I hate bullies.
And I like when they get what's coming to them.
Every time they get what's coming to them.
In high school, I rode the bus for awhile, and every day, this same jerk would sit behind me and flick my ear. Every. Day. Over and over again.
He found this wildly amusing.
I didn't have the strength or the wherewithal to bash his head repeatedly into a desk or wall or handrail or cement bench or anvil. But the thought did occur to me.
I'm in my 40s now, and that guy still makes me fume. He once punched me in the stomach so hard that I nearly blacked out.
Honestly, I'm not sure what I'd tell a kid who was being bullied. Fighting back would just seem to encourage the behavior. But I knew at the time...standing my ground would not only be dangerous, it would make me a target for every other bully. And there were a lot. Standing your ground only works in the movies, unless you win.
I kind of got into martial arts after those rides on the bus. Once I started feeling like I could defend myself, the bullies kind of went away.
But bullies are always around. They prey on the weak, and they get off on the humiliation of others. I can't wait to see "Gran Torino," because I suspect the bullies get what's coming to them.
Where was Clint when I needed him?
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2 comments:
A kid did that to me on the bus for three days my 8th grade year (...worst grade ever! I was new to the school and the town). The third day happened to be the worst day of school ever in my life for various reasons. I had a full day of teasing, being made a fool in front of a girl really liked and classes being horrible.
All I wanted to do is get home and lock myself in my room. I spent the entire bus ride home being flicked and mocked by this jerk. He had done it for the third day in a row. I knew he would get off at my stop and although he probably would not flick me while walking home, he could still follow behind me as he did the previous two days and taunt me with insults.
I stepped off the bus and quickly started walking home. He caught up to me and started with the taunting. "Fatty fatty fat F**K!"
My rage hit a boiling point. I spun around with a closed fist and split his lip open. Blood gushed out of his face. Five stitches. Lucky for me the parents called the police because the police eventually called the school and was who then reminded the parents that this kid has a record of bullying kids.
My sophmore year in highschool, some drugged out death metal kid punched me in the back of the head on the school bus because he though I looked at him wrong. I blacked out from the punch. When I came to he was standing over me yelling at me. The adrenaline took over and I threw him down the bus stairs on to the pavement and started bashing his head into the side of the bus. I was totally out of control. The bus driver stopped me and reported it as self defense. I put that kid in the hospital and thanks to the bus driver, the kid was expelled.
Bullies are an age-old problem, especially in school and at the junior high level. Anyone who has ever been bullied (and I am one of them) dreams of letting them "have it." But that is not the answer... letting it reach the boiling point can have tragic results, as we've seen in school shootings in the past. It is important to educate not only teachers and parents, but adolescents, too, on how to combat this scourge of childhood. I touch on the issue of bullying in Grumble Bluff, my young adult novel, and hope that through the book I can have a small impact on those who may have the tendency to pick on others. Programs like Challenge Day are right on the mark, and I hope we see success from organizations such as that. Karen Bessey Pease, author of juvenile fiction, www.karenbesseypease.com.
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