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Spirit Day
Oct. 20th, 2010 04:35 pmI'm wearing purple today. Mind you I own so much purple that it's statistically difficult to find a day when I'm not wearing it. But even so, I made sure to put purple on today, along with a fabulous pair of green ballet flats.
I have to admit on things like this I can't help but wonder what if those who died didn't particularly like purple? Like I get there's a theme and all, but if I died of, say, breast cancer and people wore pink in my honor I would so come back and haunt you all (probably by following you around and going "REALLY? Seriously? Do you know me AT ALL??" and then maybe doing the "I'm not touching you" game just to make sure you were as annoyed as I was about the whole thing.)
But, barring evidence to the contrary, who does it hurt? So I have my purple on. It does make you wonder if the other people you see wearing purple today are there with you, so there's that if nothing else.
I was never bullied to tears in school, though certainly I took my share of teasing and tormenting like any kid did (esp chubby, nerdy kids). Supposedly some kids called me and another girl lesbians in elementary school, but I didn't hear it if it happened. Which isn't to say it might not be true. Certainly I've had people try to use "lesiban" and the like as insults.
Typically, though, I was the one standing up for the bullied kids. I am nothing if not my mother's daughter, so seeing others getting picked on was always a great way to get me right into the fold. (My weapon of choice? Sarcasm.)
(Amusing side story: there was only once in my life when a school bully gave me the "I'll see you after school!" let's-get-ready-to-rumble speech. Her location of choice was, with no irony on her part, between the church and our Catholic school. Sure enough when school was over she was there, lying in wait. I walked right past her, feeling no need to dignify this nonsense with my attention. "You can't do that!" she said when she saw me. "Watch me," I replied and walked right on home.)
None of this is to say that I had awesome anti-bully skills, or that bullying can be survived with a skilled combination of boredom and a rapier wit. Not all bullies are alike, and there's no one-size-fits-all answer for how the victims can or should deal with it.
What it is to say is that bullying happens, at worst it's deadly and at best it's really fucking stupid. As Winston Churchill said, "It's the kind of horseshit up with which I will not put."
I have to admit on things like this I can't help but wonder what if those who died didn't particularly like purple? Like I get there's a theme and all, but if I died of, say, breast cancer and people wore pink in my honor I would so come back and haunt you all (probably by following you around and going "REALLY? Seriously? Do you know me AT ALL??" and then maybe doing the "I'm not touching you" game just to make sure you were as annoyed as I was about the whole thing.)
But, barring evidence to the contrary, who does it hurt? So I have my purple on. It does make you wonder if the other people you see wearing purple today are there with you, so there's that if nothing else.
I was never bullied to tears in school, though certainly I took my share of teasing and tormenting like any kid did (esp chubby, nerdy kids). Supposedly some kids called me and another girl lesbians in elementary school, but I didn't hear it if it happened. Which isn't to say it might not be true. Certainly I've had people try to use "lesiban" and the like as insults.
Typically, though, I was the one standing up for the bullied kids. I am nothing if not my mother's daughter, so seeing others getting picked on was always a great way to get me right into the fold. (My weapon of choice? Sarcasm.)
(Amusing side story: there was only once in my life when a school bully gave me the "I'll see you after school!" let's-get-ready-to-rumble speech. Her location of choice was, with no irony on her part, between the church and our Catholic school. Sure enough when school was over she was there, lying in wait. I walked right past her, feeling no need to dignify this nonsense with my attention. "You can't do that!" she said when she saw me. "Watch me," I replied and walked right on home.)
None of this is to say that I had awesome anti-bully skills, or that bullying can be survived with a skilled combination of boredom and a rapier wit. Not all bullies are alike, and there's no one-size-fits-all answer for how the victims can or should deal with it.
What it is to say is that bullying happens, at worst it's deadly and at best it's really fucking stupid. As Winston Churchill said, "It's the kind of horseshit up with which I will not put."
