Are you tired of being bullied by republithugs? How does one deal with a bully?

bully:

a blustering browbeating person; especially : one habitually cruel to others who are weaker b : PIMP
3 : a hired ruffian

Almost every kid gets bullied, and there are bullies in the work place too, and right now our whole nation is being fucked over by bullies, and we are merely the nameless, faceless bullied masses.

We've been bullied by republicans for so long we've grown used to it, so much so that we've surrendered to them, we'll tolerate them as long as they stay away.

Republicans are always blustering and browbeating anyone who isn't one of them, and they are habitually cruel to others who are weaker, even to the point of invading another nation, capturing and executing it's leader, and murdering half a million innocent people.

They loved impeaching Clinton, because it's what bullies do, bluster, browbeat and behave cruelly in general. They intimidate you, taunt you, call you dirty names, dig up dirty laundry, throw mud, and threaten you, and then they demand your lunch money and kick you in the groin.

Bullies have always been with us since the cave man days, bullies are written about all through human history, the Nazis were excellent bullies taken to the ultimate extreme.

bush himself is a classic bully, as is cheney, and rove is one of those kids that always had his head dipped in the toilet, now he gets to bully the whole planet.

Bullies also love torture. If you can't torture and terrorize your victims, what's the point of being a bully? Most bully victims just put up with it, but occasionally one learns the proper way of dealing with bullies. And rarer still one of the bullied may go totally ape shit and turn the tables on the bully.

If your son or daughter comes to you and says they're too terrified to go to school, what do you tell them?

Shouldn't we adhere to the same advice we give our children about bullies?

Republicans are all bullies, but deep down inside they are just shitty little punks who can dish it out but can't take it. Bash them in the nose just one time and the bully curse is broken forever and their powers of intimidation and terror are gone, and they are just weaklings and cowards to the core.

"Republicans are all bullies, but deep down inside they are just shitty little punks who can dish it out but can't take it. Bash them in the nose just one time and the bully curse is broken forever and their powers of intimidation and terror are gone, and they are just weaklings and cowards to the core."

with bullies. Her perspective is slightly different, in that she does not believe in "fighting" back.

Maybe in the school setting, that is appropriate. Her advice is always to avoid the confrontation and report it to a teacher (or her) and they will deal with it. In fact, a student who defends themselves, even froma physical attack, is subject to the same consequences as the attacker. I am one for striking back to prevent being hurt. I cannot convince her - so maybe I am wrong.

BUT - in the current political context, not fighting back with all possible weapons is disastrous. It only encourages the scum who absolutely love the role of bully.

Maybe all (or most) of our Democratic politicians were taught the turn-the-other-cheek approach in church or never-defend-yourself by teachers (or counselors) in school. For whatever reason, they have allowed this to continue for far too long.

It must stop.

I'm more of an 'eye for an eye' guy.

question whether it is the best method. My better self agrees with her - my inner dark side can create rationalizations why I am right.

I know that it does depend on circumstances.

And the current political circumstances demand a strong response. We are not dealing with children in a school. We are trying to cope with psychotic criminals who threaten much more than our lunch money.

But it is true that puke bullies have learned, because of their privileged status throughout their lives, that they will probably not be challenged on their bullying. And even if they are, there are no consequences. They have learned that lesson very well.

Jesus was doing non-violent resistance 2,000 years before Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. When he turned the other cheek, that was to say "Hit me again, motherfucker, you can't break me!"

Though my opinion now is that civil disobedience works only upon those with a conscience. There are still people of conscience in our government, but none of them are in the White House.

How well put. Thanks. :)

Or worse, participate in it?

I've had to deal with apathetic authority figures all the time - they do the "LALALALA, I SEE NOTHING!" thing. If you tell them, they just dismiss you, tell you bullshit like "If you ignore them, they'll leave you alone." (Absolute nonsense!) Sometimes physical violence happens right in front of them and they pretend nothing happened.

In the school environment, I've found two things that are effective in dealing with bullies - friends and confidence. Bullies are cowards - they always pick on those weaker than they are, especially loners, so if you have strength in numbers, the assholes are likely to find another target. Also, bullies pick on people who show signs of insecurity - those who show body language like looking at your feet, slouching, etc. Stand straight, with good posture, chin up, show those signs of confidence, and you'll get picked on much less. It does help if you hang out with a group of friends. I'd also recommend martial arts classes - not just to learn to fight, but to learn confidence.

