"No Life"

[SStrikerR]

Yes, it's another one of those rants.

So, today in school we had a bullying program thing, which is supposed to somehow stop bullying in school. That's a laugh there. So we were doing some paper-thing to "get to know each other more." I signed the little line that said "read three or more books this summer" on someone's paper. Well they were chosen to read theirs aloud, and when they read off my name and said what it was for, someone said, "No life." Well, way to insult someone during a bullying prevention program. Maybe now my school will realize it's fucking pointless. But what gets me is that someone would say I have no life because I enjoy reading and don't play some type of sport with my friends 24-fucking-7 like they do. God damn it's like having an IQ over 50 is bad or something.

[DreXxiN]

So reading means you can't possibly stupid and playing competitive sports requires no cognitive ability whatsoever?

K.


That guy was just trolling, ban him =]

No bully programs will work regardless because bullying is generally done by smart bullies off campus.

[SStrikerR]

So reading means you can't possibly stupid and playing competitive sports requires no cognitive ability whatsoever?

K.


That guy was just trolling, ban him =]

No bully programs will work regardless because bullying is generally done by smart bullies off campus.You really fucking piss me off sometimes, you know that right? I play sports, but according to him if you don't live and breathe them you have no life. Especially if you read *gasp* BOOKS.

[Alnet]

If it's any consolation, the people who don't bother to put any time into reading or studying and just playing games all the time think that reading and studying are pointless, because they can get paid by playing their game. But the national league drafts are quite a bit more difficult to get into than your average high school varsity team. ;3

Just focus on the later, when you can evaluate their resumes to work at your business.

[DreXxiN]

I'm sorry I piss you off? lmao. You seem easy to anger anyway >_>.

I'm just saying, sounds like you're making the assumption that they think that just because they called you a no life.

They picked on you for a reaction, not for their true belief, and no offense but from what I can tell, they LOVE your reaction.

PS. They probably aren't serious, and if they are, you don't need to have those people's respect anyway.


I read too, but I live in a dickhole of a city and generally know how these jerks work.

[afterthoughtz]

I personally hate reading and will throw out that guys comment like he did simply for the way you let it get to you, if it wouldnt bother you, i wouldnt say it:) But i dont think because you dont read dosent mean you dont have a life, you just have a lot more boring one then my obviously lol

[TheOneHero]

So reading means you can't possibly stupid and playing competitive sports requires no cognitive ability whatsoever?

Way to twist what was said to fit your assumptions.

Striker: Alnet makes a very good point so no reason to repeat it.

Don't let people like in your rant get to you. Reading is a good way to gain more knowledge, regardless of the material. (Well, the majority of time) As it boosts vocab and the like. [/random]

I find it terribly amusing that you only have a life if all you care about is sports.

[SStrikerR]

They picked on you for a reaction, not for their true belief, and no offense but from what I can tell, they LOVE your reaction. I didn't respond to THEM at all, I've learned that that's a bad idea. >_>


PS. They probably aren't serious, and if they are, you don't need to have those people's respect anyway. Oh trust me, they are serious. Anybody who is in any "gifted" classes is automatically part nerd anyway. And when teachers tell us to get out our books and read, I'm usually one of 5 people who actually do it and don't talk until I get a detention. I don't care about their respect, but I sure as hell don't need to get shit from them.



I read too, but I live in a dickhole of a city and generally know how these jerks work. Huh, that's what most people say. Turns out they almost always don't, though. Wonder why?

[DreXxiN]

Well, My city had tied crime rate to Detroit in 06, and my neighbors and relatives had died to gunshots, so I guess I can't back that up still lol.

Even if you didn't react, that's what they wanted. And yeah, I know all about the accelerated classes. They try to hide their nerd-ism with elitism, they want the highest markings but they want to act like it takes NO EFFORT AT ALL and say all they do is socialize, play sports, etc.

Anything they can do to mask their true self and claim to have a life. =]

[Aisha379]

I agree with TOH on everything (sarcastic remark to Drex included).

As well as Alnet. Not to mention a lot of athletes get career ending injuries, and what are those tough guys going to do when they can neither run fast nor do math?...hm.

Reading is good though. Both for enjoyment and education. And people are stupid to say you can't read and play sports or whatever, just because one reads doesn't mean they don't / can't do other more active activities (unless your severely dumb like them and it takes you forever to read something, in which case you wouldn't have enough time to do anything else.)

In the end though, I agree with the OP, but cannot think of any sufficient advice otherwise. If it were me, I'd kick their asses just to prove I can do both, since I was in a gifted class when I went to public school and usually beat the shit out of people a few times each year.

[SStrikerR]

Well, My city had tied crime rate to Detroit in 06, and my neighbors and relatives had died to gunshots, so I guess I can't back that up still lol.

