“The Deep South (here in Northeast Georgia) is rife with a violent culture that plays itself out in a disrespectful culture all over our district, home, school, and work included. We needed to change the definition of “bullying” and identify the participants (bullies, victims, and bystanders.)” – Yvonne E. Richardson, Middle School Teacher
BULLY
developed & written by Kendall F. Person
video short-documentary edited by Crystal Fairrington
visual design by You Will Rise Project – Rise Above Bullying
Young Robert Troy was still wearing his soccer cleats and found it difficult to maneuver the usual sharp turns, so he willed his legs to run even faster. The rains made the ground slick, and on more than one occasion, he stumbled, nearly losing his edge. Making a quick turnabout, on 1st Street, he hoped to make his getaway a lot sooner, because he was running out of breath. He jumped over ole Ms. Bernard’s chain link fence, nearly high jumped the backside, finding endurance he did not know was left.
Her pit bull was ready for him this time. He sprung into action, jumping up on all four legs. Growling, foaming at the mouth, and giving chase, determined to catch the intruder and chew him into bite sized bits. But Robert would have none of this. On this day, just like all others, since entering the game of cat and mouse, he was just too quick. He had run for his life so many times, he often wondered if there was a reason for him to live.
The pack of three bullies were hot in pursuit. As angry as the pit-bull, but more determined than any dog could be. Unless it were rabid, it could not feel what they felt. They hated that guy, more than anything else. But whenever they were asked why, only one word could either of them emit, “Because!”
Robert was an average teenage boy. He was decent at sports, but by no means did he excel. And while he had a certain boyish charm, he was far from Brad Pitt or Denzel. He held a small circle of friends, was attentive in his classes, lettered in two sports and was accepted to a local, four-year college, but Robert did not stand out. Not smart enough to be a geek, or impatient enough to be a dropout. There were no NCAA coaches scouting him, and no scholars asking for his advice. 
While he never had a girlfriend, neither did he come out as being gay. He was the same color as his aggressors, and all of their parents prayed the same way. By all accounts, the mean boys should have left Robert alone. He was no threat and no bother, just a young man trying to live his life and grow into a man living on his own. As Robbie ran through the alley, calculating every step, every turn, he garnered he had outran his chasers, who were probably bent over, out of breath.
But while he did not know it, his celebration would be premature, for the stumbles had cost him dearly, and the bullies made up ground. They saw him hit first street, then watched him jump the fence. Fans of Animal Planet, especially the wild dogs, who hunted in packs with strategy, being more successful than all other carnivores.
So what they lacked in endurance, and were no match in human speed, by putting their heads together, they devised a coordinated plan. Each went a different direction, cutting off all exits for the unsuspecting mouse.
A mother’s intuition, regardless of what teenagers tend to believe, is rarely ill-conceived. They know when their babies are crying, long before the sound reaches the door. They sense where there is mischief, and can see right through the best spun story, even before her child gets to the end. Mother’s know when the darkness is hovering and even know when their child is in need of them.
Roberta Troy had found the perfect man. Tall, dark and handsome may have caused her to take a second look, but it was the way he treated her, like a flower, a bouquet of the sweetest roses, that her grandmother grew, along the banks of her backyard brook. She would give him two children, fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. Roberta would learn too late of the complications she would have. Robert arrived with brown eyes and a baby’s soft skin. But when the doctor held his sister, she made no sounds, having died days earlier within the comfort of her mother’s womb. So Robert grew up as an only child, a pitch-perfect image of his father. And While she grieved for her only daughter, she gave thanks for her son.
So when the alarm went off inside her head, her husband away on business and brothers too far away, she turned and looked in the mirror. Not knowing if she was being silly or too much of a mothering hen, but the twitch in her left eye, and the itch along her inner thigh, was all she needed to know. Her little man was in trouble. She grabbed hold of her keys, and the first solid thing she found. She dashed out the door, with a Louisville Slugger, temporarily standing in for Robbie’s dad.
