Bullies

According to the dictionary, a bully is a persecutor, oppressor, tyrant, tormentor, intimidator; tough guy, thug, ruffian, strong-arm. And the person being bullied is: coerced, pressured, pressurized, pressed, pushed; forced, compelled; badgered, goaded, prodded, intimidated, dragooned, strong-armed, bulldozed, railroaded, or leaned on.

In essence, a bully pushes in order to get his or her way; and when the person ~ or group, or institution ~ gives way, a bully doesn’t stop, but rather starts pushing harder. Anything to get his/her way to the maximum extend.
And it is not just about getting his/her way; it is also about a certain amount of recognition. When other people seem to approve, or even start cheering the bully on, all bets are off as to how far a bully will go to receive the maximum amount of attention, to gain the maximum amount of applause from his/her peers. All to get his/her way; to feel important.

It is a mechanism that often has devastating consequences.

As it turns out, any bully has a real knack to choose his/her victims. And those victims seem to never be able to push back ~ for whatever the reason. It is not that the victim was born a victim; sometimes it is more like they are not interested to push back. Not interested in taking a stand against someone who is clearly coming from a weaker position in life: the bully. Or perhaps they are raised to live and let live…
However, as time moves on, that may prove to be a mistake. It doesn’t cause the bully to stop pushing; it is more likely the bully will start pushing harder.

Even when we are not actively being bullied ~ because of the very mechanism of bullying ~ it is not a good idea to sit back and let it go when we see it happening. Whether it is in a school yard, online, or even on a national level. Whenever we see any type of bullying going on, it is important to step up, to step in, and to push back.
To make clear that this is not acceptable behavior. To get the point across that it is ‘conduct unbecoming’.

And even when we cannot ‘talk sense’ into the bully; at least protect the victim from this particular bully ~ whether it is a person or a minority. And to step away from the bully. To disassociate ourselves from his/her behavior. To stop giving the bully the attention he/she so desperately desires.
In other words, in dealing with a bully it is a good idea to protect the victim, to stand up for ourselves, and to disassociate ourselves from his/her behavior.
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