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Carlos Miranda Levy

NEVER HELP: engage, enable, empower and connect, Relief 2.0 / Markets of Hope

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What can we do and what do we do about bullying?

Recently, while playing Red Dead Redemption I noticed another player, LatinLupe752, running in a straight line towards Chuparosa, a dusty settlement in the middle of nowhere.

Obviously a noobie. If you run in a straight line in an open field, you will be shot, in real life and in video games too.

I took my gun and killed him. Bam! 10 seconds later he, or she, respawned and started to run in a straight line again. I shot him again. Bam! He respawned once more; I switched weapons to a shotgun and shot him again, and again, and again. Soon I was "most wanted player" and there was a bounty on my head. I was killed by other players who came for the bounty.

I respawned and looked around for LatinLupe752, and saw him in the distance leaving the area, probably just wanted to play in peace and decided to go somewhere else in the game. I got on my horse, climbed up a hill, took aim with my carcano rifle and shot him in the head from afar. He respawned again and I shot his horse and then I shot him. They never came back.

Why would I, an active collaborating member of Stanford University Peace Innovation Lab, become a bully so vicious to this individual? Why couldn't I just let him play?

I did it because:

- There was a reward for me in doing it: Everytime I killed LatinLupe752 I would receive experience points and increase my reputation. A clean head shot earned me additional points.

- Yes, I was killed twice by other players who came to collect the bounty on my head, but that did not reduce my experience points or my reputation, so I didn´t mind the inconvenience of respawning a few seconds later and continue my behavior going after more points with LatinLupe752's face in them.

More important, it had nothing to do with LatinLupe752, I did not think he or she was weak, weird or different. It wasn't about intolerance and it wasn't personal.

I did it because there was something for me to gain and because the penalties involved were not enough to deter me from it.

Related Talks:
Topics: communal harmony education respect social networks
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    Ankit Kanojia

    • 0
    Jul 9 2012: ** Their are Two views in which we can see Bullying,
    1. Bully: why he is doing this ?
    a. For Satisfaction..
    b. Try to overcome his fear of being left out..
    c. Gain importance/ attention.

    2. Bullied: The Victim
    a. Tries to escape from Bully, which increases the confidence of bully.
    b. Tries to Ignore, which is contradictory to bully's purpose.
    c. Complain to others, which satisfies, bully's purpose to gain attention.

    What should be done, for me being bullied is good, because if you see history, their are many famous personalities who were being bullied & in some way they learn to fight from the hurdles, But their is No place for bully in History.

    If you see our place on earth, we were being bullied by large creatures/animals, but ultimately who Won ?

    It's called Survival for Existence....

    So, if you enjoy Being Bullied, The Purpose of the Bully, will be lost & their is no action without purpose...
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      Debra Smith 200+

      • 0
      Jul 9 2012: I Am always astounded by the conclusion that bullying is good. I disagree, of course. What is good is the resiliency and decency of the bulled. I believe it would have come out under some circumstance anyway and that bullies, while they appear to be catalysts are merely convenient a*****s in the equation. All it takes is to have your heart still intact because a bully did not decimate your personality to feel another's pain in this. Perhaps the few and the brave triumph and I am delighted but when I read all the stories of those who have lain down and cried uncle in this process and who are willing to allow their children and the vulnerable to face this torture - I know- more powerfully than ever that I will fight this crap with my last breathe. We need the beautiful and optimistic spirits intact to save our world and all of us - even you freakin' bullies need them SO LAY OFF!

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