"Bullying builds Character"

Yeah, because their being logical. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection You're going to be their release. This is the same reason why many of those who are molested go on to molest themselves. Different people react differently to problems.

What I've noticed is years after school, very often the bully's are in good careers and have families while victims struggle to get on

I don't understand that though - if you don't like someone doing that to you, why the **** would you do it to someone else? You don't have to be a genius to work out "oh, that wasn't nice...hmm, well, if I don't like it, there's a high chance someone else won't too! Better not be a tool and not do that to them " I feel bad for people with problems, but there is no reason to take them out on other people. Sort your issues out properly.

What a load of absolute **** that is, i'm sorry but you have no ****ing clue what you are talking about. My life has been completely destroyed because of anxiety and shyness caused by bullying and statements like this are just insulting.

From Year 7 onwards i was relentlessly bullied, in some cases by people who had been my friends throughout primary school. My work was ripped up, i was tripped up and spat on, people always did things to my food at lunchtime, and when i walked home people would run into me with their bikes. I was laughed at whenever i spoke in class, and was frequently reduced to tears in lessons whilst the whole class would laugh at me. I've had my school uniform stolen, cut up and thrown in the shower, been pushed into a bush of stingy nettles whilst doing a sponsored walk, been smacked around the face with a cricket bat (still have a scar) and once after PE i was choked with my own tie to the point where i required hospital treatment. I used to play sunday league football and whenever i played against a team with one of my aggressors in, they would purposely try to injure me.

Of course the school never did anything. I recall going into an English lesson one day, and someone who had been tormenting me since Year 7 hid behind the door and jumped out at me to the entire classes amusement. I completely snapped, smashed his head against the door repeatedly and stamped on him before i just walked off. Of course HE was made out to be the victim and i was expelled. I had gone from being predicted 10 A*/A's at the start of Year 10 to leaving school with no GCSE's.

All this made me so severely depressed to the point where i was repeatedly trying to take my own life and ended up being admitted to a psychiatric unit. I've been on anti depressents for 6 years, have seen over 40 doctors/counsellors since then and i am STILL not 'cured'.

When i started college my social skills were non existant. On the first day, i remember sitting next to two girls, both smiled at me and said hi. My first instinct was that they were taking the piss. I couldn't believe that some people were friendly and wanted to get to know me. It took me forever to make friends and it wasn't until the last week of Year 13 that i was confident enough to speak in class and initiate a conversation with someone.

Nearly a decade later i FINALLY got into university and i am still badly affected by what i went through. My first year has been completely wasted because of anxiety. I'm far too paranoid that people don't like me, even friends. I've met a lovely group of friends in halls but i'm still too nervous to suggest anything or start talking to them in case they don't like me, even though i'm constantly being reassured that i'm part of the group. So getting close to people is impossible even though i am desperate to. I'd meet people on a night out, they'd invite me to their flat and i was never brave enough to go. I'd get talking to a girl and i was never brave enough to get her number or arrange to meet again. When people were arranging 2nd year housing, i wasn't brave enough to ask. So i have nobody to live with.

I've never had a girlfriend even though i have plenty of girls looking over, smiling, approaching and flirting with me. I have no confidence in how i look and can't believe a girl would find me attractive. Everyone tells me i have a nice personality and any girl would be lucky to have me, but i can't see it. I'm struggling to find a job because i have no confidence to ''sell myself''. I have no confidence to talk in seminars and i'm constantly doubting my academic ability even though i'm getting firsts for my essays.

I've missed out on so many life experiences that a normal person my age has been through, and this makes me upset every single day. I'd give anything to be confident and happy but i don't think this will ever be possible because of the insecurites and anxieties that bullying has left me with. The fact i have made a new account just to post this says it all really.

I don't understand that though - if you don't like someone doing that to you, why the **** would you do it to someone else? You don't have to be a genius to work out "oh, that wasn't nice...hmm, well, if I don't like it, there's a high chance someone else won't too! Better not be a tool and not do that to them " I feel bad for people with problems, but there is no reason to take them out on other people. Sort your issues out properly.