Even if you didn't react, that's what they wanted. And yeah, I know all about the accelerated classes. They try to hide their nerd-ism with elitism, they want the highest markings but they want to act like it takes NO EFFORT AT ALL and say all they do is socialize, play sports, etc.

Anything they can do to mask their true self and claim to have a life. =]

I think you're missing something....I'M the one in the gifted class, they're the ones in the accelerated classes. (In my school accelerated is one step above the retards)

They really don't give a damn about grades.

[DreXxiN]

Ahh. So gifted is AP and Accellerated is CP translated to my classes.

Well, they were all the same in AP classes as well, except they could hold decent conversations. xD

[SStrikerR]

I personally hate reading and will throw out that guys comment like he did simply for the way you let it get to you, if it wouldnt bother you, i wouldnt say it:) But i dont think because you dont read dosent mean you dont have a life, you just have a lot more boring one then my obviously lol

...I honestly can't tell what the hell you're trying to say here. Illiterate much?
Try again.

[Sinue_v2]

Well, way to insult someone during a bullying prevention program. Maybe now my school will realize it's fucking pointless.

They already do. Stopping bullying is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Parents of the kids who were picked on tend to overlook this, and tend to get rather bitchy about their poor little angels who (more often than not) are only getting picked on because they don't have the balls to stand up for themselves. All your faculty is doing is putting up a facade to show that they ARE trying to curb bullying so as to placate the parents.

(not to say that they don't genuinely WANT to stop bullying, but realistically, there's not much they can do)


But what gets me is that someone would say I have no life because I enjoy reading and don't play some type of sport with my friends 24-fucking-7 like they do. God damn it's like having an IQ over 50 is bad or something.

It's called anti-intellectualism, and it is alive and in force in America. Get used to it. I was kinda lucky growing up... I always kinda fell in with the "wrong" crowd, but there were a few of them who I could really debate and discuss things with. We used to have a semi-weekly tradition to go over to a friends house, party down, and have nightlong drunken/high ramblings matches about shit ranging from Complexity Theory and Self-Emergent Behavior to Germanic Operas. Those who didn't feel up to par to join in on the conversation would gather around and "Let a bit of light peer in through their smoke clouded minds", as Amanda once put it.

Maybe I didn't have a life... trying to actually give a damn about being somewhat intelligent... but you know, if you're gonna "Live Life" - I really think you should fucking know a thing or two about the world you're gonna be "Living" in, ya know?


I didn't respond to THEM at all, I've learned that that's a bad idea. >_>

Actually, the bad idea is to just ignore them. You're only perpetuating the bullying. You can't be afraid of getting your ass kicked. I know it sounds kinda corny, but you will get respect for standing up for yourself. Even if not from them, from others, and those others will get your back in the future.

I used to bully underclassmen a bit myself, and I know it sounds horrible, but I saw it as a personal litmus test. If they back down and cower away, then the fuck with em, they deserve it. But once in a while... every so often... someone who looked like a complete wuss - dork would get pissed off enough that they would get back in your face and be ready to scrap. I used to REVEL in that bewildered look in their eyes when I'd just smile, laugh, pat them on the back and congratulate them on owning up and standing up for themselves. Everyone else in our crowd surrounding them would usually do the same... and from then on out, they weren't dorks any longer in our eyes. We might not hang out with them (some we did), but they at least had our respect.

I'm sure that's probably not how it works with the bullies in your school, some people are just dicks for the sake of being dicks.


Reading is a good way to gain more knowledge

It goes way beyond just a simple medium for transferring information. You can passively watch informational programming on TV all day, and never get any smarter. Reading, especially at an early age, will prime your brain for using a much wider breadth of your mental faculties. Reading actually DOES make you smarter. Although, I would caution, it depends on what you read.

[W0LB0T]

Bullying: its how dumbasses cope with being dumbasses

[Zarode]

Wait, reading is so "nerdy" that it contributes to "no life" now?

God, you crazy kids. Dude, read. Read read read read read read read.

It obviously bothers the kid, so start reading, in front of his FACE. Nyahahaha~

[DEM_CIG]

I don't really know how you feel since I was a jock in like high school, and I never really read books that much either. But to the people your mad at, just be like fuck him. You know. Who is that person to judge what you do with your free time, Fuck that person. It shouldn't matter to you that much if you like reading and what not.

[DreXxiN]

I don't really know how you feel since I was a jock in like high school, and I never really read books that much either. But to the people your mad at, just be like fuck him. You know. Who is that person to judge what you do with your free time, Fuck that person. It shouldn't matter to you that much if you like reading and what not.

This.

Can't build rep with everyone. =)

[drizzle]

There's only one way to end bullying. Violence.

