Fighting... :(

Well, all this stuff is happening at school. I guess you could kind of say I'm being mildly harassed at school now. When I pass by some girls at school they give me dirty looks, start talking crap, and say "Bitch!" outloud. Is that harassment? Well, some girls want to jump me now. Thing is, I've never fought before. But you know, I don't want to sit around and let them kick my ass without me being able to throw a few punches in. I'd rather go down with some dignity, and not be completely humiliated. I refuse to fight unless someone throws the first punch. Do you guys have any tips for fighting for me? This whole situation is so messed up. My so called best friend turned against me over a guy, and now all these other people have turned against me.


Highschool drama sucks.

 

I could tell you all sorts of stuff to do when fighting. But my best advice is walk away. No matter how much it sucks, hurts, etc just walk away.

 

Go learn judo, or better, kung fu. I somtimes have to hang around with some dodgey types around here (I'd rather not though), they try touching me outta line they arn't going to try it again.

Even if they don't touch you, martial arts helps you predict how best to react to sitations. You don't nececarily need to be violent.

 

the martial arts are more mental discipline than fighting
it shows you who you are
fighting is alway's a "last resort" thing
best advice ever is to walk away,
and if you know who you are, why do you have to prove it?

its HS, thats what HS is. .
I tell ya, I would rather be in HS



very few people(once real life hits them) never grow out of there immaturity
but it does exist. . . .

 

I agree 100%. I loath fighting. I cant stand when people take it to that level. If something does happen, just try and get away, run and get away. Don't worry about dignity. Its just High school. You will know in your heart that you did the right thing, and did not stoop down to there level. That is 1000 times better then caring what some high schoolers think.



cooked

 

yeah high school does suck...
i would suggest judo

 

I had the same problem a few days ago, but it wasn't as serious. I just made sure not to walk next to, or near them. If you see them in a hallway or coming you way, go to another hallway to your next class. Just try to stay away from them, and as far away as possible. Don't make yourself noticeable to them. Maybe they will forget over time and ignore you.

 

Hopefully it will pass. I doubt it though. But if they touch me, I'm going to defend myself. Anyway I have to. Even if I have to pull hair. I'm not going to let them kick my ass.

 

Well yeah dont let them kick your ass, otherwise you could get seriously hurt. But try not to let them touch you. and most of all, try not to be as much offensive, more defensive. last thing you want is people thinking it was you who started it.

 

Thats all depends on the discipline..

There is nothing mental about American Kenpo. Its all about how to hurt/kill/destroy your oponent, to protect yourself.

Want to stay out of a fight?

Complain to an authority figure.

Threats of violence fall under assault, too.

If they dont do anything about it, then beat them stupid.

Fighting solves nothing, however putting up with being harrassed, and abused doesn't either.

 

And everything started when you got a boyfriend right?

 

wow. dat's sad. there r no fights in the high skool i go to. i guess it's coz my skool's small.

 

No comment.

 

True. Does my situation count as harassment? I'm not exactly sure.

 

Judo is powerful, especially if you learn the `atemi-waza', but, it takes a long time to learn.

Learn the Kenpo. You will be able to defend yourself in short order. It may not look as pretty, but the Kenpo people are very practical minded. They only care how the techniques work. Study the Kenpo and you will win if you fight somebody, but, remember, then, they may sneak around and damage your car, what have you, so that is why it is best to not fight.


hahahahahahaha!!!
But, if somebody grabs a Kenpoist, they are truly offering `A Gift'.
If somebody grabs you and you know the Kenpo martial art, you will neutralize them.
(Actually, you *will* destroy them, if you carry out the fullness of the technique).

They will certainly think twice before they grab you again.

If you practice the Kenpo, also, if they strike you, you will not become disheveled, you will maintain your state of mind because you will become desensitized to the contact, the punching, kicking, and so on. You will be used to it enough from the practice, so no problem.

And, you can learn balance, agility, make new friends who study with you.
Even if you don't end up fighting these folks, the Martial Arts are a wonderful thing to enjoy.

We are truly lucky to live in a time and a place where they can be experienced.





And, Eric Raymond advised people who have a sincere desire to learn to code to practice martial arts, because they are alot like hacking, coding.

In any event, all the best to you.

 

CaNoFzOo, I'm a give you some big brother advice (I'm 28 in March), with a New York flavor, cause that's what you sound you like are asking for! I've been friends with bullies. I've been friends with the bullied. I've been lucky enough to be in the middle but relate to both sides in the real world...