You can't expect all people to act logically at all times.

If the people that are supposed to be given them guidance in life are ****ing up and causing them harm then the child isn't going to know any better and grow up thinking that's how to deal with problems. They aren't taught how to deal with their problems effectively and the people teaching them are setting a wrong example.

I always think when someone talks about how badly they were bullied, that they are being slightly over the top as I cannot see what you could have done to someone to make them hate you that much.

I have a truly horrible temper but I keep it in check and if it wasn't for bullying I think that I would still be like my brothers exploding at the smallest thing. Now though, I take a few moments and actually think about things before doing or acting on them.

I will freely admit that I can say aweful things to people, the only person who ever bullied me broke down after I started retaliating and he actually cried in front of our class. It was then that i realised that although you can do those things it wasn't the kind of person I wanted to be.
So it does make you stronger, as long as it isn't the "burn you in the face with a cigarette kind" of bullying

No. Let's discuss this one instead.

"RAPE builds character". Lot of parallels between bullying and rape and bullying is a component of rape also.

Surely raping someone is helping build their character ? Surely it must because there are some idiots who think being bullied helps you. Well, except for those who are traumatised by it and take years to recover, or those who get so depressed because their self-esteem and feelings of self-worth have been so destroyed by it that they attempt to take their own life.

BULLYING IS NOT AN F---ING JOKE.

But look around you - is everyone in the streets acting like it's GTA? Or are they y'know, respecting one another? Look at people in the workplace, does the employee punch his boss if he refuses a payrise? Even if your life is **** at home, you can look around you and find examples of people behaving well. It is not hard to realise it's wrong. You'd have to be so unintelligent not to notice.

People don't look to what everyone else is doing to know what they should be doing. They already feel like they know what they should be doing hence why would they give a **** about what everyone else is doing? There's no reason for them to question their actions.

Also, physical workplace bullying is less prevalent for the reason you mentioned. They start to realize that there actions are wrong and they receive negative consequences from doing it (which leads to more serve consequences like lack of shelter/food/etc). Whereas, the children with abusive parents come home and face harsh punishments constantly and realize that they are a punching bag for their parent(s) problems hence choose punching bags for their problems.

ever since I got raped I became a stronger and kinder individual.

I never got raped.

But you easily could. That's the point, it's easy. You don't even have to consciously question your actions, just notice how the world works. Being too dense to realise isn't an excuse.

But if they don't like it, why would they want someone else to feel like that?

I've already explained to you why, it's called projection. I'm explaining why they do what they do. I don't care whether you don't like their reasons.

You're also saying that all bullies are unintelligent then, as I've explained why someone with an ounce of intellect wouldn't behave in that manner.

Bullies can be intelligent. There's no correlation between bullying and intelligence. As I understand it you have aspergers, maybe that explains why you're having trouble comprehending the actions of some individuals. Everything you do isn't guided by logic or rationality. People do illogical/non-rational/whatever things all the time.

Based on my own personal experience of being bullied from years 7-11 I would definitely say it does. There is some degree of truth in "That that doesn't kill me, can only make me stronger".

I think I suffered moderate to bad bullying, both physical and emotional. I wouldn't go as far to say that it was the best thing that ever happened to me, but in the long run it has been a certain positive. Being bullied made me persevere, it made me much more keen to assert myself, kindof as a way of getting back at them by being better, by being more academic, by getting something out of life. I myself am quite the extrovert. Being bullied did not make me retreat into a shell, it made me a bigger and more confident character. It certainly made me less influenced by peer pressure; I've become very independant. They say life is the best revenge.

Morover, as a result of the experience I have far greater levels of tolerance and compassion for others. In my sixth form there is a guy who has a number of problems. Everyone treats him like a pariah or a freak. But not me, I always strive to stand up for those who everyone else picks on.

On the other hand, I know for a fact that I'm quite insecure and anxious around people as a result of my experience. But for me things have turned out good on balance. I suppose it was all dependant on me and my personality