RE: What is Bullying?

From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Wed Jul 30 2003 - 00:08:11 MDT

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    All right, so I happened upon this passage last night:

       "The candidates added to their appeal by announcing a
       program of reforms that did away with many of the key
       components of Sulla's constitution; in particular,
       they revived the powers of the Tribunes. This was not
       a disinterested measure, for it gave [Pompey and Crassus]
       a handy mechanism for bullying or bypassing the Senate.

    So we have in this (book about Cicero) an example where
    the writer intends for "bullying" to not necessarily
    include a feeling of cruelty---merely, I suppose, to
    include intimidation.

    The writer of this is English, and I wonder if American
    usage implies inclusion of cruelty.

    Lee

    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: owner-extropians@extropy.org
    > [mailto:owner-extropians@extropy.org]On Behalf Of Lee Corbin
    > Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 9:24 PM
    > To: extropians@extropy.org
    > Subject: What is Bullying?
    >
    >
    > On occasion the criticism of some of us by others takes
    > on the form, it is sometimes said, of "bullying". I
    > rather would like to know what is meant by that.
    >
    > (Now since we all agree that bullying is a very bad thing,
    > I aim to find out what else is bad because it falls in the
    > category therewith.)
    >
    > To me, bullying takes place ordinarily between children,
    > in which bigger or stronger ones derive a satisfaction,
    > a glee, in the tormenting of weaker individuals. Among
    > adults, one might think of scenes in certain tough bars
    > where the same would hold true. It is widely believed
    > that certain Nazis were bullies, insofar---as I
    > understand it---part of their motivation for beating
    > up people was the intrinsic gratification that the act
    > itself aroused.
    >
    > But I am wondering if the term doth have a wider meaning
    > than I thought.
    >
    > Lee
    >
    >



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