Bullies

[Stella_Omega]

Correction: What we *used to* call bullying, a generation and more back, was the way children figure out socialization.

Correction; What we used to call bullying a generation or more back, was bullying. It was not intended to help each other figure out how to socialise. It was intended to create a hierarchy and preserve privilege.

Saying it was a model for interaction is like saying dirt is food because some people have nothing to eat except dirt.

Today's generation has, in too many cases, carried that type of interaction to an extreme we couldn't have dreamed of, neither one generation ago (22 years), or two or two and half generations ago (44-55 years ago - my childhood), through electronic and "social" media and broader reach.

And at the same time, that electronic and social media has brought isolated children to the attention of bigger support groups than used to exist. And children who do die get heard about. Society can't sweep them under the rug anymore.

Contrary to popular belief, children killed themselves because they'd been ostracised or bullied, before the internet.

Contrary to popular belief, verbal abuse hurt and warped young people before the internet.

Contrary to popular belief, hazing crippled kids before the internet.

Contrary to popular belief, bullying was a problem then, is a problem now.

 

[eastern sun]

From what I've heard, Mitt Romney was a bully at prep school. Was he still a bully at Bain Capital? Could you call his particular business practice a form of bullying? It certainly preyed on the weakness and vulnerability of other corporations.

Being a bully in certain circles gives you very real power.

Are we going to elect this bully as the next U.S. President?

 

[CandiCame]

The problem with the bullying hysteria is todays helicopter parents. What we call being a bully is the way children figure out socialization. Kids are not mature enough to use grown up reasoning to deal with each other. The other thing is everyone remembers when they were picked on in school. No one remembers the people they picked on when they were young, and we all did it. Also we handled the problem ourselves. My main bully, when I was a kid , I handled by busting his head with a thrown rock. I didn't tell, my parents didn"t get involved. Handling problems yourself is a big part of growing up. You can't cause someone to kill themselves by teasing them. That kid had probably had a lot of other problems and instead of the parents taking any of the blame they blame bullies.

Dude, I have legit never picked on anyone. I don't see the point. EVER. Not even as a child. I was a bratty ass kid, but I never picked on anybody. People either did what I told them or they could kiss my ass. I was really egocentric and narcissistic, if you weren't me, or didn't want to bow down to me, you didn't exist. I didn't have time to take out of my day of pokemon battles and imagination to bully your ass. I had a goddamn shiny Charizard. I was king of the playground.

God, it sucked when high school happened and that all dissapeared. Actually, earlier then that, around... 7th grade probably.

 

[Allyourbase]

The problem with the bullying hysteria is todays helicopter parents. What we call being a bully is the way children figure out socialization. Kids are not mature enough to use grown up reasoning to deal with each other. The other thing is everyone remembers when they were picked on in school. No one remembers the people they picked on when they were young, and we all did it. Also we handled the problem ourselves. My main bully, when I was a kid , I handled by busting his head with a thrown rock. I didn't tell, my parents didn"t get involved. Handling problems yourself is a big part of growing up. You can't cause someone to kill themselves by teasing them. That kid had probably had a lot of other problems and instead of the parents taking any of the blame they blame bullies.

My teachers had that same attitude: 'oh she probably did something wrong as well'. Nice way to blame the victim and do nothing.

I think the argument that kids don't know adult reasoning yet, so you can condone their atrocities is bullshit. You don't let them eat what they want, you don't let them drown the cat or cut up your expensive suit, you don't let them stick forks in electric outlets. But you let them harass other people?

I understand that's what you like to think, that it's just a 'normal' thing, that 'all kids' do, implying that if you can't take it, you aren't normal. But sorry pal, a lot of people in this thread have already testified that it doesn't work like that. Not all kids bully. And not everybody is 'normal' whatever the fuck that is. That is not something to punish or exclude people for. Not as a kid, nor as an adult.

Funny how you think of blaming the victim's parents, while all I can think of is: where are the parents of those bullies? How disfuntional are they?

And here's something about Mitt Romney who 'says he's not a bully, just likes pranks and stuff.'

 

[IrisAlthea]

The problem with the bullying hysteria is todays helicopter parents. What we call being a bully is the way children figure out socialization. Kids are not mature enough to use grown up reasoning to deal with each other. The other thing is everyone remembers when they were picked on in school. No one remembers the people they picked on when they were young, and we all did it. Also we handled the problem ourselves. My main bully, when I was a kid , I handled by busting his head with a thrown rock. I didn't tell, my parents didn"t get involved. Handling problems yourself is a big part of growing up. You can't cause someone to kill themselves by teasing them. That kid had probably had a lot of other problems and instead of the parents taking any of the blame they blame bullies.

