The Big Picture: Magneto Was Right

[Jake the Snake]

If you're smart enough to realize that you are in fact superior to everyone else, than you should be smart enough to understand why people treated you the way they did. Because people fear what they don't understand, and when they are don't understand something they become confused, and when they're confused, they feel insecure, so to feel secure once more, they must try to assert their dominance to make the situation comfortable for themselves again.

I don't hate stupid people, I just don't have time for them. The only thing you can really hope for is to do something you love, and hopefully bring understanding to yourself in a way other people can access, and therefore accept you for what you are instead of feeling insecure.


But what does a 17 year old from Minnesota know?

 

[Perja]

Definitely be on Magneto's side not ashamed to admit it either.
I'm immature that way.
Though professor x was very admirable.

 

[FrossetMareritt]

I don't think I would have a "side" that I would belong to. I think I'd be somewhere between chaotic good and chaotic neutral. If I had superpowers I would be seriously righting some freaking wrongs with the world (I'm looking at you sick bastards in Africa with your ethic cleansing). Though it's not because I want to do good, it's because I hate injustice.

The reason why I wouldn't be a completely good guy is that one thing I say while driving to school or shopping (substantially I say more often the more people are around me), "It's a good thing God never gave me superpowers; people should thank him for that!"

 

[ReiverCorrupter]

First point: people bully because they're dicks. If we're really that much into stereotypes, then I'd have to say that I was a nerd/jock hybrid. I played football, and the other football players made fun of me endlessly. But, then again, it's high school, so EVERYONE made fun of each other endlessly. I personally just took my lumps in football because I frankly had little more than disdain for most of my fellow players and couldn't care less what they thought of me. Loved the sport though.

However, in class I was the bully. I ripped apart anything anyone said and not only made fun of their ideas, but generally insulted their intelligence in what (gauging it by the laughter of the class) were relatively witty ways.

Who cares, it's just human nature. Get used to it and learn how to fight cruelty with cruelty. You'll be stronger for it.

Secondly, I find it rather funny that Bob claims to be an intellectual, but CLEARLY has no idea who Nietzsche is and what he says; otherwise he would realize that his entire spiel about supermen and the ressentiment of the lesser men is really just a far less eloquent and thought-out version of what Nietzsche says. Poor show Bob, poor show.

 

[Cowabungaa]

How many people come on here saying they're getting shit from some idiot at school only to tell a variation of:

"He insulted me, I insulted him back, he fronted up to me and I called him stupid, my mates laughed, then his mates beat us up. help! I'm being bullied!"

Well that explains it, we've been talking about two completely different things. Yeah that ain't bullying, though I haven't seen that all that much on this forum. What I have seen a lot is bully victims getting advised to retaliate, that showing strength would get you rid of them. Funny thing is that I've seen it both work and not work with myself. During primary school it only made things worse, but during my first year at high school it did make them back down, they never figured I had the guts. I still can't really figure out what caused the difference.

But bullying is a different thing indeed and a lot less noticable than what you're describing mainly because bully victims are pressed into submission, it's almost a master-slave relation in some respects. That's the sort of thing Bob is talking about in this video and the fantasy that lurks in certain victim's minds; the reversal of the master-slave relationship that goes on in bullying.

As for Bob himself, yeah I've seen all of his videos and no I haven't noticed that. If you can point out such examples of honest generalisation (you know, that he honestly means it, not some figure of speech or whatever) I'd gladly look them up myself. In one video he was defending sports fans, the only people I've noticed him talk down on were the people who were doing the generalising or being stupid (like in the gen-food video, though he missed an opportunity in that one too). Does to-the-point equal condescending?

 

[daviejjd]

omg come on bob, this is just absurd, a ridiculous premise but i stuck it out thinking; maybe he'll justify it, make an interesting argument, 'it's in a comic' is all we get

I don't mean to wail on you bob and i sure don't want to be punished for my post but this video could have been better... by being about something else... completely different... other end of the galaxy different... universe different... you get the picture... the BIG picture

 

[Vault Citizen]

I think there is a chance I'd be on Xavier's side but I can't pretend that I wouldn't have a think about it. I think the main factors in deciding would be how those I care about would view me, whether or not I would get away with joining the brotherhood and if I'd feel guilty for doing so.

That is more self analysis than was probably needed to respond to that question.

