Hello HenryM.
Thank you once again for providing a platform upon which we may place our perspectives on an issue that has been at the forefront of our discussions for a long while.
However, more recently, there has been a spat between the British and the French over ‘fishing rights’.
As soon as this concept was mentioned in this form, my wife turned to me and said: “What RIGHTS?”
What she meant was; What right does anyone have to pick on another creature, torture it by taking it out of its environment and murder it for their own pleasure or greed? Does the fish have no ‘rights’ to live? Do they have no ‘righs’t to enjoy the environment in which they were born and raised?
My wife went on to rail against the cruelty involved in catching the fish in large nets and dropping them head-first onto the steel decks of ships whilst they are still alive. The discussion then progressed to line-fishing where the fish are hooked by the mouth and dragged through the water until eventually dying by a form of air-suffocation out of the water which is necessary for them to stay alive.
She goes on to repeat her question: “What gives people the ‘right’ to be cruel in this way?”
I join in the conversation with my usual comparisons with other types of ‘bullying’ in human societies; Pointing out that anyone who hunts, fishes or otherwise kills other living things, is by definition - a ‘bully’. This makes them prime contenders for other types of physical and psychological cruelty.
My favourite cliché in this regard is to mention my concept of ‘fairness’, whereby I maintain that:
“If a situation seems ‘unfair’, then one criteria should be to reverse the roles, and if the ‘new-victim’ doesn’t like the outcome, then the original position was unfair.”
I have heard many and varied ‘justifications’ and rationalisations for these murderous activities, (as with other types of bullying) but so far, none of them seem morally justifiable.
The human race appears to be divided/dividing into those who have a moral conscience and those who don’t.
It would be my contention, that part of being a modern, socially evolving ‘human’, is to have developed a moral framework by which to live. Without this, the people are still like any other ‘wild’, ‘uncivilised’ animal.
Further to this, I would say that these ‘animals’ have proved themselves to be the most dangerous animals that have ever inhabited the Earth. Therefore, they should be controlled in the same ways that we might control other dangerous animals.
Further still, there has developed, a sub-species of humans who have developed a creed of cruelty and death by proxy. Sending/paying/getting other humans to do their dirty work for them, so they can absolve themselves of any personal ‘blame’.
In monetarist societies, this is often achieved by the manipulation of wealth and finances for the benefit of the few, at the expense and exploitation of the majority.
All my life, this type of thing has felt ‘fishy’ and ‘unfair’, and, has therefore been a motivation to versify the emerging concepts.
I apologise in advance for the number of verses shared on this occasion, but they seemed to neatly form a small ‘sub-set’ amongst a vast number of others in my latest book ‘B. Withers Against Covert bullying 2nd Edition. 2021 (pp 125-131)’
Best wishes
Bill
BULLY PASTIMES.
A person’s pastimes are a clue
to what bullies might think and do
to fool people who think that they
are simply people out to play.
When bullies take up pastimes, we
may use analogies to see
that what they do as a pastime
fits with the bully paradigm.
There are some things we can look for
that shows morality is poor,
and that these bullies rarely stop
their playing games to be on top.
The pastimes that the bullies seek,
are those where they can act and speak
and influence in ways where they
can put their bullying into play.
There’s hunting, shooting, and fishing.
Teaching/preaching, blacksmithing.
Politics and muck-raking,
and almost any undertaking.
It’s not the pastimes that’s to blame,
but bullies, as they play their game
of Machiavellian deceit,
in order that they may maltreat.
The pastimes I’ve selected here,
are just examples that are near
to ones I know will resonate
with how these bullies operate.
Perhaps you’d like to take a look
at other rhymes within this book,
which covers this subject more fully
through the behaviour of the bully.
(continued---)
BULLY PASTIMES. ( Hunting continued)
I’ll start here with a pastime where
the bully clearly has no care
for the creatures that they hurt
as their bullying they exert.
Hunting is an illustration
where bullies give us confirmation
of cruelty that they employ
whilst doing stuff that they enjoy.
Surely, anyone that’s willing
to indulge in wanton killing
creatures that don’t stand a chance
must be viewed as fer-de-lance. (venomous snake)
Killing things is practice for
the bullying that I abhor,
for these same people can be cruel
by using hunting as a tool.
They’ll use their predation skill
to bully, maim, and sometimes kill
the human prey who they pursue
which may include both me and you.
Hunting’s so mean, it’s obvious,
yet bullies seem oblivious
to the cruelty involved
so, they’ve no problem to be solved.
This is a similar mind-set
to the one’s the bullies get
when they are cruel to human prey
and view it as a game to play.
The bully and the hunter share
a feeling that they just don’t care
about the victims of their acts
for they’ve found ways to twist the facts.
(continued---)
BULLY PASTIMES. (teaching- continued)
Whilst hunting has some direct links
to overt bullying that stinks,
I’d like to expose covert stuff,
of which we all have had enough.