The bolded part is the reason why we as adults are responsible for helping them figure out socialization in a better way. Because we are the ones who organize schooling in a way that pushes children of all kinds together in large groups solely based on age, without a common goal and often in a competitive situation. If we step away from that and let them figure it out as best they can, we are creating a possible "lord of the flies"-situation.
We tend to see the same kind of bullying in work places where the leadership is lacking.

 

[Netzach]

Bullshit bullshit bullshit bullshit bullshit bullshit...."That kid had probably had a lot of other problems..."

And I guess there's a bull in there, kinda. It does take more than bullying to make someone want to make the big exit, but how many people do you know who don't have "problems" and how many adults will tolerate an atmosphere of pervasive and endless social torment without repurcussions? If you're going to throw people together you are going to have to accept that "problems" are not just for weird outliers, they're the majority. Bullies included.

When adults do it, it's assault, this beating on one another and throwing rocks thing. I don't see why having the same *expectations* on younger people and maybe having different but consistent outcomes might not be good preparation for a world in which hitting smaller people for shits and giggles might put you into the system never to get out.

Mittens notwithstanding, I think the successful bully is kind of an exception.

 

[graceanne]

I was always one of the walking wounded. Until I learned to fake confidence there was always someone who bullied me. Most were minor stuff, like putting gum in my hair and stuff like that. I was always the kid who ran to get on the school bus first so I could sit behind the driver. There were several memorable ones. In seventh grade this bitch, Vicky, told a friend of hers that I shoved her in the hall (I hadn't). That friend gave me a black eye and broke my glasses. A friend of mine saw what happened, and told a teacher so Jamie (the girl who punched me) got suspended. When she got back she waited until I left the school grounds and beat me up worse. She got suspended again. After that the school kept a closer eye on me (cause my mom threatened to sue them) and shortly after she got herself expelled. A year later, my mom's best friend took us swimming at a local water hole where I ran into Vicky who said she'd gotten sober and wanted to make up and lured me to a somewhat remote setting where Jamie had talked a friend of hers, Cheryl, into beating me up (cause I had a restraining order on Jaimie). I had 12 goose eggs on my head and had to have head xrays to be sure that I didn't have something worse going on. I had braces so my mouth was so swollen I had to drink out with a straw for three days. One eye was completely swollen shut and the other was just blackened. With my back problems I couldn't walk very well for several days. After that I didn't have many problems with Jaime for two reasons. A) she went to juvie and b) after I fell asleep my mom put a bat in her backseat and went looking for jaimie. She didn't find her, but word got out that mom was going to beat the shit out of jaimie.

In the meantime, word also got out that I was fair game. In about half of my classes was this big boy named Joe who would wait until the teacher wasn't looking and smack me so hard upside the head that I would lose vision in one of my eyes. I routinely had bruises on my hips from dodging him and running into things. I saw him on facebook and he's old, fat, ugly, and bald. Good.

When I was in 11th grade we moved, and I was suddenly not the girl that Jaimie beat up and I was never bullied like that again. But even still, sometimes people will just randomly say mean things to me. I think that no matter how well I fake it some people know that I don't have a great self esteem or something. Once, I was standing outside a bathroom with my daughter waiting for it to be clear and a man stepped out, looked at me, and said 'well you're a fat bitch, aren't you'. There are people who will push me and not even seem to notice when I'm in public. I've had issues, when I sing, with men behaving in bullying manners (crowding me until i fall off the stage and stuff) or people who will call me names or tell me i'm a lousy mother (cause of my son's behavioral issues). Most are wise enough to not do it when I'm with Kenny so I normally just tell them to fuck off, but most times I just ignore it.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

It's not directly related to bullies, but on the other hand, it is:

"It shouldn't be news when someone speaks out for equality. It should be news when someone speaks out against equality."

-- Chris Kluwe, Minnesota Vikings football team.​

I'm proud that he had the guts to speak up.

And yes, I'm cross-posting this in the Smiles thread, because it made me smile.

