Buggery from bullies at boarding school...
...is something of a myth. I went through boarding school without any sort of sex whatsoever (boo-hoo). At junior school I got quite a lot of verbal stick from a twunt called Nick Governor. Governor died in his early twenties when he fell off a roof at a party and no, I didn't get the champagne out, as I really wasn't bothered either way. Life had, fortunately, moved on.

Senior school - well I was a pretty good target for bullying. I listened to classical music. I was the most crap at sport that the school ever had. And I had the social skills of the Elephant Man before Anthony Hopkins gave him an education. So how did I avoid getting grief? Simple - I made people laugh. I am not, and never will be, a great (or even good) comedian but somehow I learned that if you can make potential tormentors laugh, you can save yourself a lot of problems. I'm sure this doesn't work in all situations but it did work for me.

Last year at school - and for some reason there were only 7 kids in the Upper 6th in my house (we were organised on the Hogwarts basis). Result was that most of my mates were in the Lower 6th, and at our school people thought that if you were in the year above you were as fool as cuck, even if you were a spacktard like me. One day I came across a kid called Hopson who was being given a terrible time by his Lower 6th classmates. It was part psychological, part physical, and pretty unpleasant to behold. I rescued him, knowing from past experience that this was one kid who would never stand up for himself whatever they did to him, and my mere appearance, along with a few threats, was quite enough to see him left alone for the rest of his time at school.

I didn't expect gratitude. I know all about undermining authority and such. I expected him to ignore me. I certainly didn't expect him to start calling ME names! Yes, he'd shout inanities at me from out of the window until I had to advise him that unless he wanted to experience previously unknown realms of bullying, he'd better stop.

I don't get it. I write this nearly 30 years after the event and I don't get it. If anyone does know the answer to this, I would be grateful if you'd tell me.
(eesnahk, Sat 16 May 2009, 23:38, 4 replies)

I take your challenge
Potential logical explanation for a situation that probably has no logical explanation:

He recognised that one of the easiest ways to not be the target of bullying is to bully someone yourself. However, this is easier said than done and he needed an easy target that was unlikely to call his bluff and escalate things beyond his ability (name-calling). He recognised you as a good target because 1. he had assumed that as someone who had helped him you were more likely to just ignore him than actually turn on him, and 2. as an older student he would look even better having the guts to actually pick on someone so cool...
(xanthine, Sun 17 May 2009, 3:54, closed)

Read
"Great Apes" by Will Self. Understand that many of life's interactions are about alpha / beta / gamma posturings. That we are beasts inside a thin (for many people) veneer of culture and morality. Understand that if you were perceived as a beta / delta / whatever by the person you helped out, then that would be an affront to their pride that they needed the help of someone who they perceived as being inferior to themselves. That's all. A stupid reaction, but one which (in context) can be understood. Maybe even forgiven ?

Sorry if this sounds preachy - it's not meant to. But read the book anyway !
( I_Was_Mordred, Sun 17 May 2009, 14:14, closed)

My magnificent effulgent arsehole
I love this phrase
(maggotriddendirtbox fast, feral and sharp as a tack since, Mon 18 May 2009, 7:47, closed)

Thanks...
for taking the time to answer my question. I think you're probably right.
(eesnahk, Wed 20 May 2009, 10:43, closed)