Poll: Upsides to bullying?

[Jaeriko]

Alright, let's get straight to the point:

If you were bullied (or are currently being bullied) as a child/teenager/adult do you think you gained anything positive from the experience?

For example, I was bullied by both my teachers and some of my peers as a child from grades 1 through 8. I was often sent to the principals office or suspended for things that would otherwise barely warrant a slap on the wrist and I can attest to one occasion where a supervising teacher blatantly lied about what had transpired in an effort to get me in trouble and several others where what happened was exaggerated. This is not just my admittedly biased view point, this is the general consensus among my friends and peers who have been in my class since I began school that I was treated horribly unfair.

I can tell you today that I'm actually thankful for this treatment, however horrible and unfair it was. I'm grateful for it, because it taught me something that has become a huge pillar in my life and allowed me to get through many problems. That something is that nobodies opinion of me matters except my own and those opinions that I allow. Being forced to block out blatant negativity forced that mindset on me early, and while I may have resented my treatment at the time, I can forgive it now as I begin to reach adulthood. To be honest, it was a lesson that my personality would have made essential at some point anyway (Think of a male bookworm Luna Lovegood with occasional hyper-active tendencies and you'll pretty much have me pegged) but I'm happy it happened before high school at least, which, as I'm sure many of you will agree, is where things usually get really bad.

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TL;DR? I'm a weirdo who was treated badly in grades 1-8 by my teachers and that unfair treatment allowed me to develop the personality I have today. I'm grateful because the treatment has benefited me (or at least I think so) in the long term and allowed me to form stronger friendships and teach me how to most past bad experiences without trouble. It has saved me enormous amounts of stress and hardship.

Now, I ask all of you who have suffered under bullies during your lifetime. Do you believe that those experiences have benefited you and how?

 

[varulfic]

Like the bullies, I have nothing more constructive to add then:


No.

 

[Pandalisk]

Im sure you could've come up with the concept of "I am who i am" without the need of bullying, but who am i to say that, i said it anyway but...where was i going with this?.
What i will say (?) is that your teachers are diabolical, sweet christ.

the upside to bullying...Hmm.. I wouldn't be as physicaly able as i am now if it wasn't for my constant need to vent into a punching bag and the desire to be strong enough to protect myself so theres that.

my bullying happens in highschool and has only really seemed to stop physically since two years ago, Huzzah!. i think the bullying may have made me panicy, jumpy but strangely optimistic and chill at times, seems like my personality conflicts itself lot of the time.

 

[Simonccx]

I was bullied, it was the most miserable and hopeless time of my life.

But it made me who I am, because I was bullied I was able to eventually break free, redefine myself and not settle for second best. It has given me the compassion and empathy to be who I am today and I know that if i hadnt of been bullied i would probably still be second fiddle to an overgrown child and all too nervous to be myself.

 

[Jaeriko]

Im sure you could've come up with the concept of "I am who i am" without the need of bullying, but who am i to say that, i said it anyway but...where was i going with this?.
What i will say (?) is that your teachers are diabolical, sweet christ.
the upside to bullying...Hmm.. I wouldn't be as physicaly able as i am now if it wasn't for my constant need to vent into a punching bag and the desire to be strong enough to protect myself so theres that.

my bullying happens in highschool and has only really seemed to stop physically since two years ago, Huzzah!. i think the bullying may have made me panicy, jumpy but strangely optimistic and chill at times, seems like my personality conflicts itself lot of the time.

Yes, yes they were quite bad. To be honest, if I was that type of person I could have easily gotten them fired.

Anyways, I will say that I agree with the first point (That being, if I understand you correctly, that what I developed wouldn't have had to come from bullying) but I think that because it did come from first hand experience of how unnecessarily cruel people can be that the lesson affected me more profoundly. My experience with my physical bullies has forced me to become more aware of my surroundings and I have become a very capable fighter if I do say so myself.

 

[Nargleblarg]

I was bullied by girls as a kid...it gave me self esteem issues and kind of messed me up around the opposite gender. I've mostly gotten over it, but no I did not gain anything by it.

 

[Yureina]

I lost years of my life, my first love, and my mental well-being for years, eventually requiring some serious help to finally put things behind me. I gained a ferocious personal defense, a heightened sense of individualism and avoidance of adhering to other people's standards, and eventually a state of comfort with the person that I am on the inside.

It was not a good experience at all, and I would never wish what I faced on anyone else. With that said... it eventually turned me into, for better or worse, the person that I am today. I do not see it as "good" or "bad" anymore, but merely a step upon the long evolutionary course that I have followed. I'll let others decide the "good" or "bad" of it by looking at my current personality.

 

[PastTheFeeling]

Hmm. I was bullied when I was about 9. It was horrible. I think from it, I've learned to stick up for myself when in those situations.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

Well being bullied by everyone gives you a chance to see who you are...trust no one, and keep your friends close enemies closer.

 

[Rakkana]

I was bullied. I wouldn't say it was positive but it made me the man I am today.

 

[emeraldrafael]

Taught me to man up and learn some self defense, as well as who your friends were. It also taught me to be empathetic and caring towards those who werent "normal". Also taught me to have some confidence in myself.

 

[loc978]

I was never bullied much. I developed a reputation for being an armed, pain-resistant psychopath in elementary school... the reputation stuck until I graduated high school.

 

[Jark212]

Well, I've learned how to be a psychological terrorist in defense during my last year of middle school. I'm also very sensitive to the tone that people use when talking, I can pick up on most things like when people are sad, angry, or confrontational. Or when people use the wrong tone with me I can get very hurt...

Middle school was horrible to me...

 

[Scarim Coral]

Yeah I can see how I was being bully taught me to hate people in general. So no I don't see this as a positive gain.

 

[Baalthazaq]

Basically:
Being bullied made me a stronger, better, person.

 

[Stasisesque]

Nope!

Without going into detail, I had an extremely bright future that was unceremoniously brought to a torturous end. All of the good about me today comes instead from my family, my wonderful friends and my own personal strength.

 

[Palademon]

Being bullied makes me see how unfair the world is and give birth to my misanthropy.
Things tons of better off people don't realise, and are blind to.

 

[fatmrbunko]

id just like to say that the 1 time i was bullied when i was 7 was the one time i was given some leeway for releasing my stress by kicking someones shin in

 

[HSIAMetalKing]

No, I'd say bullying made me a worse person at the time because I resorted to counter-bullying. Thinking back I can admit to myself that I've changed a lot from the little monster my peers forced me to be, so in that way it is sort of an upside. But only sort of.

 

[Stormz]

Not at all

I'm now a friendless loner that gets weird looks from everyone in school. I have low self esteem and horrible anxiety....THANKS BULLIES.

I learned that people are ass holes?