 

[CandiCame]

I was always one of the walking wounded. Until I learned to fake confidence there was always someone who bullied me. Most were minor stuff, like putting gum in my hair and stuff like that. I was always the kid who ran to get on the school bus first so I could sit behind the driver. There were several memorable ones. In seventh grade this bitch, Vicky, told a friend of hers that I shoved her in the hall (I hadn't). That friend gave me a black eye and broke my glasses. A friend of mine saw what happened, and told a teacher so Jamie (the girl who punched me) got suspended. When she got back she waited until I left the school grounds and beat me up worse. She got suspended again. After that the school kept a closer eye on me (cause my mom threatened to sue them) and shortly after she got herself expelled. A year later, my mom's best friend took us swimming at a local water hole where I ran into Vicky who said she'd gotten sober and wanted to make up and lured me to a somewhat remote setting where Jamie had talked a friend of hers, Cheryl, into beating me up (cause I had a restraining order on Jaimie). I had 12 goose eggs on my head and had to have head xrays to be sure that I didn't have something worse going on. I had braces so my mouth was so swollen I had to drink out with a straw for three days. One eye was completely swollen shut and the other was just blackened. With my back problems I couldn't walk very well for several days. After that I didn't have many problems with Jaime for two reasons. A) she went to juvie and b) after I fell asleep my mom put a bat in her backseat and went looking for jaimie. She didn't find her, but word got out that mom was going to beat the shit out of jaimie.

In the meantime, word also got out that I was fair game. In about half of my classes was this big boy named Joe who would wait until the teacher wasn't looking and smack me so hard upside the head that I would lose vision in one of my eyes. I routinely had bruises on my hips from dodging him and running into things. I saw him on facebook and he's old, fat, ugly, and bald. Good.

When I was in 11th grade we moved, and I was suddenly not the girl that Jaimie beat up and I was never bullied like that again. But even still, sometimes people will just randomly say mean things to me. I think that no matter how well I fake it some people know that I don't have a great self esteem or something. Once, I was standing outside a bathroom with my daughter waiting for it to be clear and a man stepped out, looked at me, and said 'well you're a fat bitch, aren't you'. There are people who will push me and not even seem to notice when I'm in public. I've had issues, when I sing, with men behaving in bullying manners (crowding me until i fall off the stage and stuff) or people who will call me names or tell me i'm a lousy mother (cause of my son's behavioral issues). Most are wise enough to not do it when I'm with Kenny so I normally just tell them to fuck off, but most times I just ignore it.

This is just genuine curiosity, I'm not trying to belittle your choice, because I think that yours is probably the right one. But why did you consistently make the choice not to fight back? I've always been tiny, but if somebody starts a fight, I will find a way to make it to difficult for them to keep going. I've been in scrapes like that, had ribs broken and my face beat in, but generally people wouldn't fight me more then once- because they came out of it pretty fucked up.

If somebody called me a fat bitch I'd lay their ass out right then and there. I got kicked out of the Wal-Mart in Morehead because somebody called me a fag like that, out of the blue. And in an aggressive manner, not a playful manner. Having said that, I know that that is not the attitude to have. I have gotten kicked out of several places for fighting. And I liked all those places. I just can't take bullying. If you're going to run your mouth at me, you best be prepared to get smacked in it. If you want to fight me, you might lose, but you'll go through the rest of your life with one eye.

And I just wondered with your different outlook and similar life experiences why you reacted the way you did and how it affected your life.

 

[Marquis]

I moved a lot and often had a hard time fitting in as a kid, as I do now.

I think I had a lot of conflict but not too much of what I think would qualify as bullying, per se.

Isn't bullying usually a tumultuous home life spilling out into the school environment? It seems like the place to start to end bullying would be the family, not the school.

 

[Netzach]

I moved a lot and often had a hard time fitting in as a kid, as I do now.

I think I had a lot of conflict but not too much of what I think would qualify as bullying, per se.

Isn't bullying usually a tumultuous home life spilling out into the school environment? It seems like the place to start to end bullying would be the family, not the school.

Generally, yes.

Sometimes school can do what home does extremely poorly, up to a point, and in exceptional cases.

 

[Keroin]

I was always one of the walking wounded.

This gutted me. I'm sorry this happened to you, so sorry that people exist who can treat another human being with such cruelty. And just because the bullying died down, I'm sure the scars remain.

I wonder if adult victims of childhood bullying suffer from PTSD? What do you think about this Gracie?

 

[Keroin]

Isn't bullying usually a tumultuous home life spilling out into the school environment? It seems like the place to start to end bullying would be the family, not the school.

Generally, yes.

Sometimes school can do what home does extremely poorly, up to a point, and in exceptional cases.

