Bullying SUCKS! When I was a kid, I got bullied. I was taught to turn the other cheek and that violence was not the answer. Most likely, it was the worst advice I ever got.
Being bullied,…yeah, it sucks! Most of us got picked on. Our names were made fun of, the clothes we wore may have been the subject of heckles and still some of us had to deal with physical bullying. My situation was not as bad as others, but I had my tormentors. In looking back, the advice that I got from the adults in my life, to not resort to violence, to turn the other cheek, etc, most likely aided in me being a victim off assholes a lot longer than was necessary.
Being bullied by words is a lot different than by fists. While words hurt just as much, if not more so, the tactics used in fighting this type of attack is much different than physical altercations. It’s the physical part that I want to talk about.
Bullies, whether they come by words, fists or both (usually both) have the same type of MO (method of operation). There’s usually an asshole (either male or female), a “cheerleader”, which is the one that encourages the main asshole, and the “backup singers”, the worthless people that stand back and watch the show. When you have a group that comes at you, which is usually the case, it’ll never be a fair fight,..and yes, you should fight,..so you better just consign yourself to that reality. When (not if) you come upon that situation, you’ve got to get the voice out of your head, you know, the advice of others saying not to fight,..the voice of others that are not right there facing down the asshole band, and fight. Strike at the dude (or chick) that is about to pummel you and don’t let up until they submit. Once that’s done, go after and humiliate the second cheerleader,..the others will fall in line and, most likely, you won’t get picked on by that particular group,….until the next batch comes alone
This is how I wish it could have gone down in my life, but it didn’t. For me, the voices of “don’t be violent”, “this isn’t what Jesus did” and so many others, paralyzed me into inaction and avoidance, which had consequences in other areas of my life. Most of these voices come from women, who, nowadays, seeks to turn men like them, all gentle and soft, which is not what we are. We are not meant to be bruits and we should have a heart, but not be pussies, cowards,..choose your word for the emasculation of our gender for the last 40 plus years.
Don’t look for a fight. Don’t fight to satisfy your anger. DO FIGHT to protect yourself / others, and that protection of self sometimes means stopping trouble before it begins, and no, I don’t mean get a gun and plow them all down,…that’s just being like the asshole that wants to kick your ass.
When you fight, you’re gonna get hurt,..but fight anyway. You will have to face consequences, but face them head on. When you do these things, it’ll toughen you up and the next person that comes along won’t be much of a challenge. It’s all about not being afraid to face conflict. For me, I was afraid, paralyzed and impotent for a great many years. This bled out into areas of decision making that led into me being afraid to take on more leadership roles for fear of confrontation. I was (notice I am using “was”) afraid to face bullies in my adult life because I didn’t want to get blood on my shirt. I used to be a wimp, but not anymore.
It’ll never be a fair fight,..get used to that and get over it. Don’t let someone else deal with it, or you’ll be a victim / target all of your life. Don’t pick a fight, but don’t run away from one. You’ll get hurt, but trust me when I say that it’s not as bad as you might be making it out in your head.