[DEM_CIG]

This.

Can't build rep with everyone. =)

True. But i was never an asshole to people in school, some of my friends in high school spent there free time reading books and were really artistic. I was more of the layed back type of person anyway =). I get along with all different types of people.

[Seority]

Why do you care what some No-Life says about you?
Unless that person was your best friend or something. >>;

[CelestialBlade]

I'd like to ask everyone just telling the OP to "get over it" to go to his profile and look at his age. There's not one of you here who didn't take this sort of thing to heart when you were that age. Give him a break; I know I certainly cared about my image and feelings quite a bit when I was that age.

OP: You realize how dumb they are, that's good enough. Your intellect is clearly miles ahead of theirs, so keep that knowledge with you and let it become personal pride. I don't think you need to be confrontational with them, ignorance usually works just fine. While I agree that Sinue has a point about standing up for yourself, I have also observed that a bully will simply give up if he finds he's not getting a reaction out of someone. Bullies are *so* easy to break. Just remember that you realize that you're miles ahead of them, and let that become your strength. Confidence is a bully's worst enemy.

[Darius_Drake]

Bullying: its how dumbasses cope with being dumbasses

I kinda agree with that. When I was in school there were two kinds of kids that were bullied. Type A was the kid that wouldn't fight back and the bullies knew this so it was easy pickin's. Type B was the nerdy kids that insulted some of the kids acting as if they were inferior to themselves (real smart there). I was a bigger kid and would usually stick up for the Type A victim. I know what some people will say, but go ahead and sue me for sometimes bypassing the Type B kids. Bullying is a stupid thing altogether, but dealing with bullys is also a part of growing up. It's not like the school bully will come back to your high school reunion as a succesful banker. I have yet to see that one.

By the way I did feel I like I was one that lived sports. I just had a variety of other things I enjoyed. I was also in the Band, on the Chess team, wrote and read poetry, and consistently had one of the better GPA's in the school. Didn't have to deal with bullies myself though as I was bigger than most of them. Bullies are usually punks deep down.

[SStrikerR]

Alright well as I see it, I'm getting two different pieces of advice: The first one is that I should stand up to them and fight them. Well let's check out the results that would come from this.

1)I'd probably get my ass kicked because the people who I'm talking about usually get their friends to jump in if they manage to get someone on the ground. 10/1 chances say I get my ass kicked, and I'm still recovering from fucking surgery. (Which you probably didn't know, but I'm still weak as hell and a good shot to the chest would put me right back in the hospital)
2)The people that go around acting tough by fighting people are exactly the kind of people I hate, and I wouldn't like to be thought of like this. At all.
3)School just started to not suck for me in terms of jackasses this year. I don't need to give them a reason to start with me again.

Do I need to go on? DO I?

[Darius_Drake]

Alright well as I see it, I'm getting two different pieces of advice: The first one is that I should stand up to them and fight them. Well let's check out the results that would come from this.

1)I'd probably get my ass kicked because the people who I'm talking about usually get their friends to jump in if they manage to get someone on the ground. 10/1 chances say I get my ass kicked, and I'm still recovering from fucking surgery. (Which you probably didn't know, but I'm still weak as hell and a good shot to the chest would put me right back in the hospital)
2)The people that go around acting tough by fighting people are exactly the kind of people I hate, and I wouldn't like to be thought of like this. At all.
3)School just started to not suck for me in terms of jackasses this year. I don't need to give them a reason to start with me again.

Do I need to go on? DO I?

I am not telling you to fight them. Standing up for yourself doesn't mean starting a fight. That is weak minded thought process of the bully. They think that being strong is being able to physically push somebody around, anybody. That is actually a weakness. If you have to do that to prove your worth you really don't believe you are worth much yourself to begin with. I say don't give them the power to make you mad. Their opinions mean nothing, their followers are usually just as weak if not weaker in mind than the bullies. Do what you need to do in school. Standing up for yourself means taking a stand in what you believe in to me. Stand up for something or you will fall for anything. If they think it isn't cool to read books, fine. Just don't allow that to make you for a second think that reading isn't cool or make you hide the fact that you love to read. That is what I mean stand up for yourself. Stand up for your values. Fighting just lowers yourself onto their level. As big as I was I avoided confrontations. At the same time everybody knew I loved poetry and that definitely wasn't the in thing. You sound like you got your priorities straight already. Stand up for them and don't let anybody make you think any of your beliefs or priorities are less than they are. They can only have that power if you give it to them. You don't have to fight them to deny them this power.

** sorry for being a little longwinded. Wasn't sure if you meant me with the fighting comment. Fight back was a bad term, stand up for themselves would have been better to use in that situation.

