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Bullies and Bullying. This is a problem that has long been part of Malaysian society. The fortunate never experience it. But many are less than fortunate. Our government has tried many things to tackle the problems caused by bullying over the years.
Source: FMT
We only hear a fraction of all bullying cases because they make the news or a video goes viral on social media. Numerous attempts have been made to do something about the problem over the past two decades, but none of them seem to have curbed, let alone fixed the problem.
There are numerous Malaysians that believe that the most cost-effective deterrent to bullying is neither kindness nor compassion. Four Malaysians share how one dose of violence, done to the BULLY stopped all future bullying.
No match for Spicy Water
“His name was Ridzuan, and he picked on me because I am literally five feet tall, and about half his weight.” said Hakim softly, “he would pick me and throw me against the wall because it was fun. I complained to the teachers. My parents spoke to the teachers. Nothing changed. I even had to go to the hospital because I had a concussion!”
“That was it. I purchased mine online, it arrived a week later. Then I waited and sure enough, Ridzuan came to pick on his favorite punching bag: Me. The canister measured only three inches in length. I let him pick me up and toss me against the wall once. And made enough noise to attract a small crowd of witnesses to him doing it a second time.”
“When he tried a third time, I let him it. The stream of pepper spray splashed directly onto his face, getting in his eyes, mouth, and all over his hands as he tried to shield himself. He was screaming in pain. And I left him there, like that in the middle of the school hallway.”
“I had nothing to do with him rolling around, on the floor in pain when he rolled himself down a flight of stairs. He never spoke to me or even looked at me again after that. About a month later, he was gone. I don’t know if he changed schools or just dropped out. Didn’t care then, and it’s been five years. I don’t care now either.”
A Protective Gentle Giant
“I was in an international high school in Sri Kembangan, and this guy Khairul was bullying me. I don’t know why he chose me. It was never anything physical, but it was always verbal: Name-calling, racial slurs, and things. I wasn’t bothered by it really, but it clearly bothered one of my friends: The Left Prop on the School Rugby team: Dawson. “
“Dawson weighed in at 220lbs (100kg). He is still a hulk of muscle and bone, that stands just under 2 meters tall. I mentioned that I was being verbally bullied and that it sucked one day during our lunch break in the cafeteria.”
“Dawson stopped guzzling his protein shake, looked around then asked, “Is that him?” Sure enough, he was pointing at Khairul. I nodded, a bit confused. Dawson stood and began to walk. He walked across to Khairul and without breaking stride, picked Khairul up like he weighed absolutely nothing and body-slammed him onto the (fortunately) empty cafeteria table.”
“Silence reigned, as Dawson very calmly, loudly, and deliberately said, “Kamaal is my friend. You stop bullying him. Don’t bully anyone else, otherwise, next time, I won’t be so nice.”
“Khairul avoided me in the hallways, in the few classes we shared, and never spoke to me again. There were whispered rumors about me paying Dawson to “handle the problem.” When he found out, he just laughed and said, “You’re my friend. That’s all the payment I need.”
“Today, I’m in the UK studying for my degree in business. Dawson is playing Rugby for his university in Australia. We keep in touch and I hope he continues to do well.”
Playing Hard Ball
“The bully was in my class, but he also picked on a lot of people in all the different classes of our year group. He would always have some ‘reason’ for his behavior and he almost always got physical.”
“Somebody realised that he is a bully, but more importantly, that his victims outnumbered him. Someone, set a plan in motion to get even, that would leave us all technically guilt-free, but not morally so. The stage was set for our PE class, where we would be playing field hockey for the entire semester.”
“It took a little planning, but eventually, our bully was the goalkeeper, and that was when we went on the offensive. The defense on “his” team, literally fell apart, unable to keep their eye on the ball, or even pass effectively.”
“Every time the ball would wind up in the control of the opposing team, and offensives pushes would break through the “defense” to take a shot on goal. Except we were not aiming to score. We were aiming at the goalkeeper, our bully.“
“Padded in protective gear as he was, that first PE lesson saw an unprecedented number of shots on the goal. We averaged a shot on goal every minute for the entire 30-minute game.”
“Months, and in a few cases, years of pent-up anger, hatred, and frustration found an outlet. The play of the game that day was the flick shot that smashed into his face shield, knocking him off his feet. He took the hits, and we kept them coming. The only reason his ‘beating’ stopped was because the teachers carried him off the field in tears.”
“Later on, in the changing room, it was whispered that he was covered in bruises across his chest, legs, shoulders, and arms. He got the message, and never bullied anyone again. He changed and become a pretty nice guy for the last year of high school. Nobody really forgot or forgave him, but we tolerated him.”
No regrets, and no remorse
Bullies. They use physical violence, the threat of it, and verbal abuse and insults to gain a measure of power and control over their victims. Why they do this does not matter. Once a bully gets a well-deserved dose of their own medicine, they stop.
The bully suddenly understands what it’s like to be on the receiving end. This is what changes them, because the message has been delivered in a “language” that they comprehend: That of violence.
Perhaps, not the best deterrent out there for bullies, but certainly the most effective.
For more stories like this, read: From Victim, to Bully, to Advocate: How I Ended The Cycle Of Violence and How I Went From Bully Victim To Meeting Barack Obama in Person
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