First off C, you have good perspective on this. You don't want to fight. But you may have to. You want to be prepared, only if necessary. You walk away. But they keep coming.

First off, are these girls really tough? When you look in their eyes, do you see toughness? Some people are so tough you cannot hurt them. I hope these girls are not like that. Maybe they are posers? The type whose bluff is waiting to be called. Ya know, aside from that tough exterior, they are just like the rest of us.

Here's in my opinion the advice you are looking for...When these girls, who sound like bullies look you in the eyes, and they're clocking you, assessing you, if they see, if they sense, you are not scared of them, if they sense you are ready to attack them, mess them up for messing with you, if they can lookat you and knkow that you know how to hurt them, not just that you want to, but that you know how to hurt them, they will be MUCH less likely to instigate a fight.

That is very good advice, if I may say.

But if they sense fear, if they know you are defenseless, if they know you will just crumble, and they think you don't have a way to hurt them, it may be a matter of time before one of them gets in the mood. And if they're bullies, they're good at detecting fear...

It's like you will be giving off wireless signals to them!

You'll see. They'll probably back off, transmission complete. And they will be less likely to start this connection again. (at least take it to the level it sounds like they're taking it with you)

They need to have something to lose. Feeling good is a start. If they think you can hurt them, make them feel bad, cause them pain, that's a deterrant to messing with you. Pain, hurt, they are people like everyone else. Unless they are the very very tough or masochistic type. You can't hurt them! But most people don't enjoy pain, and will avoid it if possible. Their reputation would also be at stake. When a bully gets messed up in a fight they escalate, it is humiliating. If the bullies think you will make them look bad to the rest of the school watching the fight, they are less likely to do so.

I'm patting myself on the back now, I'm giving you good advice here!

But if there is no risk, and they have total power over the situation, then at any moment they may just decide to do it, beat you up, cause they're in the mood, to let out anger, have other schoolmates fear them (SAD AS IT IS, I know y'all but some people have no choice but to need others fear them. That is real world stuff) So take the power away from them. Be prepared.

However you prepare...Judo, learn how to box, whatever you choose. So you can control these types of situations if they happen again too. Living in fear sucks!!!

Right now what probably hurts is you cannot do anything but walk away. And you don't know when it will end. Hopefully it will just go away. Obviously.

Last, if it gets time to scrap, and you sense it's near, fights are usually quick, give it your absolute all. Hurt them! With all your force. No happy face emoticon after that s*** either. This is fightin we're talking about! It's been around forever. And it's gonna be around forever.

Not some TV show. Pull their hair. You got the right idea and attitude when you say if they escalate the fight, then you don't want to bow down and get your a** kicked. Hell no!

Keep walking away. Prepare (workout, judo, box, whatever sounds good to you, there's alot of ways) for that moment that right now you fear. The more prepared you are for it, the more the bullies will detect you are ready for it, and they will probably back away. Hope this helps.

And one more thing. When you are prepared, don't abuse that power! Use it as self-defense only. Keep walking away from fights, don't instigate any either. Good luck.

 

Oh one more thing C, don't be overaggresive when they're clocking you, when they're assessing you, cause if you're really prepared you don't need to be overaggresive (I LOVE to fight! No! That's not what to project) It's more like a quiet reserved confidence. You feel me?

 

There is a different answer for every person.

Do you feel harassed?

-You now have your answer.

 

the best thing to do is to walk away and talk to the principle about it. i would consider it harrasments...not sexual harassment.....And if any one tells you that your a loser for telling the principle just tell them they were not worth getting in trouble for....

 

Farbib makes a good point.

As good as it is to inform an authority figure sounds, it is not always feasable.
Being labled as a snitch can be as bad as what you're dealing with now. I'm 32 and I have survived High School and then some.

My technique was very similar to what Farbib suggests.

Even to this day, I look like someone who isn't going to take any $h*t. It's all about projecting an image and maintaining it. However, be prepared to "walk it like you talk it".

Letting someone know what is going on is good advice. However, you need to be descrete. Find a teacher you trust and ask them to not only keep an eye out, but to not make you look like a pu**y in the process.

Be ready to defend yourself, but if you project yourself properly - you probably won't have to.

Good luck,

Go with your gut - only you truly understand the situation you are in.

