[Bardan the Slayer]

Lavindather is right. It does happen alot, and it really is terrible. Many of these young people keep diaries of the bullying they suffer, and it makes for traumatic reading.

The reason they don't tell people? Because nothing gets done about it. Teachers are told, and nothing happens. The bully is given some kind of warning, thereby alerting him that a teacher has been told. his response? Bully some more, for revenge. It doesn't change when parents contact teachers either. They just don't seem willing to take action.

I remember when I was young and in elementary school. Whenever one of the kids ever reported an incident of bullying, the first words out of a teacher's mouth were "Don't tell tales." After hearing this a few times, kids stop confiding in teachers.

Either because of this, or because of the idiotic "playground honour" system alluded to earlier, the kids simply retreat into their own private hell. For many of them, a suicide attempt it a cry for attention (and I don't mean that in a belittling way). Sadly, for others, it is a final solution.

It is virtually certain that standing up to a bully and ramming his nose through his head would stop the bullying, but again - this country seems to have it all ass-backwards. If you confront a bully in a physical manner, often it is you that gets the punishment. When you are told fighting isn't the way to solve problems, if you reply "But I told you, and you did nothing" only gets you a weeks detention for insolence.

Sadly, bullying at work also seems to be a big issue. Many of the people who perpetrate the workplace abuse are probably the school bullies who never mistakenly picked on a kid who fought back.

One thing I learned at school was that for a bully, it's all about status. It's a way of them being able to demonstrate power. As soon as you show that they have no power over yu, it tends to stop.

It also may be of interest to note that it seems to be the girls who indulge in some of the nastiest group-bullying, where the *in* crowd have been known to gang up 15 - 1 against another girl, and pummeled her senseless.

All in all, it's a really sad situation, and I don't really see any solution that will suit everyone.