The word in bold. I don't know enough about the stats but I don't think all bullies come from chaos at home. Looking back, some of the bullies I've encountered were obviously products of their environments, others not so much. A few came from very "normal" homes - but who knows what goes on behind closed doors.


This is a fantastic and painfully honest blog post, which talks about bullying and bullies. http://samsykes.com/2012/10/children-with-problems/ I attended a workshop given by Sam Sykes a few years back, he's a really gentle, lovely, intelligent and seriously funny guy. I'm glad his life got better.

 

[Ropebunny]

This is a fantastic and painfully honest blog post, which talks about bullying and bullies. http://samsykes.com/2012/10/children-with-problems/ I attended a workshop given by Sam Sykes a few years back, he's a really gentle, lovely, intelligent and seriously funny guy. I'm glad his life got better.

Every time I've come into this thread to read all the new posts I get that familiar, heavy lump in my chest. Thank for that link Keroin, it made the lump go away. I think that Sam Sykes speaks for a lot of us here. I just wish I'd read that many years ago.

 

[midwestyankee]

Mittens notwithstanding, I think the successful bully is kind of an exception.

Just to advocate on the side of the devil here for a moment, the guy who bullied me most often when we were in upper grade school grew up to be a mildly successful local insurance broker. I figure that he channeled some of his anger and a good deal of his assertiveness into selling people something they weren't sure they really wanted.

 

[graceanne]

This is just genuine curiosity, I'm not trying to belittle your choice, because I think that yours is probably the right one. But why did you consistently make the choice not to fight back?

Actually it's a fair question. When I was younger I wasn't the type to take anything standing down, so when I just got my ass kicked over and over I would wonder afterward why I didn't fight back. Offhand, I'd say that I was so used to being abused that when hit I'd revert to instinct and learned behavior - make myself small, be quiet, and wait for it to stop.

Now I don't do anything because I'm an adult and acting like them always makes me feel like a moron. What's the phrase? If you argue with an idiot, they'll drag you to their level and beat you with experience, or something like that. Just because someone behaves badly doesn't make it okay for me to behave badly. And one thing I've learned is that they can't take my dignity.

This gutted me. I'm sorry this happened to you, so sorry that people exist who can treat another human being with such cruelty. And just because the bullying died down, I'm sure the scars remain.

I wonder if adult victims of childhood bullying suffer from PTSD? What do you think about this Gracie?

Huh. So, I have like over half the symptoms of ptsd. After the four car accidents I began to have panic attacks when I was in a car and the doctor says that they might have pushed me into full blown ptsd which infuriates me. Like I'm not sick enough, lets add to it. Either way, I'm doing better in cars just because when I catch myself freaking I instead get mad cause it pisses me off to have ptsd.

However, in regards to the bullying I'm a 34 year old woman who still has nightmares about the girl who beat me up. The good news is that in the last ten years I always win the fight and kick her ass.

 

[graceanne]

It may just be that I'm up far too late but reading your post, graceanne, made me want to cry.

I'm sorry, that wasn't my intent.

 

[CandiCame]

Actually it's a fair question. When I was younger I wasn't the type to take anything standing down, so when I just got my ass kicked over and over I would wonder afterward why I didn't fight back. Offhand, I'd say that I was so used to being abused that when hit I'd revert to instinct and learned behavior - make myself small, be quiet, and wait for it to stop.

Now I don't do anything because I'm an adult and acting like them always makes me feel like a moron. What's the phrase? If you argue with an idiot, they'll drag you to their level and beat you with experience, or something like that. Just because someone behaves badly doesn't make it okay for me to behave badly. And one thing I've learned is that they can't take my dignity.



Huh. So, I have like over half the symptoms of ptsd. After the four car accidents I began to have panic attacks when I was in a car and the doctor says that they might have pushed me into full blown ptsd which infuriates me. Like I'm not sick enough, lets add to it. Either way, I'm doing better in cars just because when I catch myself freaking I instead get mad cause it pisses me off to have ptsd.

However, in regards to the bullying I'm a 34 year old woman who still has nightmares about the girl who beat me up. The good news is that in the last ten years I always win the fight and kick her ass.

I totally understand that. I have these, psychological issues that make it impossible for me to do that. I have medications and stuff, but I've never had any dignity. Like i said, even as an adult, I get myself kicked out of places because I get into fights. And I hate that. Do you care if I ask you how you manage to do that, to kind of quell those negative feelings and not act like moron I do? Because even after the medication and whatnot, I still have a really hard time... I just, wish that I could do that. That I could act like a goddamn adult.

