A Pirate's Life for Mei

She Gets Knocked Down

Mei

Though she hadn't noticed them in the beginning, Mei had become aware of the watching soldiers during the fight. She'd heard their jeers and laughter and some of their mocking insults. Though she'd tried to resist, no one is ever entirely unaffected by such public ridicule. Along with Fowler's treatment of her, she was powerfully reminded of the bullying she'd endured as a child.

In her society, bullying has not been taken seriously for a long time. Many suffer such evil behaviour when they are young, yet also refuse to admit it, as if being a victim means that there is something wrong with them, as if they somehow deserve the abuse when they don't.

Victims eventually grew into adults. But despite bad memories and lingering trauma, perhaps out of the forgetfulness that comes with time passing or perhaps still in denial, they regard bullying as something small and meaningless that only happens between children. It isn't widely taken seriously as a social issue or something to stamp out. Even when it comes to their children, while some parents react very strongly to the suffering of their children, far too many parents gloss over it or even scold their kids for being too weak to handle it.

As instant messaging and digital pictures and videos had grown commonplace, bullying had become easier to do and ever more harmful. Much of it is done 'safely' online and out of the eyes of adults. This makes it easier for adults to pretend that it doesn't happen and easier to turn a blind eye rather than get involved.

Childhood suicides are increasingly common—and socially ignored, often on purpose by a government that doesn't want to admit to having such negative things in society. If bullying was widespread, it would be indicative of some kind of failure on the part of those in charge, something the government doesn't want to admit to any more than many parents do.

Yet the effects of so much harm done between children have led to lasting consequences of a very real and important nature. Adults who suffered as youngsters are less social, more lonely, continuing to suffer as they age. It's one of many factors leading to lower birth rates, higher divorce rates, crime, depression, and other problems.

And yet, even today, with so many being picked on, very little is being done to raise awareness or stop the worst of us from their wicked ways. Evil festers unchecked.

Mei had been just another kid in school for most of elementary. But in junior high, she'd hit puberty a bit earlier than others and started shooting up fast. By her second year, she had been a head taller than many boys.

The boys had been the first to make fun of her, perhaps threatened or humiliated because she'd been bigger. It was almost as if that had given the girls in school permission to bully her too.

Instead of sympathy from her gender, the worst of the insults and treatment had come from fellow females, likely from those jumping on any chance to undermine potential competition: smear the reputation of other girls and lower their desirability and one gains more male attention for oneself. Pre-teen and teen girls may look cute on the outside, but they can also be vicious monsters on the inside.

Her parents had been sympathetic and tried to help. She was very grateful for that. The school and teachers had done nothing. Worse, two of her teachers had been a considerable part of the problem. Faced with a classroom full of unruly students, these teachers had picked on her in front of the rest. They'd and encouraged the bullying to get the other kids on their side to better control them. In essence, they'd made Mei a shared public enemy. These were people who were supposed to have her interests at heart, who should have been protecting her. Mei had felt deeply betrayed.

She'd occasionally sought support from others who were being bullied, hopeful of finding allies with whom she could commiserate. But rather than be empathetic and supportive, even they had turned on her, as if excited by a rare opportunity to be the strong one lording it over someone weaker.