Have You Ever Been Bullied?

[Omneya Shakeep]

I am a quiet person; I don't seek leadership and have no problem following others if it suits me. Some of my friends over the years tried to bully me into doing what they wanted when I disagreed with them. They were generally shocked every time I stood my ground. I think they expected a meek person, not someone who would fight back. Thankfully, I didn't face any major bullying that I couldn't handle.

[Omneya Shakeep]

I was bullied as well at school because my family name resembled a funny cartoon character. I was mocked by many children to the extent that I used to avoid writing my family name whenever possible.

I hope you are not talking about Mohamed Sobhi's series "Sonbol after the Million." That must have been awful. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

[Ferdinand_Otieno]

When I was in Elementary school, around the age of 7 or 8. I remember hating school for the bullying, but as I got older and grew out (literally), it completely stopped. I ended up defending those classmates who got bullied from then on.

[Meghan Soderholm]

As someone with a learning disability, I was bullied a lot in school. I was bullied because of my weight, too. Later in life, I found out that behind the bully, they suffer emotionally and use bullying to hide their real feelings. That was the case for Justin! He hid his real feelings about his grandmother's death and his loneliness. It brightened my heart to read that he and Donny later became great friends!

[Amy Luman]

I have been bullied. When I was in school, though, it was just considered that someone didn’t like you and they got all their friends not to like you. I didn’t even realize that’s what it was until just a few years ago. People tried to do it when I was he mother of a high schooler. I’ve learned better how to stand up for myself, though.

[Sarah Sonbol]

I was bullied as well at school because my family name resembled a funny cartoon character. I was mocked by many children to the extent that I used to avoid writing my family name whenever possible.

I hope you are not talking about Mohamed Sobhi's series "Sonbol after the Million." That must have been awful. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

No, I'm not talking about that series. I wasn't in Egypt back then. But there was a funny cartoon with the same name. I used to like it, but I hated being mocked because of that.

[MsH2k]

I only experienced once what could be called bullying albeit with some inflamed imagination - when at school, a few classmates were teasing me for never attending PE classes because I was exempt on medical grounds and otherwise I was a top star in all subjects. So they sort of found a weak point. My mum was teaching chemistry to our class so I had some extra weight to bear with my mum treating me most strictly in her class, and because of this complex relationship of being a teacher's daughter generally, I was expected to behave at all times. The taunts did not really upset me so I ignored them but once our young and absolutely stunning arts teacher overheard it. She went straight on to them and said that if they did not stop it, at the next chemistry lesson my mum would turn them into copper sulfate crystals forever, and she would personally see to that they never become human again! I chuckled - those crystals were a part of the practical chemistry and we were all making them and even had an exhibition - amazing looking blue figurines of various shapes! The taunts stopped instantly!

Olga, I can relate to the “complex relationship of being a teacher’s daughter.” My mom was an elementary school teacher. Thankfully, I did not have her as a teacher at school, but she was my Sunday School teacher when I was in the preschool class. When I moved on to middle school, I was glad to have a bit more freedom, but my 7th-grade history teacher was not only a friend of my mother--she was our Sunday School superintendent. AARGH! Having Mrs. Turner as my teacher was almost as stressful as it would have been to have had my mom.

[MsH2k]

After reading some answers to this question, I realize bullying can take many forms. I had never thought of this situation as bullying—I regarded it in different terms—but now I think it fits.
I was in the third class of women to attend a previously all-male school. It was a military school, and one of the frequent uniforms of the day, like many military terms, had an acronym. The letters in the acronym were repurposed to represent a phrase that . . . let’s just say was not flattering to women in uniform. Many male students muttered, and sometimes yelled, this acronym when female students passed by. Technically, they were only saying the name of the uniform, but we all knew what they meant. This continued throughout my four years there. I hope it is better now.

[Bettny Andrade]

Thinking about it, I could consider myself lucky, because compared to the stories that you have presented, and the stories that I know personally, I was not harassed in that direct or strong way.

[Bettny Andrade]

Being the new student in high school, in a group that had been together since kindergarten, and also always the outstanding student of all classes, shy, with clothes two sizes larger. It was definitely the point of view for everyone, but no one approached me to make friends, looking at the past, leaving my introversion aside, it cost me a lot to have friends.

The harassment that I experienced was passive, since every time they could they attacked me verbally:

They spoke ill of how he dressed.
They combed my hair.
They criticized my intelligence.
They criticized my face.
They criticized my nose.
General taunts.

[Abi_rami]

I still have no idea whether it was bullying, but I faced several comments on body shaming. Even my family did that. I hated going to any public places because of the same reason. It destroyed my confidence and even now, I remember the comments they made.

[Rodel Barnachea]

One of the worst experiences I have had with bullying is the time when my own friends did it to me. I was in high school, and out of nowhere without an explanation, they suddenly started teasing me about how hideous I was. I felt very sad and angry because
no one deserves to be called ugly. I also felt confused because their bullying also felt like just "normal" teasing among friends.

[MsH2k]

When I was in Elementary school, around the age of 7 or 8. I remember hating school for the bullying, but as I got older and grew out (literally), it completely stopped. I ended up defending those classmates who got bullied from then on.

It really motivates you to help when you can relate to what they are going through.

[Abril Zacca]

When I was a kid I took more than most to reach a normal height for an 8-year-old, so a few of my classmates used to make fun of me for being too short, I also have a gap in my front teeth and that was a cause for bullying for most of my school years. Thankfully I had a very nice group of friends that helped me feel better about myself and ignore those mean comments.

[Allison Beard Vion]

On social media trolling, I remember making this comment on how women abuse the fight for gender equality for their own evil benefits. Suddenly, there is this stranger, a woman who was seemingly offended by the comment, and she started insulting me and calling me names. I simply blocked her and deleted the chats.

I'd like to now hear from other member's experiences.

Social media certainly has a way of encouraging strangers to personalize out-of-context quotes and vilify folks, often unfairly. I have to say, reading your words in the quote above jarred me a bit, too! From my perspective, the comment seems to imply that all women have evil intentions and abuse the fight for gender equality. But I'm sure you don't mean that because that would be silly. In some ways, I think social media has significantly increased bullying in the world. In conversation we usually have some association with the person we're talking to, even if it's just that we are sharing the same physical space. It's much easier to assume a talking head online is not a complex individual, whereas that's very easy online. Plus, it's easier to say harsh words to a stranger than to someone you might interact with again. Speaking with friends who have young children report much higher rates of bullying (mostly online) than I was aware of as a kid. It's a real shame! I hope we can all have high standards for ourselves, no matter where we are interfacing with others.