You, your friend, and a sibling can all be bullied. Why is it that victims are bullied? It’s  because the bully feels superior. But how can the bully be superior if we are all individually unique? They can’t be better, because they’re not the same as any other person. Individuality is your wealth, your uniqueness, and your support. It can help you, because it is what defines you.
Friends may think it’s teasing, but what influence does it carry outside of that environment? The victim may begin to sulk or hide away from others, school grades could drop, they could quit sports. You aren’t just influencing emotion when you bully, you change who they are and their lifestyle. For better or for worse? Well, thats all in how they decide to deal with the bullying. Maybe it’s not as intense a case as some or as harsh as others; but it is still never ending. The teasing some receive is overdone and out of date, but others still find humor in it. Maybe you’re being made fun of for what you're involved in, but the sad thing is, if you’re in smarter classes than them, how can they feel superior?
Paper doesn’t beat rock…and yet they still tease the upper hand. They might be larger physically and mentally, but that doesn’t mean much when they have followers. They apologize and try to make good, but the past never dissipates, and the future is never set in stone. You will never fit it, you’ll be just like the rest of your family. The bully doesn’t know that the victim is dealing with his abusive father leaving their family or that his sister just died in a car crash… Now they’ve just sparked a fire that can’t be put out.
Unfortunately harassment is no longer just in words…it has now developed into pictures and social media. Online is where most of the bullying occurs. The bully feels safe behind their screen and feels that they cannot be caught. They could never be so far from the truth…everything you save, post, or comment on is permanently on the web. All the harassment that is their can be saved, or showed to an adult. In reverse, that also means anything taken from you, such as pictures, is permanently up as well.
Bullies need to understand the effects of their actions and that what they are doing causes long term effects and that it isn’t a joke. Comedy is playful and fun until it interferes with one's mental or emotional boundaries and standards, such as you may make jokes about family or friends when they might actually be dealing with a real crisis with family or friends.
“One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered.” - Michael J. Fox. Fighting back can make you no better than them in some cases. That’s why you should do it correctly. Bullying someone else because you were bullied, or bullying the bully, doesn’t solve anything. Ignoring it, fortifying yourself, and finding support is the best way to fight it. Make them know how you feel or get someone to help you. Then you don’t need to abuse them to make them stop; you only need to correct them.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of Bully is “to treat abusively or to affect by means of force or coercion”. In simple words…a bully is someone who abuses others forcefully to gain what they want. Whether that is an emotional reaction, a joke, or just physical strength, that is up to the bully. In order to discourage bullies, we need to change their mind, correct their mistakes, and cleanse their view of you.