 

[tkioz]

pfft, I wouldn't be on the "bad team" they'd be on my team.

One of my friends from childhood can often be heard to say that it's a good thing I'm lazy and generally too busy arguing online and playing video games or otherwise I'd be running my own little nation somewhere, threatening Nuclear Armageddon if this month's shipment of Gold, Diamonds, and Virgins is late.

 

[shedra]

Bullying stems entirely from physical strength. Unless they're female, small and weak people don't make fun of or act unnecessarily mean to people. I'm just not seeing your point Bob.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

As someone who was massively bullied in high school (I STILL have lingering psychological issues stemming from that time)...I'd probably join the X-Men.

Because as much as I'd like to join team "Let's show those bastards who's in charge NOW!" and get my payback on those who made my life a nightmare...tormenting my tormentors would only put me down on their level.

Having felt the pain of being shoved aside, mocked, hit, told I was a *insert hurtful thing here*, ETC, I became able to understand that kind of suffering on a personal level. And knowing how bad it feels...I dunno if I could inflict it on someone else. Yeah, I'd love to nail some of those !@#$ers in the nuts for the pain they inflicted on me, but that's a one time thing, and neither traumatic nor fatal. I'd never want to inflict constant torment on anyone.

So yeah, I'd probably go X-men, but I'd definitely sympathize with Magneto, and consider joining him if he stopped his campaign of terror for something less evil.

 

[theguitarhero6]

So then......why ARE we bullied?

 

[Redem]

Regardless of the intellectualism you can associate to the high-tech compagny, its not exactly anti-intelectualism that foster the hate for Bill Gate, but more the general dislike for massive corporation you kinda have to endure that's more the reason why Bill Gate has such a bad reputation

Beside its not exactly impossible to have intellectual criminal, White collar criminal or and criminal organisation need a certain level saviness to be able to operate nowaday

 

[PhiMed]

A Bostonian who hates Michael Jordan?!? Color me shocked.

OT: There's been so much focus on bullying in the media over the past decade that I really have to wonder whether we've become so softened as a society (the people, not the government) that we've re-defined what constitutes "bullying". I hear many of the complaints of people on news programs and on this web site, and I can't help but think that my father (who once took a baseball bat with him when he went to "talk" to the parents of a 16 year-old who had beaten a 10 year-old me) would look at me as if I had a nipple on my forehead if I'd come home crying with a similar complaint.

People aren't nice. Most people aren't special. People who aren't special don't deserve special treatment. These truths escape most "bullying victims".

I don't know Bob's circumstances, but judging from the fact that he often likes to claim that he is special ("I'm obnoxiously intelligent" - direct quote), I wonder whether his disdain for the world stems from an actual history of bullying or simply an innate misanthropy.

 

[MasterChief892039]

Women aren't free from their gender role. Yeah they've gotten a lot of freedom to move into traditionally male areas but Women and girls are still expected to be thin and attractive among other things. I mean this even more so than men. There is much more pressure on women to fit certain standards when it comes to obesity and attractiveness. Also have you seen what girls can do to each other? They can be flat out CRUEL, especially if they perceive the girl to be masculine in some way. Just like men hold other men to certain standards, women will hold other women to other different standards.

I just wanted to polish the other side of that coin if you know what i mean. You know, to clarify that women get bullied too for the same general reasons and that are not immune to it as you (probably inadvertently) implied.

Oh I agree. I did actually say

note that I'm not saying feminism has been "won", only that now a woman won't be criticized for say, wearing pants, taking a job as doctor, or anything else considered to be traditionally "male"

and I still believe there's a lot more freedom of expression when it comes to women's gender presentation than men's, but I also recognize that if a woman strays too far from conventional femininity she'll be called a "dyke" or a "whale" or something else along those lines.

But believe me, I'm both female and feminist, I know all about lady issues. I was just focusing on men for that one post, in the context of male on male bullying.

 

[Actual]

Do you know why Michal Jordon is considered a hero. It's not because of what he does it's beacuse unlike some prissy little geek who cries when things don't go his way he had the determination to prove his worth. He worked hard to accomplish his goals and to show the world that he and anyone else can achieve their goals by working at. And that's more than Bill Gates or you ever did.

Isn't that exactly what Bill Gates did but without the advantage of being a tall, naturally athletic and attractive man?

