Context: I was bullied when I was younger. It fucked me up pretty bad for a long time, and I still go to therapy partly because of it. And on a site with plenty of autistic and lgbt+ people on it, I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one.
So when I see stuff on here like "bullying works" (Probably the most popular version of it) and things like it that, intentionally or no, seemingly puts a positive spin on bullying and praises it, it just really rubs me the wrong way.
I know it's been thing here for a while now, but I've never really been happy with it.
Because bullying isn't just a "kid" problem like it so often is in movies n stuff, the fact of the matter is it's an issue that transcends age groups. Adult bullying, especially in the workplace, is just as much of a problem as the big kid on the playground taking your lunch money. In fact, you might argue it's actually worse alot of the time cuz it's often much more subtle, but no less damaging, than adolescent bullying.
Basically: There's already a culture of bullying in much of the world that subtley and not-so-subtley encourages and supports doing it, we don't need to add extra to it.
And I know here it's typically used in the context of making fun of chuds/libs on Twitter or whatever (And I'm not saying you have to stop that specifically), but I still don't like it. I dunno, it's just always seemed kinda gross and weird to me. :kombucha-disgust:
Just something to think about.
There's a massive difference between bullying someone because of their immutable characteristics (gay, red hair, Asian, autistic, etc.) and because of their shitty policy beliefs.
It is of the utmost importance that people on Hexbear feel safe and comfortable expressing their personal identity. At the same time, history has shown that mincing words with fascists or liberals simply encourages them.
There is a difference between making fun of someone for those things. But the specific word "bully" or "bullying", and all the baggage that comes with it, is a pretty loaded word with an almost exclusively negative history and connotation behind it. One that's had a real negative impact on many lives, the vast, vast majority of them undeserving.
I think there's better ways to keep making fun of chuds/libs without adding to an already existing culture of bullying.