Is it ever acceptable to be a bully?

1. 74

   pagesvoiceposted 9 years ago

   Is it ever acceptable to be a bully?
   
   If you answered "no" to the above, then why do adults feel it is acceptable to bully those with opposing political views? We preach to our youth about the evils of being a bully and then we move into online chat rooms and forums, slinging slurs and vitriol as if we were ladling out soup in a cafeteria. Do you see the hypocrisy in this double standard?

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2. 70

   Old-Empresarioposted 9 years ago

   Pagesvoice, I think a lot of people who bully or talk tough in blogs are getting their "wiggles" out. They don't have a voice in the world and so they lash out online where they can't be censored and people have to listen to them.

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      Rod Marsdenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      You could be right Old-Empresario. I tend to meet people who are trying to make connections rather than put people down. But I have seen TV programs about cyber bullies.

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      pagesvoiceposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I think people would be more hospitable to one another if they were having discussions face to face rather than hiding behind the anonymity of the internet.

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3. 68

   Rod Marsdenposted 9 years ago

   I don't like bullying in any shape or form. Maybe I have been lucky in forums. The people I generally meet like to joke not bully.

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      pagesvoiceposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I love a good joke and I'll take that any day versus abusive words.

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      Rod Marsdenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I agree. I try to keep it friendly and it seems most people are happy to go along with this.

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   mikejhcaposted 9 years ago

   I don't see it as a double standard. If you really think you are right then you feel justified. Bullying becomes okay. If you think the person being a bully is in the wrong then you think bullying is bad. When you feel strongly that you are right then you can justify a lot of things.
   
   Sometimes it is acceptable to be a bully. You force or try to force a person to do what you want. If the person is doing something bad then forcing them to stop is acceptable. Going by the meaning of bullying the police bully people. They use force and intimidate people to do what they want.
   
   In the case of politics what is right and wrong is debatable. The person doing the bullying may think it is acceptable because they are in the right and the other person is in the wrong.

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5. 0

   JThomp42posted 9 years ago

   Because it is so easy to say what you want while hiding behind a computer screen. I think a lot of people "vent" about things they would never bring up in a one on one personal discussion. I also think these people may have something lacking in their lives that they feel the need to be so defensive. Maybe they have brought up their thoughts only to be "bullied" in their day to day life.

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   1. 74

      pagesvoiceposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I suppose the veil of the "net" allows some the freedom to let out their dark side. I also blame the shock jocks on both TV & radio for spewing hate speech while they collect millions of dollars in paychecks.

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      dashingscorpioposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      pagesvoice, I don't believe it's their "dark side" but rather their "authentic self" that they feel forced hide in order to conform with society. A bully was a bully in their heart before they turned on their laptop.

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      JThomp42posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      dashing..... I would have to disagree.

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6. 81

   dashingscorpioposted 9 years ago

   I personally don't find it acceptable to bully or be bullied.
   The upside to all the chatter and comments we see online is we get an idea of just how far we are away from living in a world which accepts and tolerates different opinions, religious beliefs, races, and sexual orientation. The "melting pot" seems like an illusion!
   Naturally we cannot ignore the silent majority of people who don't bother to post their thoughts or comments. People with strong opinions oftentimes find it easy to go from attacking an opposite opinion to attacking the person. They see no difference.
   They disagree with you on (one subject) and from then on you're placed in a box of people they hate and want to do battle with. Never mind the fact you probably agree on many other topics!

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      Lady Guinevereposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Exactly spot on.  I was just told that all I write about is religion and that is so off and totally wrong.  Yet I am put in that box.

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   D_D_Brownposted 9 years ago

   Bullying isn't acceptable anytime, anywhere.  With over 20 yrs dealing with bbs's, forums, comment columns I have found that the typical cyber-bully tends to be someone that would and could possibly be the target for a real world bully.  Online comments are a way to feel power that is perceived "non-existent" in a real world situation.

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   1. 68

      Rod Marsdenposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I find your points DD Brown to be spot on. Me? I'm just here to have my say and to strike up friendships where ever I can. That's power enough for me.

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      Lady Guinevereposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I totally agree with you.

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