Recently, a friend shared an article about Harvey Weinstein (the now infamous Hollywood producer - or was it director? - I'm not sure and I don't really care about getting it right), which detailed the lengths to which he went to investigate the actresses that he had harassed when they showed signs of wanting to speak up about it. I commented that I couldn't believe someone would go that far, to which my friend responded that these people are happy oppressing others, that they "get off on power". I replied, "These people don't deserve my understanding."
I recall, too, another time when someone shared a video about someone who got bullied so much by his schoolmates, was asked to kill himself, and eventually did. At that time, I said that I didn't understand these people who enjoy bullying others.
These are basically the same thing in the end, feeling happy when you see someone's misery caused by yourself. And it is something that I don't think deserves my understanding.
When some of my friends mention that they were bullied in school, I am always shocked. That is because I do not remember seeing any kind of bullying in my entire school life. Or maybe it did not happen to me, or in front of me. Or maybe it did happen to me, but I was not aware that it was bullying? One thing that my mother taught me from a very young age was to ignore those people who make me upset. Maybe some people did try to bully me. But at the lack of reaction, they probably stopped. Or they continued and I just didn't care. I don't know.
Anyway, whatever happened in the past, I see disturbing things in the present. At the workplace, among colleagues, I sometimes see exchanges that I feel are basically "someone trying to make another person upset for their viewing pleasure". In short, wouldn't that be called bullying? I guess it doesn't go so far though, because this is usually seen among people who are "friends" (supposedly). One example is when one person was trying his best to feed spoilers about a show to someone who had just started watching it. While the other person (the "victim") was covering his ears and trying to walk away. I really don't understand why someone would want to spoil a friend's viewing experience of a show. But back to what I was saying earlier, I guess I shouldn't even try to understand. Because people like these don't deserve my understanding.
What would be the difference between someone who tries their best to upset a friend to get a reaction out of them, and someone who bullies their schoolmate to get them to commit suicide? Isn't the difference just in the scale of their actions? Wouldn't that difference be comparable to, for example, the owner of a sundry shop and the owner of a chain-store empire?
(I don't think this post is written very well as an essay; let's just say it's a jumble of slightly connected thoughts and events, finally put down into writing.)
I recall, too, another time when someone shared a video about someone who got bullied so much by his schoolmates, was asked to kill himself, and eventually did. At that time, I said that I didn't understand these people who enjoy bullying others.
These are basically the same thing in the end, feeling happy when you see someone's misery caused by yourself. And it is something that I don't think deserves my understanding.
When some of my friends mention that they were bullied in school, I am always shocked. That is because I do not remember seeing any kind of bullying in my entire school life. Or maybe it did not happen to me, or in front of me. Or maybe it did happen to me, but I was not aware that it was bullying? One thing that my mother taught me from a very young age was to ignore those people who make me upset. Maybe some people did try to bully me. But at the lack of reaction, they probably stopped. Or they continued and I just didn't care. I don't know.
Anyway, whatever happened in the past, I see disturbing things in the present. At the workplace, among colleagues, I sometimes see exchanges that I feel are basically "someone trying to make another person upset for their viewing pleasure". In short, wouldn't that be called bullying? I guess it doesn't go so far though, because this is usually seen among people who are "friends" (supposedly). One example is when one person was trying his best to feed spoilers about a show to someone who had just started watching it. While the other person (the "victim") was covering his ears and trying to walk away. I really don't understand why someone would want to spoil a friend's viewing experience of a show. But back to what I was saying earlier, I guess I shouldn't even try to understand. Because people like these don't deserve my understanding.
What would be the difference between someone who tries their best to upset a friend to get a reaction out of them, and someone who bullies their schoolmate to get them to commit suicide? Isn't the difference just in the scale of their actions? Wouldn't that difference be comparable to, for example, the owner of a sundry shop and the owner of a chain-store empire?
(I don't think this post is written very well as an essay; let's just say it's a jumble of slightly connected thoughts and events, finally put down into writing.)
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