Echoing what Maladicta said...
Bullies are evil. No exceptions.

I suppose, looking back on it now, that my life was set up to be the perfect victim. I aced all my tests in Primary School, so much that I was recommended for the local Grammar School, so off a little UM 11 year old I went to take the 11+. I passed, and was reliably informed that I'd passed with a 90+% score. This fit with my mothers belief that I was some sort of child prodigy, and as such, I was brought up to believe that I was cleverer than most people. I'm not, as it happens, I just have my strong points which were brought out in Primary School.

I was also "poor". I lived in a single parent, council house family with no maintenance coming in from my absent father and a mother who worked 48+ hours a week and did her level best to bring me and my younger (by 5 years) brother up. So latest trainers, computer systems and Sky Tv was out the window.

So I started at the (all boys) Grammar School, and from the first day I hated it. The school claimed to be one of the best in the country, and it was rather obvious how it was able to claim that with the statistics - any pupil who didn't have the ability to score a C grade in a subject at GCSE was not entered for the exam. Some mega-rich parents had quite happily bought their spawn a place at the school, so the school was full of rich kids and posh boys. Me, being neither, stood out like a house on fire. Not only that, but I had a love of learning at the time, and was happy to go to every lesson and be the teachers pet.

Like I said, perfect victim.

It didn't take long for the verbal abuse to start...comments about my haircut or lack of "brand name" trainers/coats were first. Then comments about my sexuality, which in an all boys school, is not the best thing. 3 solid years, I was the class/year/school "faggot". There was some respite in the summer terms because I was one of the top cricketers in my year, so I could always hang around with the same boys who made my life a misery in the earlier terms because I wasn't a natural rugby player and hated the game. The physical abuse started later, little kicks in the knee, elbows to the side of the head when in groups, but nothing that could be outwardly spotted. I knew, deep down, that I should have gone to an authority figure, but kept it bottled up. My grades slipped. I was doing the bare minimum to pass and survive, forgoing homework so I could go out with the few friends I had at home (none of which went to the school). The school bullying lasted from the 2nd day of Year 7 til the last day before the GCSEs of Year 11.

Why did it stop? I still had 2 years of 6th Form at that place. It stopped because what my home "friends" did to me was much worse than anything that happened at school.

They set me on fire.

In my Year 9, our group of friends expanded to add a newcomer who had just moved into a vacant house with his family. This guy was the epitome of the "cool kids" and we jumped at the chance to add him to our group. Anyway, over the 2 years, he started to make sly digs and do things so that the group would look up to him. That meant targeting me. And to cut a long story short, it ended up with 2 other friends "spilling" nail varnish remover all over one of my shirts and lighting it "to see if it'll go up". Whilst I was wearing the shirt.

I spent a night in hospital with 2nd degree burns and they got away scot free because a police officer turned up at the hospital whilst I was delirious and I inadvertantly protected them by saying it was an accident. I lived in that area for another 4 months and had abuse hurled at me daily. I eventually got away from it all and when telling my story at school, I earned a lot of respect because the "incident" happened a week before my GCSEs and I still managed to get enough to get into 6th Form. That saved my last 2 years and I was the "kid that survived the fire".

What the bullies did to people like Vampyrecat, Hair Pot, myself, Maladicta and others on here is despicable. How some of you have survived and had the courage to not let it effect you is great. I wish I could have. Instead, I'm a stressed out wreck of a man who can barely leave the house unless under controlled conditions. The bullies don't deserve a second chance.

Yet most of us end up giving it to them anyway...

(Apologies for length, I'm inconsiderate and introspective)
(TheUnthinkingMinority needs some new music to listen to., Thu 14 May 2009, 0:41, 5 replies)

fucking hell.
*hugs*

Don't know what to say mate except those guys are probably all fucked up drug addicts or miserable fuckers. I hope they're fucking miserable. That's just.. inhumane.
(Poppet some assembly required., Thu 14 May 2009, 7:53, closed)

The depressing thing is, that they probably aren't...
The thinkg I hate most is when you are younger people saying the bullies grow up to be scum bags. Unfortunately, it just isn't true, they often grow up, go to good unis, and laugh about the stupid kids at school.

It's depressing when you realise this... There is no justice.
(The Kwyjibo A big, dumb, balding North American ape., Thu 14 May 2009, 11:40, closed)

No justice...
The guy who was the newcomer to our group has since seen the inside of a prison cell - justice, imo. One of the group got out and is doing well for himself, but he didn't do much so I'm actually a bit happy he got out. The rest of them are dead-end losers.

Jimmy's right though, a lot of the people who were twunts at school went on to universities like Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol...and now have very well paid jobs as solicitors, barristers, scientists. No justice in the world...
(TheUnthinkingMinority needs some new music to listen to., Thu 14 May 2009, 19:23, closed)

Right.
Bash, this guys house, now. He deserves his own private B3ta bash.

The one thinkg about this QOTW is how people are constantly amazing me with how strong they are with getting through it. You are one of those people. Yes, you can't leave the house. But you're still here. You're stronger than those cowards will ever be.
(Potty Jag har smör i min rumpspringa, Thu 14 May 2009, 8:48, closed)

Agreed.
We are stronger than them, all of us who have survived.
(TheUnthinkingMinority needs some new music to listen to., Thu 14 May 2009, 19:25, closed)