Me

I was bullied both in elementary school and high school.  In elementary school I was the victim of a very mean, fat red headed girl, who tormented me endlessly.  I was the different kid, interested in things that other kinds were not. For show and tell, where other kids would bring their favorite toys or books, I would bring in engine parts, pistons crankshafts.  Looking back, I realize this was a symptom of Asperger’s Syndrome, but this was back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, no one knew about that.

   I had to put up with this horrid little beast for 3^rd and 4^th grade.  It got so bad, my parents requested that I be placed in a different class for 5^th and 6^th grades.

   If grade school was bad, high school was worse.

   For junior high and high school, my parents send me to a catholic school, where, for all purposes I was defenseless.

   My sophomore year was the worst, I seriously contemplated suicide.  I was called a fat tub of goo, spit on (yes spit on!) and called ‘Herb’ (This was in the mid 80’s when Burger King introduced nerdy charter for its commercials named Herb). This all at a catholic high school, where the kids where supposedly taught the ways of Jesus and be kind to your follow humans.

   Things did get a little better by the time I graduated but by then the damage had been done.

   I have to say the bullying that I endured did result in some positive things for me:

I have left Catholic Church and Christianity all together. I am now a Wiccan and we Wiccans believe in the rule of 3, whatever you do to another, good or bad is returned to you.  We also are firm believers in karma.

I have developed a great distaste for hypocrisy.  Believe me, I catholic high school is den of hypocrisy.  As a result, I am a proud libertarian.

Last, I have a tolerance for people who are different, who do their own thing.  I support the underdog, the people and groups who stand up and say ‘We will not be pushed around, we will not be stepped on, we will fight for our rights!’

   For those who are being bullied today, I have this advice:

Stand up for yourself, I know it is hard, but if you stand your ground most bullies will back down, they mostly cowards.

Get evidence! Most cells phones have cameras and can record video.  Also they can be used as audio recorders.  If someone is cyber bullying you, save all the texts, tweets and whatever else they say or send.  Then take all of the data and resend it to their parents and your school’s administrators and whatever teachers you think can help you.  If they don’t do anything about it, make a video and post it on You Tube, and send that video to them.  If all else fails, seek out members of your school board and send all your information to them and also the media if it gets really bad.  Schools hate bad publicity and will go to great lengths to avoid it.