Today's Chat with Savannah

By SAVANNAH CUNNICK

Being a BULLY is NOT COOL. It's NOT FUNNY. Tearing someone else down to make yourself feel better is a COWARDLY ACT.

There is bullying in schools... in sports...at the office... in your neighborhood... cyber-bullying on the internet.

The boy you punched in the hall today..committed suicide a few minutes ago. That girl you called a slut is a virgin. The boy you called lame. He has to work every night to support his family. That girl you pushed down the stairs the other day. She's already being abused at home. That girl you called fat. She's starving herself. The old man you made fun of because of his ugly scars. He fought for our country. The boy you made fun of for crying. His mother is dying. You think you know them...guess what ? YOU DON'T!!

As we grow up...we realize it becomes less important to have a ton of friends and more important to have REAL ones. That is a process that takes a lot of patience and backbone. We find it's what's on the inside that counts. But, as we know, it takes longer for some people to learn that bullies are not important and it takes bullies longer to grow up and get out of that MEAN stage....then again, some never do.

What makes a BULLY? My thought is a bully is a person who has personal problems. They are angry with their own life and get bullied at home. They are jealous and insecure with their own life. They lash out and take their problems out on others. Sometimes it is peer influence..where one bullies to impress others.

What does a bully do?....well let's start with: teasing, rumors, threats, gossiping, leaving someone out, hitting, name-calling, kicking, stealing, pushing, mean words, damaging property, mean emails, mean tricks....and more.

Do you work with a bully? HE'S the one with issues. Does someone spread rumors about you ? Listen: rumors are carried by haters...spread by fools... and accepted by idiots. So much for small town biddies who have nothing else to do but gossip and be cruel. Give them $20 to go by some better insults!!

Cousin Polly told me: In order for someone to insult ME, I would have to first VALUE their opinion! (Nice one!)

Nasty comments really injure people and stick with them for a long time.... OK...grab a plate...throw it on the ground. Did it break? Now, say SORRY to it. Did it go back the way it was before? ... DO YOU UNDERSTAND? You may as well be throwing a drowning person both ends of the rope !

Stop and think before you say something nasty and hurtful. You may be a strong person and can stand up for yourself...but you are even stronger when you stand up for others !

How do you ignore bullying ? It's not easy, but this may help: maintain a calm facial expression...walk away with out responding (it's like taking the punch out of a joke)...use a confident voice and say STOP!...use humor such as: Your comments are unacceptable or Oh, Really? or It's not your job to like me---it's MINE...Hey, I just duct-taped my little brother to the wall at home for saying less than that...Other ways are: Stay in a group...Tell someone you trust about the bullying...Make a list of all the reasons YOU are great and believe it !! Personally, I would carry a can of air freshener and when the Bully starts in...say: Ugh...what's that smell? Let's GET RID OF IT!! PSSSSSSST!

Uncle Festus told me: Bullies would always pick on me...now VULTURES pick on them !

In high school Clarence would get bullied and they would take his lunch money all the time. Festus told him: Next time tell the bully when he asks for your money, tell him you left it on his mother's dresser !!

I, myself, was bullied in middle school because I had a bad complexion. This guy would point at me and follow me around saying: ZZZZZIT ZZZZIT. It really hurt my feelings and I wished he would go away. Well, instead he went skiing that week- end and broke both his legs. WWWWHOOPS!!

I guess that's what they mean with: what goes around, comes around!!( Even better...my face cleared up!)

Uncle Clyde always believes that when the caveman invented that BIG club...he first used it on a BULLY.....then went out to find something to eat!

Festus' neighbor is so mean that he'd steal a dead fly from a blind spider!

I feel that KINDNESS and COMPASSION should be taught in schools from Kindergarten through twelfth grade!! My boys were never bullies. I got smart and put them in sports and they grew big and strong. They always stood up for the kids that were bullied. My son, Billy, was on a baseball team. There was a smaller boy who was a bit slow and could hardly keep his baseball mitt on his hand. He would always flub up and the coach purposely placed him in insignificant places where his mistakes didn't matter. Well, believe it or not...at the championship play-off the opposite team hit that ball way up in the air and far into the out field toward our little slow buddy. Everyone gasped...if he missed the ball, the game was over for us. Our little guy just held his mitt over his head and Plop....that high-flyin' ball LANDED IN HIS MITT. Oh my gosh....before we knew it, all the other team members had hoisted that little champion of the game upon their shoulders and cheered and sang...how magical is that !! That child was never bullied or under estimated ever again for the rest of his life.

Stop looking down your noses at people who live on the street. Granted, there are existing drug and alcohol problems ...but there are also folks who have had some really hard breaks in their lives. This includes families with small children who lost their homes and have no one to help them. Some are military folks who suffer from psychiatric problems and fear every day life. There's not enough help to go around. I wish I could be Robin Hood and help in more ways. I certainly praise people who are doing things to help where I can't. Soup kitchens, clothing and food drives.. church contributions of blankets and tents have helped a lot. It seems that this situation will continue to exist unless the government steps in and rectifies it.

Thaw out your cold hearts toward people who are different than we are...race, creed and religion. Back in the day, I was raised by parents who were very prejudiced. If my mother wasn't venting...she wasn't breathing. Thank God I broke free of that mold and enjoy folks of all origins.

Stop bullying animals. They are people too and will love and honor you more than any living being on this earth!! (That's a whole new CHAT at another time.) By the way, those who bully President Trump soon found out he certainly can bully back! He says: If you have a poor opinion about me... please raise your hand...now, put it over your mouth ...!!

One of the nicest people I ever knew in Florida had scars all over her arms. They were from CUTTING. She told me that she was always bullied and made to feel worthless. When she was alone, she would slice up her arms just to feel that she was still alive and proved that she had control of HER life. Gina also had an abusive husband ...so some scars were more recent than others. To me, she was the best Title person I had ever had in
real estate and I always told her that. It's hard to build someone up who has been so tortured her entire life. But, I tried. I took her out to lunch all the time and gave her ALL my business. I sent other real estate agents to her and before long she was doing very well. People had grown to trust and respect her. She soon opened her own Title Company (and above all got a divorce). NO MORE BULLYING...NO MORE CUTTING.

BULLYING is like wrestling a gorilla ! You don't quit when your're tired....you quit when the GORILLA IS TIRED. Never give up!

Just remember, throughout your life people will hate you, rate you, shake you and break you....But, how strong you stand IS what MAKES YOU !!

Let's CHAT next week. Have a great week...BE NICE...BE KIND and SMILE inside and out !
MANY HUGS, SAVANNAH