The rains had gotten heavier, and Robert had pushed his young body as hard and fast as it would go. Believing he had lost them, and with only two blocks till home, he pulled back on his internal throttle, slowing the run down to a jog. Reaching the alley’s end, he had nearly forgotten what he was running for. He would not wait long for the reminder, which in an instant, became all too clear. The first coward, came at him from his blindside swinging a two by four. Making contact with his ribs, put Robert in a state of shock. The second of the trio, as Robert was falling forward, landed a strong right hook, just above the chin and below the left jaw. Bully three, still trying to catch his breath, felt like a big man, even beat on his chest. Words of a vile nature, flew from his mouth. Robert heard none of them, but he did feel the solid blow of a steel-towed army boot, before collapsing with one broken leg on the pavement of a city street.
“Changing our students is difficult when we have no handle on their homes or earlier development. This coming year beginning with the last day of post-planning, we have begun a process to revamp the behavioral expectations of our entire school, staff and students.” – Franklin County School District, Carnesville, Georgia USA
The young that survive bullying may grow into adults and become the bully themselves. Or the bullies of our youth may be the same bullies that taunt and tease, even though you are a full grown adult. Solving the riddle of ‘why are people mean’, has all but stomped the experts in every field. From students of the Bible, to psychologists, practicing at the top of their field. There are a few important traits, in which all do agree, that their is a need for power from the bullying, perhaps a streak of sadistic greed. Are they sociopathic? Could they simply be nuts? Do they suffer abuse, perhaps neglect at home? The answer may surprise, for it is all of the above. Bullies, unlike culprits of other serial crimes, derive with no set pathology, no sudden twitches, no strange curiosities, no foul smells emitting from their homes. Their homes may be intact, or broken, or some semblance of the two. They can be male or female, straight or gay. They may be Christians or atheists, Muslims or Jewish. Chinese or Japanese, South African, or American.
Perhaps of more importance, than being unable to identify a potential bully, is the seldom discussed factual knowledge, that many victims maintain their emotional (and physical) scars into adulthood. Rather your community chooses to follow Franklin County or You Will Rise, or perhaps some nations will follow Norway, who all but cleansed their borders of the meanness that lies within, becoming a part of the solution deserves a helping hand. Less we awaken another day, happy to see the sunrise, then tune in to our local or world broadcast, to learn of another suicide.
Rain coming in torrents, leaving puddles in its wake. Wind, howling like darkness is what it needs to feed its gust. Roberta turned the corner in her blood red suburban van. Even with the windshield wipers whirling, she could hardly see a thing. But she felt a pain across her back, than another down her leg.
Robert was a runner, not because he was a coward or a sissy, the names the bullies would daily shout. But his school had no tolerance toward violence, not caring who was the initiator of the fight. All involved would be suspended, a few repeat offenders, had even been thrown out. Robert, however average, wanted a future, and to at least try and fulfill his dreams. His shouting, angry aggressors, had been expelled the first of spring. So now they aimed their full fury, on a young man that should not have meant a thing. On the ground, covered in rain, blood flowed down, accompanied by a throbbing pain. But when he noticed the deep red Suburban, he only knew one thing, he be damned if they would hurt his mother, or be victimized while she screamed.
So he kicked with his good leg, summoning fury equal to his attackers. Landing his first blow, dead center in one of the bullies crouch. He was the weaker of the three, following the real bad boys like a puppy dog, it was no surprise to anyone, when he cuffed his groin and bowed out. Roberta remembered the girls who would tease her and always put her down. She was never good enough to talk too and was ostracized at a very young age, by a trio of mean girls, who had no reason to be mean. Roberta was a beautiful woman. Voluptuous in every way. An average academic, with average ambition to move up the corporate ladder, she was one hell of a devoted mother, and the wolves were after her child.
While she recovered from those years of being bullied, fortunate her parents had moved away, she would always feel regret, believing the mean girls, still held onto a piece of her self-respect. Arriving upon the scene, she saw the same bitter girls. She whirled the bat in one hand, and reached for her son with the other. Robert grabbed hold of his mother’s extended hand, stood on his good leg, and the two former victims, refused to be victimized any more. They matched the bullies blow for blow, until the yellow raced up the bullies back. The duo of mother and son, emerged with the upper hand, forcing a waving of the white flag…and satisfaction of seeing the bullies running scared.
the end
Thank you for coming. We hope you enjoyed our first blog-post feature presentation. If you enjoyed the show, please share with friends and family. If you are enthusiastic about the blog, along with your continued and valued readership, you can support our efforts (my Niece and I) by visiting Amazon and purchasing a copy of An Angry World. If you do not have a Kindle, simply download a FREE Kindle Reader here.
