Bully Surprise
A cheek and a few fingers are turned
I went to the Bryant School system in Arkansas. It was a miserable place, red clay, concrete block buildings surrounded by fence with three rows of barbed wire angled to keep the kids in[1], and an administration that was proud of its corporal punishment system. This attitude reflected through to the kids, and they were cruel to each other. I was scrapping in fights all the time. If you were on a sports team, the fight was overlooked. However, being a nerd, you were automatically found at fault. The punishment for fighting was a paddling, given by a leering old man who seemed joyful at having to do it. I remember turning once, after a paddling, and saying, "So, to teach me the error of my ways for fighting, violence, you apply violence. You have taught me nothing, other than the fact that you're a pathetic miserable excuse for authority. My pain is now gone, but my words will haunt you." I got a blank look and went back to class.
Then one day, I saw the movie Ghandi. I was inspired. I wanted to try this new tactic, of active non-violence. Shortly after, I was given a chance. I had a cold, and my mother gave me a bottle of codeine syrup to get through the day (times have changed). Those were the days, walking around in the cold, sipping on a bottle of codeine. This brute of a defensive line backer comes up to me, says I been disrespecting his girl. I then realize, how I'd be played. Yes, she passed me notes in class, saying all kinds of mean things to me. I replied on a note, thinking it was a joke. Now this was the evidence being goad an angry bull after me.
I looked my potential attacker in the eye. I said, "I will not fight you. You have been mislead. This is not worth it, no good will come of you attacking me."
About this point in time, I felt the blood running down my face as he keeled over and hit the ground screaming. He had hauled off and punched me full force on the chin. It shattered the bones of his hand, to the point they poked out threw his flesh. The codeine had numbed me to the point I didn't feel the blow. My jaw hurt the next day, but I never admitted to anyone that it hurt.
I looked down at him for a moment and said, "Here's my other cheek, try again."
A hushed crowd slowed moved away. The old principal came up, and helped the football player to his feet. I walked over, and I said, "I expect you won't punish him or me for fighting, seeing that he's on the football team. Because if you believed in your corporal justice, we are both now due a paddling." I got another blank look. Never got called or written up.
After that, I never had a bully problem again. They administration stopped paddling me, and I would get sent to detention for talking or other stupidities a youth is prone toward. The best was, that no one wanted to hit me, my bullying problem had ended. I did however, have a girl tell me how horrible I was for hurting the football teams chance of winning that season!
[1] I just checked google maps, and this is no longer the case. The tall barbed wire fences are no more.
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