 

Not to bring the way way way overused word terrorism in this, but it's appropriate, because if C feels terrorized with grief, has anxiety before school, during school, and after school, like a weight on her shoulders...that's the fear of being beat up by these girls, and looking bad in school...that would be these bullies, these twits, winning the fight, terrorizing her, making her live scared, and living scared sucks!

Having to watch your back constantly is bad bad bad.

Peer pressure and popularity, as fiercely independent as I am, as individual as I am, as much as I despise alot of group mentality, and love original thinking, peer pressure and popularity can be very important. Such as in high school.

So C, obviously walk away, report it to the principal (if you feel that will work but it wouldn't have worked in my school/town), and don't resign to being afraid. If these twits are causing you bad energy, channel it into kenpo (that sounded good!) or something and be prepared to protect yourself. Crank up music when you work out!

Maybe I gotta big mouth but one more time...the more prepared you are to confront this situation, the less anxiety you will feel about this situation, and if they confront you, they will resonate a vibe that you aren't somebody to mess with.

Good luck, and sorry you had to go through this.

 

Well, how did this happen???

 

Wow, you summed up exactly how I feel at the moment. I'm on Winter Break right now, so hopefully this willl all blow over. I doubt it, but oh well. Talking this to the Principal is the last thing I want to do. It definately will not work. I'll just be harassed more. They'll think I'm too weak to fight my own battles. Which is something I definately don't need. Thanks for all the advice! It really helped, and made me feel better.

 

Well, I'm gonna `double-dip' and post twice, too...
This is one of life's challenges that you will negotiate, one way or the other.

Thankfully, in my experience, as people get older, they tend to act in more adult ways, at least that's how its turned out for me. Now that I am of adult age, I don't have to contend with such foolishness as this, because people tend to `get a life' and don't have time for these school-yard type of games that they play.

I say that to say this: This experience is temporary. Nobody should go down the wrong path in life. You, you seem like one who could be a successful person, learn the code and stuff, get a professional career or something? Don't let these people `rent space for free in your head'. Like Farbib said above, there, I think the anxiety caused by some of these types of things are more troublesome than the actual engagement, if you will...

You will make it through to the other side.

There is part of me that wants to drive up to whereever that school is and give the whole lot of those students a little `on site service call'!!!

But... that's just crazy thinking, too.

 

I forgot to mention...


One of the girls that wants to fight me is in a gang. Oh my god.

Bad bad bad. This does not help the situation one bit.

 

Call the cops and let the courts handle it.

My son and his buddies were riding home the night before Halloween. Supposedly this is "Fright Night". His friend lives in a runned down section of the city where there is a lot of drug dealing and crime. Make a long story short, both of my sons driver and passenger windows were blown out as they passed a group of kids on a corner. The kids yelled a few words out to them, then his friend responded with "Shut the H*ll up". Twenty feet up was another kid who made a quick motion and both windows were gone. As they were heading back to the house, they called the cops using their cell phone. This story gets really long and involved so I won't get into it. Bottom line, arrests were made, and there is a possibility it may be gang related because of the way they were dressed. Hope the courts put the scum away for a very long time. Two people could have been dead right now and if I had my way they should spend the next 30yrs in prison. These creeps will probably be out with little or no time served.

***CaNoFzOo,if it is gang related notify the cops and school authorities. With enough support the girl will get booted from the school. Then keep you distance from her.

 

I'd second that ... high school is really a small part of your life ... and you shouldn't base your self-worth on what others think or do because no matter who you are there are people who care about you

i try to follow this advice but it's hard sometimes because of the virtual army of idiots out there:

"never argue with an idiot, they drag you down to thier level and beat you with experience"

 

It seems half the people in this thread understood exactly where this girl is coming from and the other half don't understand at all

She specifically asked how to fight. That's all. How to fight. Not ways to avoid fighting. If she could avoid it, she would be.

She has never been in a fight, and wanted advice from MGs who could help her in this specific situation. She is at the point of no return, which is very unfortunate.

For those who understand this type of situation (half the people in this thread), they know the best way to handle this situation is do the only thing left she can do, prepare for the fight. This may actually deter the fight. But if it doesn't, and the girl has to scrap, she will be able to use all her force and know how to defend herself. Physically defending yourself is like sports, you have to know how to play the game. You can't just pull hair and throw punches if you never did it before, or you're way out of shape.

This is the advice she needs to hear. No dispect to anyone.

Unfortunately, a girl(s) may attack her. And from what it sounds, a girl in a gang. It's a very serious situation. It's not like she can move to another town. This is C's day to day life for a long time...

