Have you ever been bullied on WP?

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Well, this was a first. I was bullied on WP.

You are more than welcome to read the thread: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=286272 (even though it’s a bit long)

I got involved, because I felt the OP was being somewhat confrontational to members in the community who were offering advice. So, I tried to provide a reasonable suggestion (from my point of view, of course) on how to better interact with other human beings (by being humble and respectful). As that is how I was taught to be by my parents.

Then the OP began attacking me.
- He called me a “cold and callous dickhead” and said I have the “brain of an insect “
- He compared me the Nazi doctor, Dr. Mengele and suggested I was committing a war crime against members on WP
- He even physically threatened me, saying: “I’d punch you in the face if you were standing in front of me”

It brought back memories of when I was in middle school. Where I opened by big, dumb mouth (trying to be rational and logical) and all of a sudden, the bully was spewing his vengeance in my direction. Or another time, when a bully hit me 3 times (wham! wham! wham!). After the bully hit me (and I slunk down to the ground), an adult woman quickly intervened and saved me. Several people spoke up for me in the thread. They reminded me of that nice woman.

Anyhow, I am glad the thread is locked, because I was wondering how I should have responded. So, I decided to write this post instead.

Have you been bullied on WP? If so, how did you respond?

The Face of Boo called me a few choice names -- LOL. I laughed and went on as normal.

If you're being bullied, report it in a PM to Alex, Booyakasha, and Kiprobalhato.

Boo may even thank you for making the report!

Otherwise, the unwritten rule of "Do Not Feed The Trolls" works wonders. When the bullies/trolls finally realize that they're not getting any responses to their infantile posts (except from Alex and the mods), they seem to either go away of their own accord, or they suddenly 'disappear' without warning.

Either way, it's Win/Win for the rest of us!

Said troll is infecting other threads now too, but Fnord is right just ignore him and he'll run out of steam. Maybe then he'll actually feel what an autistic feels: hated, ignored, and shunned from the group.

Rocket123, I read the posts, to which you're referring, and, IMO, you were totally RIGHT, and "he" was totally WRONG!! Other people seem to agree, as they defended you; and, in-the-end, the Mods seem to agree, as well, because they said he was a pooter-head (MY word, NOT the Mods), and locked the thread----so, YOU win!! (wink)

I'm a fan of yours, Rocket123----I enjoy your posts----and, I appreciate your manners, age, wisdom, etc. Please don't be down about this----you're NOT the little kid getting pushed-down on the playground, ANYMORE!!

@Rocket123,

I've reported the member-in-question to Alex and three of the mods. We'll see how long before they take action.

Fnord

You responded well in that thread.
Once someone starts comparing people to Dr. Mengele for offering suggestions or telling people how stupid they are for disagreeing, I can't take that person seriously anymore.

Fnord – Thanks for reporting him.

When I was young, like many children, I used to read comic books. Because I was bullied, I always fixated on the Charles Atlas advertisements.


I even sent away for the free 32-page illustrated book. I was so determined to stop the bullying. Well, that never worked.

Regarding bullying...

Generally, I am reluctant to report bullies to the authorities (in this case, a moderator). Why? Well, it reminds me of “tattling” to the teacher. And, based upon my experience, that didn’t always work. I still remember my Mom talking to the principal (while I was in Middle School) after learning that I was getting the “shake down” during lunch (as I had to give two thugs money in order to be left alone).

Instead, I feel like maybe I should be standing up to them myself. As I feel I can be reasonably competent in articulating a rational position. With that being said, I do realize, in this situation (and probably in any online situation), that there may be no stopping what a bully is willing to do (in terms of escalating the conflict). Thanks again.

Thank you. I don't have many fans, in the real world. Other than my daughters and my dog.

No worries, mate!

Or moderatorial crew is top-rate, and are willing do do what it takes to ensure that bullies/trolls are removed from the membership. Report all trolls to them - that's what they're here for.

Otherwise, not responding to trolling posts is the one best way that the general membership has of dealing with trolls.

As a Jew, the comparison to Dr. Mengele is deeply offensive.

I remember learning quite a bit about the Holocaust growing up. While in Sunday School, I remember watching footage of German soldiers stacking dead bodies in mass graves. I even visited one of the concentration camps (Mauthausen) when I was in my 20s. Anyone who brings this stuff up is fairly messed up and, in my opinion, in dire need of help.

At the first sign of trouble (e.g. being very eager to disagree, making an unnecessary unkind comment, superior attitude etc), I stop responding. That's how I avoid unpleasant situations on WP. I also have a mental list of argumentative members that I keep away from.

This is wise. I saw that thread, rocket, and immediately thought the whole thing was set up as an opportunity for the bullying poster to bully people. I was sorry to see that you were sucked into that mess.

Your responses would be entirely reasonable in any other context, but when you are engaging someone like that, reason never accomplishes anything, because they really don't care about the content of the discussion. My sense is that such people engage in communication with the goal of attacking other people. To the degree that they provoke reaction, they feel successful. It's better just not to engage.

That seems to fit the definition of trollish behavior.

Some people seem to have a talent for finding just the right thing to get at you. I get snapped at here from time to time for being a neurotypical person who researches autism. Sometimes it seems like no matter what you say, it's wrong.

It's honestly a challenge for me to ignore it when people attack me or other people on here. It bothers me. But we all have to do that sometimes in order to move forward and keep contributing.

Are you calling me FAT?!

Just a little Aspie humor, there ...