They were no different 50 years ago.
I put up with a lot of crap from bullies.
Why that mother even thought of sending her son to school knowing what he would be facing, is beyond me.
I had a real bully in grade school i got the last laugh 35 years latter i had an affair with his wife
I had an older brother that is OCD, a gentle giant, he was the target of lots of bullying when we were young.. from age 11 or so I would make it my mission to absolutely destroy bullies.. I got kicked out school, off the bus alot for a while, had a few stitches, lost a few fights, won most. In a year or so things settled down and the bullying pretty much went away accept when new kids moved in.. . I have to say decades latter, I would do the same.