Of course, having friends and confidence isn't always possible - maybe you're having a really bad day, and maybe the bully's arranged to have you completely ostracized. Of course, the teachers are looking the other way... At that point, you're probably going to get your ass kicked or humiliated no matter what you do, so you might as well fight. My recommendation is just go completely utterly fucking nuts. Outdo Cho. Be completely psychotic. Know that yes, you're going to get your ass kicked, but you're taking them with you, go completely kamikaze. Ever see a cat at a vet's office when the cat's terrified and decides to fight? The vet will have at least another person to hold the cat down, or that cat will go completely berserk, become a tornado of fangs and claws, and will seriously hurt someone. This, even though the cat weighs 12 pounds, and the people weigh 150+ pounds. Be that psycho cat.

That, and remember the four targets: nose, neck, knees and nads.

As far as the political environment, friends and confidence. Certainly, almost the entire country's united against the bullies in the White House, except for the Kool-Aid-drinking 28%. That and we have to just continue to stand up to them. Every time the Democrats in Congress go "We'll, we made our statement on this spending bill, but we'll have to give in and give Bush what he wants for the next bill," that just encourages the motherfuckers. We have to stand up and say the spending bill with the timeline for leaving Iraq is all you get. Nothing more. You're done.

As far as fighting if all else fails, well, let's just say I don't want to violate DU rules by making suggestions... I will just say that if they send brownshirts in ski-masks breaking down my door like in V for Vendetta, I will be that psycho cat, only with a twelve-gauge shotgun.

and the present state of the nation is the result of such teaching taken too far. People whine and sob "Somebody has to do SOMETHING! People get into a habit of waiting for SOMEBODY to address issues. Pretty soon, the majority of the population is just sitting on their hands, fretting and watching things crumble around them.

Bullies thrive in such environments. The Raptor is right to put it to us as what we would teach a child who is being tormented by a bully. The nation is in that child's shoes right now and the bullying has become too serious to just ignore.

My ol momma stated it thusly:
I had better not EVER hear of YOU starting a fight. But if somebody else does, and they won't listen to reason, I had better hear that you ended it.

We knew she did not mean pull a knife or a gun. We knew she did not mean to take it to a contact sport unless that is what the other guy had already done. We knew she meant she knew we had brains and a spine and she damned well expected us to use both.

She knew most bullies back off as soon as that SOMEBODY feller showed up on the scene, stepped forward, drew a deep breath, planted feed firmly on the ground he/she intended to hold and met the bully's eyes with a rock-solid, steady glare.

My ol momma's methods served us well.

Oh, and can we get some more Rs for the Raptor? It is a good subject for individuals to think about.

edited cuz I forgot one of these: /

:spray:

all the teachers are supposed to tell students to NEVER retaliate. The blindness of zero-tolerance is that it does not allow for circumstances or discretion. Hit back and you are suspended, the same as the kid who hit you first.

I was referring to teachers who may have told students that "violence never solves anything" or "you have to be stronger than the bully and not fight back" and some other passivist message. It just seems that most Dems are not willing to really fight the enemy.

And, as someone else here has said, passive resistance only works when the opponent operates as a "moral" entity. Rachel Corrie comes to mind. The pukes are not moral, or humane, to even a minimal degree. So, playing by the rules or expecting honorable behavior from them only weakens us.

It is also how we end up raising generations of helpless victims who are ripe for the picking by anyone without inhibitions.

It is foolish to not recognize that sometimes you have to do more than cower, whimper, and hope someone saves your ass.

Being 'Good Germans' is no way to save a democracy, fight injustice, raise healthy, well-rounded children. Life is more complex than 'tell the teacher'. ;)

And as to school policies: too often more concerned with litigation than doing what it takes to actually help children reach the status of independent, functioning people. You are right, there needs to be lessons in discretion too.

severely bullied is "Oh, just ignore him/them. He/they will get bored and leave you alone." Second worst is "Oh, he/they are only picking on you because he/they secretly like you.

What every kid who has been driven to the breaking point figures out is that the bullies only understand one language: threat. I got rid of one by laying for him after school. There was no fight but there was murder in my eye and he knew it (and I was undersized, just didn't care any more). He just realized I wasn't easy pickings any more and left me alone.

I put another one into the hospital, but he was a bit thicker and it took more persuasion.

Bullies are cowards who try to throw their own shortcomings onto other kids and then try to beat it out of them. The only way to deal with it (in the absence of any realistic response from adults) is to stand up to it, throw those shortcomings right back at them, and let them know that no matter how badly they hurt you, they're going to get hurt, too.

Many of us who survived public school figured that one out. Some who didn't have scars that run very deeply: depression, a deep mistrust of fellow humans, especially authorities; an overwhelming desire to be left alone that approaches hermitage; free floating anxiety and rage.

It's only a few who stand up to the bullies by using guns or pipe bombs. You'd think those few would have convinced schools to institute anti bullying programs from kindergarten forward but no-o-o. The few who do start them far too late and show an astonishing lack of understanding of bully psychology.

