One thing I noticed is never disscussed in training

How to deal with people who call us Village idiots City fool and town clown How do you deal with comments like that from people on the street as well as your family and friends who see or hear about you

I just laugh off negative comments. They happen :/

What about when it happens on the internet?

I be an adult, or turn off my computer.

The things discussed on the training boards should be targeted towards making us better protected, better able to help and protect others, and make us effective in the worst of circumstances. In my opinion, it has a long way to go in being a truly excellent library of such resources.

The last thing it needs is us talking about how our feelings got hurt.

1.The lives/safety of others
2. The lives/safety of ourselves
...
10000. Not being offended on the internet

but just because you turn it off doesnt mean that the next person who sees it will and if its a person who for any reason hates your guts You can just imagine the hell breaking loose

I really don't have anything more to say. This is silly. No more need for me to post.

Nemesis, we're not talking about the internet. We're talking about real life.

Polarman, to answer your question, just ignore it. I developed a tough skin quickly, just gotta not let it bother you.

Of Course

Just to emphasize my earlier post and get this back on track, I just remembered an example of what I was saying.

Once while on patrol I had a guy yell "HEY, WHAT THE **** ARE YOU DOIN'?!" as he drove by like I was doing something wrong.

My response? I cracked up and kept walking.

Polarman wrote:

How to deal with people who call us Village idiots City fool and town clown How do you deal with comments like that from people on the street as well as your family and friends who see or hear about you

Maybe if you were on the streets like polarman and kaiju are, you could actually answer the question instead of focusing on the only part you do know about, being on the internet. Instead you choose to dismiss it. Even though it is a valid point.

Okay, now I officially don't like you. Hit the street for once, then maybe you'll see what polarman is talking about.

Oh and this issue goes a lot deeper than you might think. Internet bullying is a huge pandemic these days which has reslted in teen and gay suicides all over the country. Its an important and relevant issue.

Actually Im talking about both the internet and the streets

A rumor that calls you an I dont know "Stupid Retard" on the net Yes you can choose to ignor that comment but when someone else finds out about it and starts talking about it or worse You didnt even know it was on the internet until it gets mentioned to you Hopefully by a friend who supports you in what you are doing

Yeah it can be hard to handle stuff like that.

I patrol in "street" clothes. Concealable armor. Hit the streets. Never been called a village idiots city fool...

...and your advice was the same as mine, so I'm not sure what we're getting hot and bothered about.

How much advice can there really be on this topic, anyway? Just do what I do when people ask me if I'm some kind of astronaut or something... dropkick to the face, drunken monkey hammer fist to the nuts, followed by seventeen faceplants.

Really... all you can do is brush it off, whether you respond with sincerity, a joke, whatever... it's all pretty much the same thing.

While I am known for turning the insults like Kaiju's guy saying "What the ---- are you doing?' into a joke I dont find any type of bullying whether it be on the street or the internet very funny at all

When it's directed at you it's different than when it's directed at someone else. If it's directed at you, laughing it off is usually a good idea (or at least ignoring it, in some cases). If it's directed at someone else, tell them off.

How about when its your own family calling you names like that?

Polarman, if it's not worth fighting with them there's not some particular one thing you can do. Don't sweat it. Work on your relationship with your family as people... let them know it hurts your feelings, etc. Stuff like that.

Social skills: the first area an "RLSH" should train in.

Taunted online: Ignore it, laugh it off and continue on what matters most...The Mission at hand.

Taunted in real life: stare...then taser their sorry asses.


DarkShadow out

DarkShadow wrote:

Taunted in real life: stare...then taser their sorry asses.

NOT this.

Not by any means that!

I've dealt with bullying all of my life. As a kid I was the weakling geeky kid who kept to himself and even as I got older I was always teased for being a bit of an outsider. We've all dealt with this in one form or another and UA is right. This goes much deeper than people tend to want to give it credit for and still others simply push it to the side and feel ignoring it is the solution.

You will hear a lot of suggestions on how to deal with it "Blow it off, turn it in to a joke, ignore it" and those are valid suggestions, but they just scratch the surface. It's easy for someone to develop a "thicker skin" (which is a phrase I hear a lot around here and I grate my teeth whenever I hear it), but when you are on the receiving end of bullying or insults or any kind of negative "energy" it sticks with you. It lingers beneath the surface of that "thick skin" and begins to fester.

Yes, blowing it off, turning it into a joke or ignoring it completely is the proper response. Whether online or in life it all amounts to trolling, and the best way to combat it is to completely ignore it. It takes away the offending subject's power to hurt you (verbally, anyway).

But like I said, that's just the first part. It is important to have an outlet for all of this negative energy. Whether it be a journal, some physical activity, meditation or even someone who will listen while you vent. Something that puts you completely at peace and allows you to recognize this abuse for what it is, and truly take away it's ability to hurt you.

The psychological effects of verbal abuse or bullying are very real and very valid. It affects everyone who is victim to it. The way it makes you feel is very valid, and don't let anyone attempt to trivialize how you feel - EVER -

So to wrap things up: 1) Ignore, don't respond, blow it off, make light of it. That takes away the bully's power. 2) recognize how it makes you feel and find a way that's comfortable for you to funnel off that negativity.

Whatever you do, never allow that negative energy to control you. No words can ever take away who you are and if you give power to them, you are only harming yourself more.

- on a related note - This is a legitimate subject and every single person in this community will have to deal with it at one point or another. This is exactly the right place for it and it needs to be treated seriously by every single member. To dismiss it or treat it as "silly" is irresponsible and dangerous.