Even the people who told you to avoid it, I agree with them as peaceful people.

Now it's up to you to do the hard work that's required. You have to learn a little about fighting, and possibly get yourself in better shape. That's the facts.

Again no disrespect to those who this is not crystal clear for. But I'm not saying anything controversial here, this is real world stuff, from somebody whose been good friends with bullies and the bullied. And I know how it goes down (or does not go down).

C, me and the people who get it on this board have given you the variables, laid them out for you, now it's up to you to either step up and prepare or hope it passes.

Okay C, I've now gotta question for ya which will reveal alot. In fact, somebody asked it earlier in this thread but you did not answer. Maybe you cannot post the answer online? If this is the case DON'T. DON'T make the situation worse. Only if you can, let us know (here's the question) why this girl(s) wants to beat you up. Why she is calling you b**** in the halls. How you got on the bad side of a girl in a gang. I ask because just HOW mad at you she is, is important. If the girl is really personally angry at you, that's one thing. But if the girl is only mildly angry at you for a minor thing, that's another.

Again, good luck and sorry you're in this situation. But if the girl is really personally angry at you, then luck won't be enough. You have to crank up the music and work out a little, and also practice for the fight (have a friend you could practice with, alot of people do that as silly as it sounds). Cause if the fight happens, you can't get caught up in the moment. You have to just let your hands go. Fights are quick. And you need to have controlled rage. (as serious as this sounds, it's what ya need to hear) If the unfortunate happens, and again for the millionth time I hope it doesn't get to this, but if the unfortunate happens, you need to go from composed aggression (which means inside you are getting angry, but outside you are relaxed) to unleashing that aggression in the blink of an eye. If that fight starts you need to be like a car going from 0-60 in 3 seconds flat. Cause fights are quick, you don't have much time to defend yourself. A good defense is a good offense.

 

If you do this, I'm quite sure this will be your last fight in that high school.

 

Wow. You're amazing thanks for all your advice.

*sigh* I'll explain the whole situation to you. It's so stupid. But here it goes:

I went out with my best friends, friend. (If that makes sense.) He was like a brother to her. I really liked him. Well, he played me so bad. He used my best friend to break up with me, and then he started talking crap about me after we broke up. And he also made up a lot of lies about me. Which I'm definately not down for. Well, I told a close friend of mine about this whole situation. And he was pissed off that this guy could treat me like that. So he called him on the phone and started yelling at him. The next thing you know, my ex-boyfriend wants to beat my close friend up. My ex didn't understand that my friend was only sticking up for me. (They never ended up fighting.)
Well, my ex-boyfriend told my "best friend" all these lies. And she believed them. (These are really bad lies that can ruin my reputation, and his.) She never even bothered to ask me if these rumors were true. She left me a message on my phone where people are calling me a bitch and a whore in the backround, and shes saying how she used to be cool with me until she found out what a liar I am. and then she had the nerves to yell out have a merry christmas at the end of the message. My best friend who I considered a sister to me turned on me. She turned on me without even bothering to listen to my side of the story. Well, she turned all her friends against me as well. Now all these people want to fight me. I have no idea why either.

See the story makes no sense. But I did nothing wrong in this situation.

 

That's drama for ya

I'm not going to comment on what's been done. You cannot go back in time, and I'm sure you rewind this course of events over and over.

I don't know the players involved. If I did, I could tell you how this will play out. But I don't.

Sounds like you have to walk on eggshells these days. Sucks. You just want it to go back to normal, right? Hopefully you can handle this situation right, and with a little luck, things will be good again real soon.

Hopefully somehow (not to be captain obvious) these false accusations will be exposed as such, and you will be proven innocent. Cause the accusations sound strong enough some people feel it warrants a beat-down. The question is will the accusations be disproven in time?

You can't just rely on luck though (and luck will play a part). You need luck that how it plays out is fair. In situations like yours, as nauseating as it sounds, I hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I think you know what that means.

As far as disproving the accusations, I don't know if it's good to talk to them. Even say one word. Cause if you begin a dialogue, even one sentence, the girls may jump you. They may be waiting for you to do the slightest provocation, they may be waiting for the slightest excuse, the slightest reason to fight. But I don't know the girls, so I can't say for sure. They may be bluffing also. Only they know, and they may not even know for sure.

