A half century ago, the bullies were everywhere... in my barrio, in the ghetto, school, and even in church.
The best way to deal with a mean person is to avoid them but school was compulsory attendance. Bullies operated in gangs and the threats, pranks and gang beatings were a daily occasion.
Fatherless youth.
These youth grew up in fatherless homes, devoid of hope, totally centered on themselves and the moment, heedless of the consequences of their actions, terrorizing those around them as they act out the frustrations of their unchanneled and undisciplined lives.
In 8th grade, Herman delighted in getting nose to nose and yelling at me. One day, I gave him a right hook to the stomach while bending sideways. He puked right there at my desk. I still got the gang beating, but from then on Herman just yelled from afar. That right hook put up an effective fence between us.
Fatherless adults.
Bullies are still here and everywhere... abusive cops, manipulative witches, church pastors that are wealthier than the people they serve, and gangs of professional legal thieves called bankers, lawyers and politicians... that sometime run entire countries. These must be the same fatherless youth of a half-century ago... the same nastards.
Know what's going on.
However, we must realize that we give them power, and we don't have to... we could effectively fence them off: We can use dash cameras, credit unions, avoid the stock market, boycott churches and even vote the bums out.
We can think, and we can do. We can enlighten our youth to the bully's tactics, and how to counter them. "Keep calm and adjust your fire," goes the old school ditty. Don't let them intimidate you. Instead, laugh quietly at them.
- copyright 2014 by Willy.
P.S., Collective praying works too. Become part of a bigger effort: Pray. "Lord, put this country back on track." Every night at 9 pm Eastern time.