 

[graceanne]

I totally understand that. I have these, psychological issues that make it impossible for me to do that. I have medications and stuff, but I've never had any dignity. Like i said, even as an adult, I get myself kicked out of places because I get into fights. And I hate that. Do you care if I ask you how you manage to do that, to kind of quell those negative feelings and not act like moron I do? Because even after the medication and whatnot, I still have a really hard time... I just, wish that I could do that. That I could act like a goddamn adult.

I don't have any wise words for you on this, I wish I did. My mom and my sister are like you, and I know it causes them no end of grief. Offhand, I'd say that first you need to change your internal view of yourself to that of a dignified person. As a teenager, I used to practice dignity while other teenagers were learning to fight. I have an aunt who used to make us walk around with books on our heads and taught us (my sister and my girl cousins) to curtsy and drink tea like ladies. lol If you change your internal image of yourself, the rest will follow.

 

[Kurokami]

I had sort of an interesting time with the bullies at my school; I figure very few of them really knew how to handle me. Of course, none of them could come anywhere close to my father, who was vicious in ways I've never experienced since, and while I was in primary school and most of high school that consumed me, in a way. It made me strange, unable or unwilling to talk to the other kids, with a couple of long absences that turned me into more of a stranger than I should have been. The perfect target, really. And because I was a kid, and hence really stupid, I did fight back, possibly more than I should. All through primary school I was in and out of detention, usually with exactly the same kids who had picked the fights that landed me there. If it ever got back to my parents it would either be ignored or, if my dad was feeling particularly nasty, I'd be hit there too. In the end I became the kid who just hid in the library to avoid anyone else, because at least at school there was a chance of having some peace for a little while.

Occasionally I'd get jumped by a group of boys when I couldn't avoid them, and the same old dance would play out. I'd end up in detention- which had long ago lost any kind of legitimacy as a punishment to me- and so would they, like some sort of pre-pubescent mutually assured destruction. It was just idiocy, and I lost patience with it very quickly.

By high school my list of friends had basically gone down to my siblings and a few others, whom I still love dearly. But I'm not afraid to admit that I kind of cracked, by that point. It was an avoidant kind of cracked, thank god; it's much better than becoming violent or self harming. I just started skipping classes that included the kids who would give me trouble, avoiding everyone during breaks, just to sit alone and read. It hardly made me bulletproof, but the occasional taunt or physical confrontation was better than what it could have been. In the end, I only barely got through high school, what with all my absences. If I hadn't been naturally brainy, I'd probably have failed outright. I'm glad I didn't.

In the end I guess I'm still like that. I'd rather avoid confrontation, if at all possible. I got a kind of armor in my high school years; if nothing else, my dad taught me how to deal with pain, and my school taught me how to sidestep it in a social context. By now, it's very easy to get me irritated, in a humorous kind of way. But it's very hard to get me angry, or to bait me into acting out on emotion. That might make me a little withdrawn and accepting only of very close friends, but it's the price I pay for walking out of that meatgrinder vaguely functional.

That said, I am very happy now, even if I always feel I should preface this stuff by saying that to avoid sounding whiny

 

[Allyourbase]

That said, I am very happy now, even if I always feel I should preface this stuff by saying that to avoid sounding whiny

Sir, if someone says you are whiny because you tell them these experiences, they need their head examined.

I'm curious after reading the last few posts - if any of you want to talk about it, that is, of course - did any of you get specific treatment for bullying related ptsd? Do mental health practitioners see this relationship? I did get some EMDR treatment for issues that probably stem from this past.

Also, I'm slightly surprised, now that I think back, about how I don't really remember people in my school being bullied for being gay. It was a school with 1500 teenagers, a ton of them must've been gay, and though this is the Netherlands, (not very religious, reasonably o.k. with sexual diversity when you're an adult, though highly depending on where you live) i'm pretty sure kids can be vicious here when it comes to perceiving a kid as gay as well.

Though, wait, hm. I might've been one. Other kids did call me a lesbian... but ironically that was one of the few things I didn't mind being called, even though it wasn't entirely true. But it wasn't the main issue they had with me, though I still don't know what was.

So glad this is not the US, where Christian groups oppose anti-bullying laws because it might protect gay kids... Seriously?!

 

[Marquis]

It pains me to read these bullying stories.

 

[CandiCame]

Sir, if someone says you are whiny because you tell them these experiences, they need their head examined.

