about themselves don't need to put others down to feel better about themselves. Of course, it's not always true that bullies are weak: some bullies are just malicious, and some may have learnt to act as bullies because of the example their society and peers set them (although I suspect they're often very half-hearted about it).
Ahh, but where does one put the part where being a bully makes you literally Satan? /s
While I was generally a nice kid, I was a bit of a bully in high school at times, usually just towards one or two people that annoyed me more than anyone else. And looking back, I know why. I was miserable, and they put me on edge enough that it boiled over. It was all verbal stuff, but that probably still hurt. Looking back I wish a teacher or faculty member would've told me off. I would've gotten the picture. There's no reason it should've gone on.
There's times I wish I could apologize to them now, but who knows if they'd remember, or if it'd even matter at this point. I've had someone in my life come back and apologize 5 years after the fact for things they did. While it gave some closure, it just felt... out of place, I didn't know what to make of it. Guess sometimes things eat at you enough you make the effort.
I know better now. I'd not do that to someone these days because I know how it feels. I got it all the time from my peers growing up. School sucked. So it's a bit of a shame that someone out there would think that I should die just because I was a bit of an ass to some people growing up.
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Oh, hah, nerd got banned. Haven't seen one of those happen in a long time
I was never a bully OR bullied. I was the chameleon who got along just well enough with everybody that I didn't make enemies or make myself a target.
But a good friend of mine was bullied pretty relentlessly; his name is Adam. He was pale and earned the cruel nickname "cotton." He was my friend, so I obviously never partook of the bullying, but I sadly didn't do much to stop it either. This was middle school, and once we went off to different high schools, I lost track of him. I want to say it was my sophomore or junior year, I got a random phone call, and it was Adam. I hadn't spoken to him in years, so was really excited to hear from him, but once he was confident he had the right person, he proceeded to verbally abuse me in some really vicious ways. I was called the "N" word several times, and told how much he "fucking hated" me. He then hung up. I was so in shock I didn't know what to do or say or even if calling him back was even an option. Fast forward several more years, and I got another call from Adam. He apologized to me, and explained that he'd been in therapy and was really confused and frustrated, and was simply pointing his angst at anyone he thought might feel it most deeply. I forgave him but further apologized for not standing up for him when I should have. It didn't mend our friendship, like, we didn't pick up where our childhood left off, but I think I think we both settled in a peace we both needed.
Bullying is real, and it affects people more than observers might realize. I don't think bullies deserve to die necessarily, but I think the bullied need to be heard and bullies need to be held to account. I know the men who bullied Adam; they've popped up on social media, men with families, men with children of their own, and while I haven't opened old wounds, I wish I had the guts to let them know that their cruelty persisted into the adulthood of their victims. It hurt people deeply. I won't say it "ruined" lives, but it certainly affected them. God knows how many years Adam lost drowning in that self hate that boiled over into hate for those who loved him. We were kids, and it wasn't until we were adults, more than a decade, that Adam was able to face his demons and appreciate his friends from that tumultuous time.
No, bullies don't deserve to die, but if ever you find yourself in the presence of one, be willing and able to stop it. Call it out, and make the bully look at their self and recognize how out of place and wrong they are. It costs you nothing to remind any individual of their worth, but it can cost that same individual everything to allow others lead them to believe they are worthless. I'm happy to say Adam is thriving now, traveling the world and posting pictures of his adventures, but it pains me to think his most formative years were stolen by those who probably don't even remember them or the impact they had on them.
