Valentina

for myself, yes , what you say is true, Dub. What, even at my age , I can not tolerate is bullying. It is mindless, heartless pain put upon another. I can not remain silent when I see it. No one should (I believe). My dream is that everyone think before they speak and the speak only if doing so improves upon conversation. "The stronger the word, the deeper its penetration".

I guess I've always viewed bullying more along the "sticks and stones" way of thinking. Bullying involved getting periodic beatdowns by the neighborhood thug when I was a kid. He was holy terror until one day he wasn't. And on that day, I delivered the beatdown. My parents were petrified as his dad was a state trooper. I guess they feared I'd be locked up...lol.

Maybe it's a guy thing in the belief that bullying equates to an exchange of blows.

I do get it, now, though. On the job, for instance, bullying does take on a totally different meaning. I've been forced to look past my base level definition and add to that hurtful comments and people being target verbally. I've done the human resource policing and corrective action. Still, though....in my personal life....I revert back to the "sticks and stones" definition and raised my son in similar fashion. One of my proudest moments was when I my wife and I were called to school to bring him home for a 3 day expulsion. My wife was petrified and unable to speak...just sit there and cry. I asked to read the report that the principal kept referencing. Then I asked if my son could speak for himself. He did. "He kept pushing me, dad. I told the teacher like you said. He kept doing it. I told the teacher. He then hit me again from behind", he said...looking down. "Then what, son?", I asked. He looked up at me and said, "Then I hit him back and made sure he knew not to mess with me anymore....like you told me to do". Wife gasped. Principal shook her head. I smiled and went to him and shook his hand and gave him a hug and thanked the principal for her time and asked if the other boy was okay. We left and had three great days off together. FTR, he was also expelled 3 years later for stopping a bully from beating on his best friend. These are the only two fights I'm aware of him being in. The only disciplinary action or bad conduct scores on an otherwise stellar record. Great kid who gets it.

Sorry for my rambling....but I guess I have old school male views on bullying......but, have been forced professionally to stretch those views a bit.

I wish everyone could have that thick skin, @Dub - my own is pretty thick - if I ever do get my feelings hurt I tend to get over it pretty quickly and that person just becomes "invisible" to me for the most part. but I know others get hurt, and deeply, much more easily.