Bullies suck. As a youth, I was never bullied beyond the norm- probably because my self-esteem was always high and I had a sharp tongue.  Also, in elementary school, I wasn’t above punching a close friend if any kind of teasing got out of hand.

I guess the only time I was a... I hate this word... victim of bullying was on an administrative level when I was kicked out of the 6th grade for being HIV positive.  After that, most of the bullying came from within, the silent nudges of a virus that was trying to tell me I was different. Most times I ignored it.  Or, as I framed it in My Pet Virus, I gave my virus a healthy dose of the silent treatment, refusing to utter it’s name in an attempt to sap its power over me.

These days, the message of anti-bullying is getting some wings, particularly the bullying of gay and lesbian youth.  Part of growing up is growing out of the malicious phase of our human nature... some do succeed in this, some not so much.  But the earlier we teach people not to prey on a minority for being “different” than us, the better the chance of a dickhead child not turning into a dickhead adult.

That written, here’s a great video about a kid who says he was bullied for years, and finally stood up for himself.  I think that the theme of this should be a worldwide promotional tool.  First, we’ll use words to encourage you not to bully.  If that doesn’t work?  Bodyslams.




The bully in this story, 12-year old Ritchard, also sat down for an interview.  He claims he was bullied, too.  I just thank the heavens that my jackass friends didn’t have cellphones or video cameras when I was growing up.

Positively Yours,
Shawn

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