I often wonder what this country would be like if bullies were spotted early and their behavior modified. Think of every psychotic boss and most of the Repug party behaving sensibly for a change. Think about that neighbor who waves his gun around all the time growing up knowing he doesn't need one. Think of the cops who have gone out of control.

The mind does boggle at the possibilities.

"Oh, just ignore him/them. He/they will get bored and leave you alone." or "Oh, he/they are only picking on you because he/they secretly like you"

They're really saying, "I don't want to be bothered."

Bullies are best dealt with by punching them right in the nose.

I love the scene in "The Christmas Story" when Ralphie, following taunts by a mean, yellow-toothed bully, finally punches him out.

I heard that the actor who played that bully grew up to become a porn actor.

I don't know if it's true or not, of course.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0911934/">IMDB Profile for Zack Ward

He is in an upcoming Uwe Boll movie, which is much, much worse. (and potentially career-killing)

where the guy takes on a group of young thugs to defend his girlfriend. They all run for their lives. It was beautiful.

I'm furious every day -- and looking for opportunities to punch them in the nose ...

They could have held me back two grades and I still would have been the smallest kid in my class.

How does one deal with bullies? Stand your ground and don't back down. The last thing in the world a bully wants to do is beat the crap out you because that would expose him as a bully.

And even if he does, you still don't give him your lunch money or whatever it is he wants.

The best way to deal with a bully is to put him at risk of acting like a bully. He won't do it, because he's allergic to bad PR.

They are all marketing and NO substance. They are peddling snake oil, smoke & mirrors. The last thing they want is to be forced to actually follow through.

Is the chimp threatening to veto things? Punch him out (like Ralphie did) by handing him passed legislation and make him put up or shut up.

Make sure there's a big mop handy cuz bullies crap their pants when the show's over ;)

picking on that poor, stupid little Gonzales kid. And on TV, too!



:nopity:

edit to add: I think even some republicans are seeing that Little Boots is a vengeful bully, who is breaking their party's chances of success.

After that, he HAD to forget everything, cuz he can't tell the truth and they would toss his ass in jail for lying under oath.

When they made him stand and swear, they stood up and took the bully DOWN.

He was taunting my husband about a pretty damaging experience my husband had had as a boy and is still working to come to terms with. My husband had already gotten frustrated and walked out. I was left behind with the kids at the extended-family dinner table (thank goodness I'd come separately from work and had my own car). The prick continued taunting and haranguing after my husband left. I even gave him an opportunity to cease and desist. Two, in fact. First, I interrupted in a fairly quiet voice and said "can we please talk about something else?" The put-downs stopped for about 15 seconds, then resumed. I repeated, more loudly and insistently, "CAN WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE???" Again, it stopped for a couple of moments, then resumed. This time, the asshole's wife joined him in kicking my guy when he was down (IN FRONT OF THEIR YOUNG AND HIGHLY IMPRESSIONABLE KIDS). I finally turned to him and yelled "SHUT UP, GEORGE!!!" (His name isn't george. I'm just changing it to protect the guilty).

Guess what our smug, big-shot, Mr. Put-down asshole did then? He gaped at me for a second, then got up and stalked out of the house, his wife and their kids trailing dutifully behind him. Mr. Tough-stuff got confronted and couldn't take it! My parents-in-law sat there silently the WHOLE time. It occurred to me, observing their behavior as well as his, that this may actually have been the first time in "George's" whole life that he was ever put in his place, family favorite my-son-the-doctor golden-boy that he had always been. It was most revealing and instructive to watch.

And my asshole brother-in-law is SUCH a coward that he hasn't had the nerve to face me since that day (well, except for when his dad died. He and his wife DID manage to work the funeral into their busy schedules. They were, however, COMPLETE NO-SHOWS when his mom died!). We never had another big family Christmas - at least for that side of the family - EVER again.

My reaction to that? Good riddance to a certified shithead!!!

You deal with bullies by confronting them. Shoving it back in their faces. Taste of their own medicine. They don't like the taste of it ONE BIT, and they can't take it. If they're bullies, they're all talk, and no action. Bluster is all they've got. They're just hoping you're intimidated enough to buy into it.

and it is all related to the shit going on over the cable news

;)

I refuse to speak to them anymore when they give me a commercial for Jeebus.

...I usually give'em the finger and tell'em to go fuck themselves, then walk away.

I cant deal well with 'stupid' and 'ignorant' fools, I went through years of being walked on and finally one day I said 'Fuck this shit'. Ever since, I don't put up with anyones shit and I don't care who you think you are or what your title is. I will tell them off just as fast as I would anyone else.

Best way to deal with a 'bully' (who usually has some emotional issues anyway) is to get back in there shit. Cant let them think that they have any control over you, once they think they do it will not stop. Get back in their face and tell'em to fuck off.