• frog_brawler@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    “If you push me, I am going to hit you with a Buick.”

    I’ve lost “friends” over this philosophy, but the friends I’ve gained since taking on the philosophy feel a lot more real.

    Likewise, if you’re being bullied, destroy the bully and the bullying will stop.

    • BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I never cease to be amazed at the “if you don’t treat bullies with respect you are the baddie” discourse in the US. It’s been the MO in schools for about 80 years and has become the standard operating procedure for many adults. Protecting yourself and others from bullies is an ethical imperative. As is supporting others who have defended themselves or others are being further victimized as a result. Bullies (and the people/systems that support them) lack empathy, compassion, reason, and accountability and are only happy when they feel powerful, which they achieve by harming anyone they think they can get away with. The only language they understand is force and any other tactic is as useful as yelling at a brick wall.

    • SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Colonel Graff:

      Tell me why you kept on kicking him. You had already won.

      Ender Wiggin:

      Knocking him down won the first fight. I wanted to win all the next ones, too. So they’d leave me alone.

      • stabby_cicada@slrpnk.net
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        2 days ago

        This is Trump’s strategy too. Make a brutal enough example of a few universities, or law firms, or immigrants, or other countries’ economies, and the rest will comply in advance. Like Trump said in his West Point commencement speech recently: "As much as you wanna fight, I’d rather do it without having to fight. I just wanna look at them and have them fold.”

        Reminder: Ender Wiggin is not a fucking hero.