Coming in June: the release of The Remembrance, an erotic thriller (a novel), along with Capturing Spring, a heartfelt drama (a novel) both in ebook format. We are working to provide paperback copies as well.
Developed & Written by Kendall F. Person
Video-short documentary by Crystalkay Fairrington
Drawings Courtesy of You Will Rise – Rise Above Bullying
Special appreciation to Yvonne E. Richardson, 1000 Words or less
Special gratitude to Charly Priest, Crazy Life
this is... The Neighborhood 
Amazing story!!
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So very glad you enjoyed it. I am humbled by the fact that it is hitting its mark on many levels. Thank you for adding your voice and welcome to the neighborhood.
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Pingback: Kendall F. Person’s “BULLY” an original, blog-post feature presentation | thinkadoptlove
Reblogged this on what we wanna do now. and commented:
True. It’s very good posting. Having good strong knowledge to push them back. We must be fearless. 🙂
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So very kind of you to share Bully within your community. And welcome to the neighborhood. Glad you made it.
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Reblogged this on A Muse and Amused and commented:
Just love this. ❤
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Thank you for sharing Bully within your community. And welcome to the neighborhood.
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Reblogged this on gottopickapocketortwo and commented:
Great blog.
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Thank you and thank you sharing Bully within your community. Welcome to the neighborhood. So glad you are here.
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Sometimes I think a lot of our anger, and prejudice, and bullying comes from having learned to think of ‘other’ as not being as good, or as bad, as ourselves. I wonder at times if doing what this teacher did with upper elementary students mght not help. If I were to do it though, I would choose something other than eye colour, because that is too much of a racially genetic difference whereas prejudices and biases can be based on another person’s religion, physical features(weight, handicaps, big nose, etc etc), language or speech mannerisms, sex, …the reasons for treating someone as being not as good as another group are endless. That in mind, if I ever ran a unit based on a class such as the one I will post below as a starting point I would first choose an aspect that is there, and can cause a child a lot of pain growing up, but is more subtle.
Like the size of a child’s hands or feet, the width of a child’s feet, or the ability to hear a dog whistle. Partially because then I would feel that the ridiculousity of segregating someone because of their skin or eye colour would be more obvious as you go through the unit, and partially because there are many schools in this world whose students might see few if any with an eye colour that is different, whereas the more subtle differences occure worldwide. Then have a similar class in later school years based on something else as subtle, to relearn what was known before.
Would it work? Maybe. If it did, we might actually get past the needs for bullying, prejudices, and biases. For that reason, I think it would be worth trying.,
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/
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Thank you for this posting. It is indeed an amazing read. I shall peruse the rest of your gallery and thank you for visiting and following my site. I shall reblog to my personal page at inworldofchaos.wordpress.com – there it shall find more audience…
Have a pleasant day 🙂
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Thank you Kendall for this posting. Indeed, it is a pleasure to read you bloggery. I enjoy it best when i am in my solitude and can visualize all that i’m reading.
Thank you for visiting my page and was surprised a new follower was even remotely interested-
I shall continue to peruse your gallery 🙂
Kat-
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I am a huge fan of animal planet. Snakes would not rank very high (lol) but it is educational and well done. The diversity of the blogosphere, is why it is so important that both you and I are here. Welcome to the Neighborhood.
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Not many people like snakes. I’ve always maintained a fear of snakes. Yearlings not so much..but with the bigger snakes in our home, i wait until my husband takes them out for daily exercises- i film, photograph and document..they socialize- however, the more i became accustomed to socializing with these slitherings, i became at ease & grew fond of them. Still the big ones are in cage view only 🙂
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i think the fear of snakes is related most to the fear of the unknown. when i was young, snakes were not often kept as pets and many were scared of them. As I got older more and more have started keeping them, so there is less fear cause more people come into contact with them. I still have problems dealing with others’ insect pets myself though. As long as the snake is not poisonous, I will even handle wild ones, but I am not comfortable even thinking of picking up a tarantula…
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A superb story there Kendall, I like how the mother gets to defend her son at the moment of the bullying, unlike real-life incidents when family and friends are missing when the victim needs the most. Though perhaps an alternate ending where the bullies beat up (or even kill) the son in front of the mother and later hurt the mother herself would arouse more ire and outrage, giving readers more ‘kick’ 😛 Thanks for following my blog, and I’m keeping an eye out for your future posts too.