[SStrikerR]

I was talking about you specifically with the fighting comment. Oh and don't worry, I've been the top reader since the 4th grade, I'm not about to stop because one person said that. I've heard worse in those...5 years.

[Darius_Drake]

I was talking about you specifically with the fighting comment. Oh and don't worry, I've been the top reader since the 4th grade, I'm not about to stop because one person said that. I've heard worse in those...5 years.

My bad I meant stand up for himself. I guess a specific example I remember was when I had study hall for my final period. The teacher overlooking it really didn't care if the kids studied or not because it was the last class of the day. All she cared about was if the room remained quiet. Most of the time she left to go to the teachers lounge for coffee. Most kids would listen to their walkmans, play their gameboys with no volume, read comic books, anything but school work. There was one kid though that actually used that time for homework and studying. As soon as the teacher would leave the room which she would inevitably do some of the kids would make a direct line to the kid calling him names because he was studying. They asked him what the point was. He just calmly replied he wanted to get his homework done. When they claimed homework should be done at home, that's why they call it homework. He just replied that starting it now would only give him more time to finish it at HOME. No matter what they said he never showed any sign of frustration and he never waivered. The eventually just left him alone. They weren't going to make him question what he was going to do and they definitely weren't going to physically mess with him. In that sense I saw that as being courageous because under pressure he never faltered at all. Not even a little. At that time pressure from peers was a major battle.

[Thalui89]

Heh yeah we had crap likes that back in school. Pointless anti bullying lessons that just didnt work, atleast i can see the poitn in it when your a little kid but after the 100th anti bullying campaign it started to get a little annoying. I also think its pretty much a fact of life that most people follow a 'norm' and anyoen who doesn't is made out to be a freak of nature. Personally id rather read a book than go out and kick a ball mindlessly round a pitch...but then i guess I like to actually contemplate things where as most people are too ignorant to see anything but themselves and weak minded social norms. yeh ill stop now.. ._.

[DreXxiN]

I'd like to ask everyone just telling the OP to "get over it" to go to his profile and look at his age. There's not one of you here who didn't take this sort of thing to heart when you were that age. Give him a break; I know I certainly cared about my image and feelings quite a bit when I was that age.

OP: You realize how dumb they are, that's good enough. Your intellect is clearly miles ahead of theirs, so keep that knowledge with you and let it become personal pride. I don't think you need to be confrontational with them, ignorance usually works just fine. While I agree that Sinue has a point about standing up for yourself, I have also observed that a bully will simply give up if he finds he's not getting a reaction out of someone. Bullies are *so* easy to break. Just remember that you realize that you're miles ahead of them, and let that become your strength. Confidence is a bully's worst enemy.


Exactly, as I said they want a reaction, but everyone here is too smart, beleives what they want, and doesn't think that's the truth.
EDIT: It's more like everyone thinks they are very experienced in this subject, but doubtfully has really known that it generally is a reaction, coming from some actually REAL bullies coming out as jocks and such in this thread.

And really, this is a very bad a rough comparison I suppose, but telling us to stop telling him to get over it because we all went through it is like telling a smoker who's trying to quit that it's okay to keep smoking due to stress because YOU made mistakes and knew how hard it was to quit.

[CelestialBlade]

And really, this is a very bad a rough comparison I suppose, but telling us to stop telling him to get over it because we all went through it is like telling a smoker who's trying to quit that it's okay to keep smoking due to stress because YOU made mistakes and knew how hard it was to quit.
I'm not so much saying we shouldn't say anything because we're past that stage in our lives, I'm saying we should be a little more understanding of where he is in his life and try to see this problem through his eyes. You can attempt to express something in two different ways and get two entirely different results, so I'm just saying that we should keep in mind that it's very easy for us to look back and say "well why the hell should you care" when we still hadn't learned from experience at that stage of our life, either. There's only so much we can do to help him in the grand scheme of things; experience is still the greatest teacher.

[TheOneHero]

Not everyone is looking for a reaction!

There's people that bully and harass for responses, yes. But there's also people that do it just for the sake of being a dick or cause pain.

[DreXxiN]

Not everyone is looking for a reaction!

There's people that bully and harass for responses, yes. But there's also people that do it just for the sake of being a dick or cause pain.

Definitely man, I agree with that, but that's a rare scenario..and you should kinda be able to differentiate when someone is serious or not, which most can't. (If you could, would you really be posting for sympathy on PSO-world?)

I see where you are coming from Chel, sort of like someone who has gone through divorce in the past with their parents who is now over it, but tells someone else it simply "hurts for awhile, but you'll feel better =)". It's not as easy as the previous victim-ee sounds.

Holy shiiiiiiiiiit I suck with relative examples today. DX. lawl