Bullying.. Cyber or Otherwise..

Have any of you ever been bullied? Were you pushed around on the school bus by the big kids? Were you ever picked on because you were the fat kid? I was.
Now, were you ever picked on at work because you were different? I was.

Growing up for me was normal. I grew up on the farm, went to school, and suffered from bullying. I was taunted just for being the fat kid. It became such an everyday part of life for me, that I actually confused bullying for friendship. I would think to myself, "they didn't tease me today.. Are they mad at me?" That's not normal.

After I graduated high school, during that summer I lost weight. I made a conscious effort to lose some weight. I can't remember how much weight I lost, but it was substantial. I went into Eastern Kentucky University my freshman year with a different attitude and met a new set of friends. This is the time when I rushed a fraternity (and got in!), felt accepted for a short time. I was living away from home for the first time, able to spread my wings. Once I found out where the girls were, I was scared to death of being rejected. I eventually became less and less fearful of meeting girls in college. I thought it was just because I lost all of the weight I was getting attention from females. Looking back, I realize that it wasn't. They didn't know me before. They didn't know I was a fat kid. They didn't know me period. Even though I was more and more comfortable talking to females, that chip was still on my shoulder. Bullying was such a part of my life, I didn't know how to live without it.

After college, I came back home to work. I started to pick up weight again. It came back fast. I became so large, I wound up having to have gastric bypass surgery. During this time, I found myself being bullied at work because of my weight. I couldn't believe it. I was being bullied as an adult! It was a different kind of bullying, but it was happening. (and I have to add this.. Some of you who bullied me as an adult are going to be reading this, and I should have said this long ago.. You should really look at yourselves in the mirror and within before you EVER say anything or pass judgement to anyone again, because you are no prizes yourselves!)

Now there is cyberbullying. People are dying now because of being bullied. The recent trend seems to be toward gays. No matter how much you disagree with their lifestyle, it is wrong to bully them for it. Bullying is bullying whether or not you are male, female, straight, gay, black or white. It is wrong.

Next time you start to make a hateful comment to someone, take a look at yourself. Find something about you that you don't like. Then, imagine how you would feel is someone made a hateful remark about it.