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Reblogged this on Sanguine Speak and commented:
An amazing post on Bullying. Hope it makes a difference to you, as much as it did to me. Thank you.
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A great post! And one which is meant to be shared cos there will definitely be someone else who will benefit from it too 🙂 Looking forward for more.
PS: And thank you for stopping by 🙂
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Thank you for reblogging this post. Bullying is a serial crime that causes such grief. My hope is that our small contribution will contribute to finding the solution to this worldwide challenge. Welcome to the neighborhood. So very glad you are here. Oh. and p.s. My pleasure to have stopped by yours. Hope to make it back.
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I agree and sincerely hope so too. And thank you for the warm welcome. I love it that apart from writing and sharing thoughts, we also get to meet such wonderful people with kind thoughts and also with a felling of responsibility towards the society and the events surrounding us. Glad to have met you and so many more here 😀
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Great post! I love how you mixed in videos and pictures to bring more life to the subject. This is something I can relate to as well and it’s good to see people getting more serious in taking a stand against bullying. I’m looking forward to more of your posts! (p.s. thanks for following my blog, I hope I can inspire you as well)
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While I am a fictional writer at heart, I do not take this platform lightly. So when I decided to write about the serial crime of bullying, I wanted it to have meaning, to reach people, to continue the conversation. It is comments like yours that let me know it is working. You inspire me. Welcome to the neighborhood. So glad you are here.
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Thank You for creating this blog post. It is very well done. God bless your heart!!
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You are such a beautiful person to leave such a kind and sincere comment. I am grateful that this post is touching so many and I hope in some small way it serves a higher purpose in eliminating bullying from all involved. Welcome to the neighborhood. So glad you are here.
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Hi…
As a person who has been bullied, can I just say thank you for this post. I think we need more people standing up and actually making an issue out of bullying rather than just ignoring the issue. This is such a great post! I wonder, have you come across the ‘to this day’ project? It’s fantastic, and if you haven’t yet seen it, I urge you to do so…here’s a link for you http://tothisdayproject.com/ It’s about bullying, and the spoken word poem is simply beautiful.
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Thank you for the link. It will serve as a point of information, not just for me, but for all who enter here. Welcome to the neighborhood. You are so very much appreciated.
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🙂 thanks
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Great story Kendall and one that needs to be told again and again until the violence ends.
Thank you for following my blog womenover50unite.wordpress.com. I look forward to reading more of your stories and getting to know you better!
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Bullying is a serial crime that is so harmful to the victim. I do not take this platform lightly, and I am honored to contribute to a solution in any way that I can. Thank you for adding your voice. Welcome to the neighborhood. And it is a pleasure for me to be one of your neighbors, as well.
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Heartbreaking. The bullying culture can be stemmed when more authority and respect is handed back to the traditional authority figures, like parents and teachers so they may step up and take effective action to stop bullying and not be afraid to take perpetrators to task.
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Murder is one of the most vile dogma of bullying. Yes. I’m thinking about Trayvon Martin. And these data. Murder is the most vile firm of bullying. I’m think about Trayvon Martin and this data.
http://io9.com/disturbing-chart-shows-rise-in-justified-killings-of-773490798
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Bullying a strongly felt issue since I am a parent. Thanks for writing about it. Thanks, also, for following my blog.
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You are quite welcome to both.
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beautiful story, so vivid! loved it.
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I am so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for visiting and welcome to the neighborhood.