 

[The Stonker]

I would never wish to want to become the monster which tortured me.
For what is the point? Do I want to become them? No.
I would probably go rogue and just wander along in society, if I didn't have something like fish hands then I would be fine.
But then in the end my fish hands get frowned upon and then I join Magneto, because hey! Who else will accept FISHMAN! ( Don't say Aquaman I will kill you)

 

[MoosePasteInventor]

As someone who was massively bullied in high school (I STILL have lingering psychological issues stemming from that time)...I'd probably join the X-Men.

Because as much as I'd like to join team "Let's show those bastards who's in charge NOW!" and get my payback on those who made my life a nightmare...tormenting my tormentors would only put me down on their level.

Having felt the pain of being shoved aside, mocked, hit, told I was a *insert hurtful thing here*, ETC, I became able to understand that kind of suffering on a personal level. And knowing how bad it feels...I dunno if I could inflict it on someone else. Yeah, I'd love to nail some of those !@#$ers in the nuts for the pain they inflicted on me, but that's a one time thing, and neither traumatic nor fatal. I'd never want to inflict constant torment on anyone.

So yeah, I'd probably go X-men, but I'd definitely sympathize with Magneto, and consider joining him if he stopped his campaign of terror for something less evil.

I agree fully. I think that in order to "beat the bullies," you have to refrain from stooping to their level, unless you want to beat them by bullying right back at them. I was somehow lucky enough to not get bullied after about 5th grade, and even then it wasn't too much. I generally assume people are friendly until proven otherwise, and that philosophy has generally served me well.

Bob freely admitting that he'd be on the revenge team is actually something I admire about him. He isn't afraid to show his bias (more so in the game overthinker), which is something that not a lot of people do.

Also, it seems (to someone who is not all that familiar with X-Men) that the fight between the X-Men and Magneto 'n' gang is eerily similar to the current American political quagmire, in that there are two groups who have different ideas on how to achieve the best outcome for a group to which they both belong, and rather than try to settle their differences, it becomes an all-out war. In X-Men, the group would be the mutants, whereas in America the group would be, well, America. I agree more with Professor X, and I sympathize with Magneto, but I believe the methods employed by the two subgroups are destroying the larger group. As it is with American politics. I agree more with liberal ideology, and I sympathize with conservative ones, but the all-out war between Democrats and Republicans seems to be doing more harm to the country than good.

Sorry about the rant, I've just been wanting to get that off my chest for a while.

So, yeah, I'd probably join the X-Men if I had to, but I'd probably prefer to be more of a mediator between the two sides. The reason for me not joining Magneto would be less about his ideology (which I disagree with, but not to the point where I would fight) and more about his methods (which necessitate fighting). Magneto's methods are, in my opinion, worse for mutants in general than his ideology, because they involve the deaths of not only non-mutants, which would not be a motivator for him, but also mutants, which I assume would motivate even him. Doesn't he just want to stop being discriminated against? Wouldn't a war that destroys a large part of a city make people hate him even more?

Anyway, final answer: kinda neither, but leaning more towards the X-Men.

 

[A Weary Exile]

I could never get into the X-men movies precisely because of this reason, Magneto was always right. And it's not a matter of "Oh they were mean to us, boo hoo." they tried to ethnically cleanse mutants from the face of the Earth, and the X-men want to be friends with these people? I think this is one instance where a comparison to Nazis is doesn't count as hyperbole and it's even more accurate keeping in mind that Magneto was actually in the Nazi death camps and doesn't want such an event to occur again.

Go team Magneto!

 

[wildcard9]

Ironically enough, it's often the intellectuals that instigate the hate and bullying. Think about the tea party; how each member is inherently voting against their interest (badly-needed health care overall, net neutrality, etc.). The leaders are the same so-called intellectuals that the party detests so much but because they're smart enough to know how to manipulate the misinformed they can get away with the fact that they're just as educated and sophisticated as their "elitist" rivals by demonizing other intellectuals who'd call them out.

In short: it's all about finding a scapegoat. We nerds are just another scapegoat in society. What we, however, must remember is not to scapegoat so-called "jocks", "bros", or "douchebags" or else we're no better than our tormentors are.

P.S: one of the advantages of being Mexican is having a huge family to look after you. I constantly hung around my cousins in high school to avoid being bullied. What my own flesh and blood put me thru was everyday antagonizing while what bullies put people thru is downright abuse.