Another not-funny one
There was this fella in my class, whose presence I thanked the Lord for since by virtue of being both very intelligent and rather weird, he was a lightning rod for the bullies that would likely otherwise have targeted weedy speccy geeks like me.

He was utterly addicted to EastEnders, but his parents (who were old enough to be his grandparents) were too hard-up to own a video recorder so he taped every episode on audio cassette. He'd even written lyrics to the theme tune, and was stupid enough to sing them one time during class.

He hero-worshipped Terry Wogan, and announced that as soon as he was of age he would change his name by deed poll. And then open a garden centre.

He was utterly terrified of the sight of blood or even the mention of it -- he once fainted during R.E. while we were discussing the crucifixion. And another time when we were watching a sex-ed video about the correct way to insert a Dutch cap (why they were showing this at an all-boys school, I have no idea).

He began to sprout facial hair quite early on, and when he was instructed by teachers to remove it, he refused. After threats of expulsion failed to change his mind the teachers backed down. The very next day, he shaved it off.

He once confessed to me that in his early teens he'd cycled to a nearby stretch of railway track, planning to throw himself under a train.

What does this have to do with the QOTW? Simply that I look back now and see how weak I was for joining in with the general piss-taking and finger-pointing (if not the actual physical bullying), even though he was a friendly enough guy and we got on pretty well. I'd go so far as to say that I was the closest he had to a friend in the whole school. And yet I still did nothing but tag along with the others when the time came to torment him some more.

Some time ago, I heard that after leaving school and spending a couple of years working in dead-end factory jobs, he had taken his own life.

/shame
( reallywittyname veraciously conspues lexiphanicism on, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 15:12, 5 replies)

No, bollocks to it
I stuck up for the bullied kids and all I got was their share of the shit.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 16:00, closed)

Don't you feel good in part, though, knowing that maybe you spared someone from torment that they couldn't bear, that you were strong enough to handle better?
(Musuko, Fri 16 Jan 2009, 12:23, closed)

Amen Brother
I remember the same thing at school. Get bullied so find a weaker kid to deflect the misery onto. To my eternal shame I was glad when they moved on to bully someone else, and I gleefully joined in, ecstatic that I wasn't on the receiving end any more.

I shudder to think of those days.
( sm.pl.crt.rs I don't fucking know, do I?, Thu 15 Jan 2009, 16:03, closed)

What a bundle of laughs this QOTW is turning out to be
I got my share of shit at school - kids are utter cnuts.
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Fri 16 Jan 2009, 8:00, closed)

"He hero-worshipped Terry Wogan"
Clearly a trendsetter and much ahead of his time....

Tel's a legend ;)
( bluemeat has been best of all the animals since, Mon 19 Jan 2009, 12:22, closed)