Social Science Support thread for the unbullied

[Gus]

When I got bullied and that would be rarely. I would just tell myself, these people won't have jobs and will probably be junkies/boozeolics and living with their parents and on the dole, give them some happiness now by letting them verbally abuse me because their life is down hill after school.

or they'll be the ones who go far in the workplace because they have the will and the guts to do what they want, make themselves superior to their peers and get ahead in life.


For what it's worth, I was bullied. Quite unfairly too because of a birth defect that caused me to have a limp. From about the middle of high school that stopped because I learnt to just laugh it off. Became the class clown in the end because I figured if they were laughing with me then they weren't giving me shit.

From then on I was unbullied. May have turned into a bully myself towards the truly nerdy kids.

 

[Caesar]

or they'll be the ones who go far in the workplace because they have the will and the guts to do what they want, make themselves superior to their peers and get ahead in life.

They'll go about as far as you will if you think bullying is a trait indicative of successful future managers.

Not to say bullies never succeed, but as a rule people who have the ability to lead and influence people in a less confrontational and aggressive manner tend to do better. Those who rely on bullying their whole lives tend to have limited abilities in other areas, and more often than not end up stuck in lower and middle management.

 

[Gus]

I think it's a stereotype that bullies have limited abilities in other areas. Many of the bullies I knew weren't bullying to cover up weaknesses, they were bullying because they knew they were better and stronger.

Some were the big, dumb stereotypical meatheads but the others were people who had everything going for them and knew it. They used bullying as a means to show that they were better.

 

[Caesar]

But the very fact that they use bullying to show that they're better is a limitation in and of itself. Those who feel a need to dominate others physically and emotionally are not content (or perhaps not able able) to let their other traits speak for themselves.

Successful (really successful) people earn respect and power through the inherent power of their personality and charisma - not by crude displays like bullying. If anything, the latter is self-defeating.

That's not to say bullies never succeed. Talented people are talented people - bullying doesn't change that. But when I look at the talented people I have known, the success rate amongst those who never bullied is far, far higher than amongst those who did. It's an extremely significant character weakness.

 

[TheSunGod]

Had a guy bully me at school once. Then I knocked out some of his front teeth and he never did it again. Felt bad about it though.