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Thanks for the Follow; this post on bullying was apropos for my day. I interviewed for a database contract this morning at a company that, according to a comment thread at ‘Indeed’ going back several years, prides itself on its dictatorial management style. I knew this history going in, so I was attentive to the many signs of an organization-level bully. I presented myself as fully capable of doing what they asked, and then told the contract house what I’d observed and refused to accept an offer if one were made. As I noted in a post at OpEdNews a few days ago, we each have to choose whether and when to withdraw our consent to how we are being treated. In the words of Eric Frank Russel, in the 1951 short story, “And Then There Were None”, the most powerful weapon in the world is the ability to refuse to comply. He wrapped it into a sign that figured in the story: “F:IW”, which stands for “Freedom: I Won’t”
I’m also working on the 7th and final short story in a series that was inspired by a study reported at ScienceBlog, which concluded that when someone does not speak out against an indignity to themselves or to others, the perpetrator gains confidence, while the target loses some. This is the subtle beginning of how a bully develops, and I wrote the series to explore the choice and its implications. (Did you choose to follow my blog because you read one of these stories through an email forwarded to you?)
I greatly enjoyed your blog. The combination of a riveting story and the deeper information about bullying is extremely effective.
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Hi and thanks for such an amazing post. It was more like a short story with many stories in one, very well written !! The topic itself is a problem that we wish never existed and would hope to over come. So many people in this world just trying to live their lives in a normal, happy, harmless manner and we have a small percentage of people who do their best to make those lives very very difficult. Good post and hope that a few bullies read it and learn from it
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Like the War series, developing BULLY was born of the need to do something. Do anything. This platform has given me a voice and when my neighborhood WordPress friends join in, I truly believe that in someway, no matter how minute, we are contributing to a more reasonable society. Bullying is just unfair. To block the pursuit of happiness for no reason, but bitter hate. Easy choice for my Niece and I to support the efforts of the established organizations. But I am an entertainer, and if you received both the entertainment and the cause, the inspiration I receive from reader’s like you, are helping me hit the mark. Welcome to the neighborhood and thank you for your contribution to this platform.
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Thank you for following my blog. I came from Japan.
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Very nice to meet you. Thank you for visiting my site and choosing BULLY to read. It is my pleasure to be a follower of your blog. Welcome to my neighborhood.
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Wow, you and your Niece are such amazing writers not just because of your writing structure and compositional skills but because you chose to write about something as thought provoking as bullying….. Have no doubt that you are indeed contributing to making society a better place by challenging bullies, victims and by-standers to do something about “this great evil” threatening all of us in one way or another. OAN, thanks for following my blog. Looking forward to more engaging stuff from you guys. Ciao.
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I forwarded your comment to my Niece, as I know she will be as grateful as I am to hear your kind, sincere, meaningful words. I see myself as an entertainer, but as my neighborhood (blog community) begin to grow, it became important to me that I use my platform for change, for discussion, to provoke thought, to try and make a difference. When I receive comments such as yours I am humbled and inspired. Thank you for sharing in this platform. You are appreciated and welcome to my neighborhood. And by the way, it is my pleasure to follow your blog. Now we are neighbors.
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Very thought provoking blog. Thank You for your interest in this topic. I can relate to being bullied when I was a kid.
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Reblogged this on The L Blog.
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Pingback: Kendall F. Person’s “BULLY” an original, blog-post feature presentation | The L Blog
Great post. I can relate and also want to thank you for following my blog.
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The neighborhood support for BULLY surpassed my expectations. The visitors, commenters and rebloggers…I am hopeful, that in some small way, we are making a difference. Thank you for taking part in this forum, and you are quite welcome. Welcome to the neighborhood.
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You are, they are, and we are. One Voice all together. ❤
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Reblogged this on race4ourlives and commented:
Wanted to share a powerful blog.
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Thanks for following my blog. As an urban educator, it is disturbing to see the mean-spirited approach that is so prevalent . The anger is overwhelming.
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Racism in overwhelming. When it ends, then anger will end.
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And multi-generational poverty—which spans the races.
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indeed. as does sexism. prejudice and discrimination of any kind are intolerable and overwhelming. When people fight against racism as much as sexism, for example, things will be better. Until then, I will con’t to be angry, passionate, and upset. and I will con’t to work toward change.
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What makes me scratch my head is this — when people who are bulied fight back (e.g., speak up and speak out), they are now the bully. This is non-sense.
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