Boy you people just don’t get it. Stop hatin’ on me and listen.
So you were ganged up on? Ever ask yourself why? Hell, I was ganged up on. I knew why.
What matters is how you deal with it.
Let me tell you what 99% of you have missed here. Did you see any words from me about ‘throwing hands’? I can count on one hand and have fingers left over the number of times I had to do that (but I never lost when I did, damn it).
It’s about ATTITUDE. How you carry yourself. I challenged those who challenged me. I didn’t say “Oh yeah? Meet me behind the school at 4” or any of that sophomoric crap.
It’s all about standing up to them as a PERSON, a human being who is NOT afraid or intimidated by them.
If it is a group with a “leader”....of course, you go straight for that leader in front of their peeps. Full view. Take ‘em on....and again, notice I’m not talking about taking a swing or inviting one.
Are there really that many weak-willed people in this country?????? It’s determination and lack of fear that makes them back down. Ironically, many times those same bullies wanted to be my friend afterward. I’ll let you guess why.
Sometimes that's not the whole solution. But you do bring up an excellent point! A strong attitude goes a long, long way. And by "strong attitude", I mean a look-'em-in-the-eye sense of self-confidence. I'm sure you meant the same thing.
It's something that children should be taught at an early age. Certainly before they get to high school!
Sometimes attitude has zero to do with it and will not help.
I don’t know when you went to school, but I think the bullying of today differs from even a few years ago.
Today, the internet bullying enters into the equation. It’s not really a matter of fighting a good fight. That is in addition to assasination on the internet. Young children hang themselves over this.
I may get hammered for saying this but I believe it to be true, kids are not free today to grow up on their own. They can’t because of the creeps that might grab them. They stay under a protective umbrella of their parents and can’t deal with the pressures involved with dealing with bullies.
I find it to be a tragic loss of an important part of childhood.
I don't think you understand the dynamics of bullying. Bullies typically DON'T target those who are able to fight back. They pick the weakest person, the one they know they can get away with bullying. I surmise from your posts that you are a fairly outgoing guy, probably fairly large and strong, as well. Of course, bullies are going to back down as soon as they test you and see that they can't intimidate you.
If, on the other hand, a small, shy child is the target--those same bullies are like wolves after a lamb. They see perfectly well who can't physically defend themself, who is terrified to speak to teachers or anyone else in authority, who has no friends, etc. In some cases, the child isn't just suffering abuse at school--they also get abused at home, and literally have no one to give support of any kind. That child is extremely unlikely to "stand up" to the bully, and even if they do--the attempt is more likely to result in escalation of the bullying than in any resolution of the matter.
It's easy to say that kids should "just" stand up for themselves, or should "just" tolerate it. Reality isn't that easy. There's no reason at all that children should have to be subjected to bullying, when that kind of behavior is not tolerated anywhere outside of K-12 school.