If you do end up talking to them, don't be like "PLEASE PLEASE I DID NOT..." half crying like a coward. Just be yourself. Not defiant perse, then you come off like a jerk. Just be yourself. Be tough, and say "I didn't do it." Look them in the eye and they will know you are telling them the truth. Brief sentences like "He's lying." and "Never did it" can be effective (again IF you feel talking is worth the risk, or you have to talk) If you talk to them, don't blabber. Brief sentences to the point. They will read your body language. Don't project fear, and also project truth.

Again, this is if you even can open a dialogue, which may be the wrong thing to do. You decide.

At this point, it's up to you. You know the situation better than anybody else.

The MGs now can mostly just listen, and lend a sympathetic ear. Cause situations dicate personality, and in your situation, with limited information, speculating about what to do with these girls would be irresponsible on my part.

Be strong C. Be yourself! It sounds like you are going to do what you must, whatever that is.

If you need to train to fight, read the advice me and some other MGs gave you before, then do it.

 

I didn't read the prior posts, so sorry if this has been repeated.

Maybe you should look at it another way - you will feel harrased and vicimized to the extent that you care about what they say. I moron calling names is still just a moron.

I'm all for training to protect oneself, but remember, if you kick her ass and your trained - you may be considered the agressor.

 

You may not be able to avoid a fight, and you sure as hell don't have time to learn a martial art (no disrespect to anyone; it's all good advice). If push comes to shove: Grab the other person, either around her/his neck, or by the hair (both hands). As you pull his/her head as hard as you can towards you, lower your head, and aim your hairline (top of your forehead) at the nose. You will barely feel anything, and the other person won't really feel like doing much more. If it's gang stuff, do that to the biggest/ toughest one in the bunch. Eye-gouging, stomping on the top of feet, kicking in the kneecaps; brutal tactics are sometimes the only way to gain respect with the types you're dealing with. Too bad, but this is reality- I live in the middle of a gang, drug, and gun-plagued area, and after a few incidents I couldn't get out of, and a few busted-up people, I don't have any more trouble. Good luck.
(P.S.- if it's gang-related, I urge you not to go to the cops unless ABSOLUTELY necessary, because you WILL be marked.)

 

Look, if your so-called 'best friend' is as stupid and as gullible as you described her to be, I say get rid of them and find yourself new (and hopefully better) ones....if the problem is you (since we only had to be tortured by reading your side of the story ), then you will end up in a nasty situation one way or another.
But if a nasty fight breaks out, have a friend take pics, I'd like to see 'em!

ok, ok...I was kidding but couldn't help it when I read your teenage drama queen story.

 

Yo, Turcoloco!

 

Having trained in the Martial Arts since I was 8 (8 different styles), I have to say that Judo or Aikido are both perfect solutions. Nothing spells humilation like being able to toss around your opponent like a rag doll and not leave a mark on him/her.

Walking away is fine, but there will be that one time where walking away isn't an option. Better to be prepared.

 

MikeH and Kodo, you my boyz!!!

Ditto what MikeH and Kodo just wrote, they speak the truth!!!

 

Do you have parents? Are there no authority figures in your school? From what I understand, a large group of kids have decided to go after you. You are not going to learn enough martial ars skills in time to fight a lot of people at once, and none of these kids are going to listen to reason at this time. You may be afraid to tell because kids may harass you, I'd have to ask "How is that different from your present situation?" There a lot of Gung-Ho types who've watched to many Steven Seagall movies advising you to fight it out with all of them, but the situation is already way out of hand as it is. Ask for help, it is the same advise I'd give my daughter. The situation is getting ugly, and it won't get better without help. My motive is to keep you out of trouble, getting hurt or even killed. We had a murder case in my area recently identical to your situation. Get help somewhere, don't take chances.

 

C'mon, that was not the message at all. If it sounded that way from my posts, sorry.

 

>Right on Just Playin! It's obvious that other posters here have never delt with kids who were associated with gangs or who have thug mentalities. Of course "being prepared" is always helpful, but when you are looking down at a barrel of a gun or the odds are 8to1 with knife wielding bullies, no amount of preparedness is going to help.

>By calling the cops and notifying school authorities, they will be better able to assess the situation and the cops will definitely be able to tell, if they are memebers of a gang. If they are, she is already marked. Whether she stands up for herself or not, it doesn't really matter at this point.

>There are now laws in place protecting students against bullies. If the school cannot provide a safe learning environment for you, go to the School Board and Superintendent and ask for a full investigation. They will review all the channels that were taken to solve the problem. If need be, the student or students will be removed. If your not satisfied with the results, hire a lawyer and take your city or town to court. They will have to assume the costs of a private education, if placing you in another public school is not an option. Good Luck.

