Columnist Dan Savage stands by comments on 'bulls**t in the Bible'

[Joseph8th]

58. Short answer: Yes, IF we replace "defeat" with "win respect from" bullies.

Though there is something satisfying about the transformation in the bully's demeanor after a good ass-kicking. Let's keep in mind who we're talking about here. Bullies do not deserve sympathy when the chickens come home to roost. They are never the underdog.

Let's say you (rhetorical) endured long periods of looking into bullies' stupid faces as they leered and taunted, contorted by unthinking hate -- while they (take your pick) slam you into walls/lockers; spit on you; flush you; beat up on you with fists, kicks, weapons; shoving, slapping, other assaults... Let's say this occurred over the course of several years. Three or four. It can't continue, you know this, but you don't know how to stop it until someone (let's say it's your dad) takes pity on you and lets you in on a little secret. There's a time-honored way to make the bullies go away, but it's not going to be easy or fun. "You don't have to beat them all up," dad says. "Just one or two." You take some martial arts. You throw one bully across the hallway when he grabs you from behind at the drinking fountain. You almost blind another one. Most of the bullying stops. But there's still that one guy. That one -- the guy who slammed your head into the desk repeatedly while the teacher watched, helpless. Over and over your head goes into the table.

Tell me, cbayer. Who is the biggest asshole when you explode and take the head-banger out with a chair? Did he really need all those teeth?

Substitute rhetorical you for actual me, and I'll share a secret. That was my last fight for 20 years (and then I was attacked in a bar without provocation). The bullying stopped cold. It took six months to completely turn my life around. And it's damn satisfying to watch those leering stupid faces turn away to hide the bruises you put on 'em. If you are a victim of bullying, or care about someone who is a victim -- at least give them the option. I recommend Kung Fu of some sort, though any martial arts form is quite effective against the usual American-style fisticuffs.