I'm curious after reading the last few posts - if any of you want to talk about it, that is, of course - did any of you get specific treatment for bullying related ptsd? Do mental health practitioners see this relationship? I did get some EMDR treatment for issues that probably stem from this past.

Also, I'm slightly surprised, now that I think back, about how I don't really remember people in my school being bullied for being gay. It was a school with 1500 teenagers, a ton of them must've been gay, and though this is the Netherlands, (not very religious, reasonably o.k. with sexual diversity when you're an adult, though highly depending on where you live) i'm pretty sure kids can be vicious here when it comes to perceiving a kid as gay as well.

Though, wait, hm. I might've been one. Other kids did call me a lesbian... but ironically that was one of the few things I didn't mind being called, even though it wasn't entirely true. But it wasn't the main issue they had with me, though I still don't know what was.

So glad this is not the US, where Christian groups oppose anti-bullying laws because it might protect gay kids... Seriously?!

Yeah... they do that. It's kind of fucking... I don't pretend to understand it.

Will you let me live in the viking places with you?

I had sort of an interesting time with the bullies at my school; I figure very few of them really knew how to handle me. Of course, none of them could come anywhere close to my father, who was vicious in ways I've never experienced since, and while I was in primary school and most of high school that consumed me, in a way. It made me strange, unable or unwilling to talk to the other kids, with a couple of long absences that turned me into more of a stranger than I should have been. The perfect target, really. And because I was a kid, and hence really stupid, I did fight back, possibly more than I should. All through primary school I was in and out of detention, usually with exactly the same kids who had picked the fights that landed me there. If it ever got back to my parents it would either be ignored or, if my dad was feeling particularly nasty, I'd be hit there too. In the end I became the kid who just hid in the library to avoid anyone else, because at least at school there was a chance of having some peace for a little while.

Occasionally I'd get jumped by a group of boys when I couldn't avoid them, and the same old dance would play out. I'd end up in detention- which had long ago lost any kind of legitimacy as a punishment to me- and so would they, like some sort of pre-pubescent mutually assured destruction. It was just idiocy, and I lost patience with it very quickly.

By high school my list of friends had basically gone down to my siblings and a few others, whom I still love dearly. But I'm not afraid to admit that I kind of cracked, by that point. It was an avoidant kind of cracked, thank god; it's much better than becoming violent or self harming. I just started skipping classes that included the kids who would give me trouble, avoiding everyone during breaks, just to sit alone and read. It hardly made me bulletproof, but the occasional taunt or physical confrontation was better than what it could have been. In the end, I only barely got through high school, what with all my absences. If I hadn't been naturally brainy, I'd probably have failed outright. I'm glad I didn't.

In the end I guess I'm still like that. I'd rather avoid confrontation, if at all possible. I got a kind of armor in my high school years; if nothing else, my dad taught me how to deal with pain, and my school taught me how to sidestep it in a social context. By now, it's very easy to get me irritated, in a humorous kind of way. But it's very hard to get me angry, or to bait me into acting out on emotion. That might make me a little withdrawn and accepting only of very close friends, but it's the price I pay for walking out of that meatgrinder vaguely functional.

That said, I am very happy now, even if I always feel I should preface this stuff by saying that to avoid sounding whiny

I totally hear that. I never went to high school. I always wondered how I didn't fail. I had to go to these things after school where a truant officer bitches at you for missing school but I had like a 3.6 when I graduated, so whatever. That was the easiest thing to do. My mom never paid attention and my dad, when he was around, was a cop and worked during the day. I ditched easily 3/4 of the time. No one really cared, and the truancy class thing that you had to take was just about how the school lost money if you didn't go. And i ironically skipped it most of the time to.

 

[Allyourbase]

Yeah... they do that. It's kind of fucking... I don't pretend to understand it.

Will you let me live in the viking places with you?

Sure. Though for purposes of historical accuracy: Vikings lived a bit more north, they occasionally raided our coast. We're just boring farmers living a couple of meters under sea level. Nice, quiet, pretty o.k. Unless you'd go for Amsterdam. That is sodom/gomorra (well, if you want it to be).

 

[CandiCame]

Sure. Though for purposes of historical accuracy: Vikings lived a bit more north, they occasionally raided our coast. We're just boring farmers living a couple of meters under sea level. Nice, quiet, pretty o.k. Unless you'd go for Amsterdam. That is sodom/gomorra (well, if you want it to be).

I'm an American- anything even remotely close to Scandinavian is full of Vikings and dragons. It's also a socialist wonderland where the government buy you hookers.