 

I'm not sure which of the 2 catagories that Farbib mentioned I fall in, but you do have a right to defend yourself. This is the advice I would give my daughter.

However, I would also say - assess the situation. I'm not sure if you mentioned where you are from, but a gang member from South Bronx is alot different than a gang member from Idaho.

If you feel like you can successfully defend yourself, then do so. Like a previous post said - Go for the biggest, meanest looking one.

Don't look like a victim, but don't go around asking for trouble either. There is a fine line.

Hopefully this will be all over with by the end of the holidays, and you can go back to life as normal.

Try contacting your former friend. She may be a little more reseptive now that she isn't be influenced by others.

If the situation looks bleak, run like hell. It's better to run away and live to fight another day.

Good luck, hopefully this is just HS drama and it will blow over soon.

LAIGo

 

CaNoFzOo, Three words of advice,

Apologize

Apologize

Apologize

Good luck!

 

I cannot relate to some of what I'm hearing. Man this whole time I thought we were talking about a public school. If she goes to a private school, then yeah, tell the principal, call the cops, sue the city. Haven't heard from this girl lately anyway so I'm not posting again. She must be doing fine and that's good. What's the point of continuing this then. I wish I could have agreed with Just Playin, BLAJY and those who shared their type of advice. Sounded great in theory to me. Right, wrong or indifferent with my take on this situation, I've seen alot with my two eyes, so don't tell me who I am BLAJY from reading a couple posts and looking at my avatar.

What's past is past but it stays with you. And my past formed alot of the opinions I mentioned here. Now everybody's got their opinion, and that's fine, I hope I'm in the wrong, and learning self-defense is unnecessary. Man I wasn't romanticizing fighting at all, and if I was not supposed to give an answer to her question (which was how to fight), then that's my bad, and I apologize. I thought it would help. But I thought it was helpful, and know alot of people that would agree, and hell no not encouraging her to be Charles Bronson in Ten to Midnight bro just giving her the blueprint to, ah I'm out, what am I doin...No disrespect to anybody in this post, but if you continue this conversation, I'll be watchin from the sideline. Good luck to the girl.

 

I used to be in a gang; also an outlaw motorcycle club; movies are B.S.- I'm only speaking from experience, having been on both sides of the situation; somebody here has a quote about the most dangerous person; well, I have nothing to lose- or gain- by answering a question honestly.

 

P.S.- I have five kids; I've seen too many of their friends in my 'hood who have parents or so-called "caregivers" who don't care; too many school officials who don't help, just talk; too many cops who don't care, either- because it's what they "expect" around here. Apologies to anyone who was offended by my advice, but I grew up, and remain, in an "undesirable" area. If this girl is just a "drama queen", then none of this matters. If she really is deep in it, and has nobody to turn to, then I hope my advice helps, because all the morality and principle in the world, as right as it is, doesn't help when you're on the business end of a boot.

 

Mike I think you nailed it.

Tis the season to be jolly falalalalalalalala.

Funny how in the height of this season which celebrates some guy who was proficient at turning the other cheek, that a topic of how to fight would garners such attention.

I just don't feel the love at MG much anymore.

 

MikeH and Farbib giving a difference of opinion shouldn't produce hard feelings. This subject hits close to home. If it is indeed gang related, and you have had past experiences, then you should also know this will never end. Say she is successful, and beats the cr*p out of one of the members, do you think it ends there? This will continue until the member or members say it's over, and it won't be with her getting the last say, nor "earning their respect".

One of the previous posters suggested apologizing, I agree. If the bullying continues I suggest following my advice.

 

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I don't think many people in this thread see where I'm coming from. And it's starting conflict. Some people seem to think that I'm just a drama queen making a big deal out of nothing. No. This isn't "nothing". Being threatened and harassed isn't nothing. This is serious. I just wanted advice from people who understood. Which I got from a few. Thank you.

Kodo do you think you could close this thread please?

 

Yo, Blajy! No hard feelings here. And you're right (like all who say to avoid at all costs, that is the best way. I had to learn the hard way to change my ways.) This is close to home, as you say. You're also right about gangs- that's why my gut feeling says that the "gang-banger" referred to here is "talkin' without walkin'"; a real soldier would have jumped already. So, to "C", again, good luck- to everybody else, "Peace".