Some bullies like to hide their traits
of personal bullying and hate,
so, they seek pastimes that might hide
their sneaky, snidey cruel side.
Teaching seems to be ideal
for those bullies who want to feel
the dominance this role affords
as this is something that accords.
Teachers have opportunity
to bully with impunity,
for they have the authority
and gain superiority.
Not every teacher is a bully,
so, to understand them fully
we must examine motives where
they first decided they would share.
In formal classrooms there’s no doubt
that most bullies are weeded out
before they get to ply their trade
on students from whatever grade.
But there are ways that bullies can
get into teaching man-on man,
and that’s by way of private tuition
with some cunning intuition.
But first, the teacher needs a skill
so, they can start to teach at will
and pupils will be unaware
that they are bullies and don’t care.
(continued---)
BULLY PASTIMES. (blacksmithing continued)
A brief, first glance at blacksmithing
would not lead us to think this thing
could directly link to bullying
in similar ways to hunting.
But look more closely, and we see
a remarkable similarity,
in that, some bullies use this trade
as a substitute-bullies aid.
The bully wants complete control
over body, heart and soul.
But how to practice this when they
have limits on the way they play.
The blacksmith ‘beats’ the metal so
they can control the way to go,
until the item’s finished and
the blacksmith has the upper-hand.
They gain a lot of satisfaction
in this manipulative action,
where metal rarely will resist
the forces of the metalist.
But bashing metal’s not the same
as their human-bashing game.
So, while it works with blacksmith stuff,
this type of bashing’s not enough.
After a time they’ll have a skill,
that with manipulation will
open up a teaching role
which puts the bully in control.
Herein lies that complex net,
the bully weaves so he can get
some bullying experience
over those much less experienced.
(continued---)
BULLY PASTIMES. (Pseudo-Politics continued)
We know that politics, it seems
fulfils most of the bully’s dreams.
For in those roles, the power lies
and bullies wish to win that prize.
From outside, politicians reign,
so, there appears a lot to gain
from being in the driving seat
controlling everyone you meet.
Aspiring politicians may
appear to have a lot to say,
which mostly will be critical
because this tack is typical.
Without responsibility,
the bully’s sensibility
is often coloured by the fact
they think they’re better at this act.
Their problem is, they know-it-all
and want to see their rivals fall,
because they have this fantasy
that they can grasp reality.
They’re jealous, and believe that they
could do much better on the day,
if only they could win the pole
and subsequently gain control.
Of course, a few bullies get through
and often prove, by what they do,
that they are bullies and dictators
so, were much better as spectators.
These pseudo-politicians think
all other politicians stink,
but we all know they’ll be the same
if they’re allowed to join this game.
(continued---)
BULLY PASTIMES. (Muck-raking continued)
So, now we come to muck-raking,
which is the bully’s way of taking
every bad thing they think they know,
and put it all on public show.
This is a classic bully’s ploy
to wind folk up, and to annoy
the victims they bullied before
and want to line them up for more.
They take the things that ‘they’ believe
will persuade people and deceive
them into thinking that it’s right
and therefore, folks should stand and fight.
But, with these bullies, be aware,
they are deceitful and don’t care
whether it is truth or lies,
as long as they can forge strong ties.
Their own wrongdoings, they will hide,
so people might be on ‘their’ side,
thus, it seems that they are strong
and opposition must be wrong.
Mud-slingers seem to get their kicks
from the belief, it’s mud that sticks.
But, these bullies are uncouth
and care-not if the mud’s not truth.
For bullies, mud-slinging feels good,
as many people never could
detect the source from whence it came,
thus, it supports the bully’s game.
So, looking at these pastimes we
expose their games, and clearly see
that everything these bullies do
has been designed to upset you.
So, don’t get bound by all their shit
just turn around and ignore it!
Be Withers 2021
BULLY PASTIMES (SPORT)
I thought I ought to look at sport,
to highlight things bullies are taught
so, they may justify their aims
and label it as ‘playing games’.
When ‘sport’ becomes competitive
it also becomes combative,
where motive’s have an origin
with each side trying hard to win.
This means the other side must lose,
so guess what every side will choose.
and bully’s motives are the same
as they play their bully games.
In sport they talk of honing skill
and fighting very hard until
they have that killer instinct and
they strive to get the upper-hand.
Some sports exemplify this more,
football and rugby, that’s for sure,
but all competitive sports will be
using methods of the bully.
Thus, if we scrutinise some more
these competitions look like war,
and perhaps they are just substitutes
for pseudo-fighting between brutes.
Listening to these sports’ rhetoric,
and when fans become euphoric,
we can see they think this way
by all the things they do and say.
So, sport’s a way to normalise
behaviour that may brutalise,
and teach people to dominate,
win the game and subjugate.
Be Withers 2021