Bully for the Ages

As a writer, I cover the topic of bullying in a wide range of areas. When we first think of the bully, (well me anyway), I think of the schoolyard kid that we used to call the Super Duper Senior! Or whatever the corresponding grade lap was--freshman, sophomore, junior, whatever. Most cases this individual had failed one grade or another over and over. Of course, the traditional bully was bigger, ugly; a gorilla or goon of sorts. And he waited outside the lunchroom to clobber some poor schmuck over the head that didn't give up his chocolate milk fast enough.
     But now is different. Not so much mentally but physically. Some of the aforementioned goons, have traded in their khaki pants and faded shirts for a suit and tie. They throw their weight around in the workplace, authority is the new weopon of choice and integrity is the chocolate milk.
     As adults we try to find that common ground with our children that attempts to help them understand that most situations they encounter at school is something we've dealt with in the past. It doesn't always work. Think about it! Did it work when you were a kid? To us, most mom and dad's were well away from the olden days (As my son so eloquently puts it). And you thought, kids today aren't like they were back then. It's not the same, you say.
I submit that it is. Bullying has been around for ages and as long we human beings walk the earth there's going to be a bully. Different skin colors, different clothes, different hair, different modus operandi, but a bully is a bully. We just have to learn how to deal with them.
     In some jobs, the boss is the bully. He pushes everybody around and treats some  of the employees better than others. So, how do we handle that? One suggestion is to reach into your backpack and grab your english literature book (hardback, of course) and smash it against his nose, causing his eyes to water and his nose to bleed, like my main character Sheila did to Ethan, bully in the story.. But since some of us have bills to pay, I suggest a more civilized approach. Stand up for yourself--respectfully, especially if it's your boss. And if he or she can't respect that then maybe its time to find another job. But it has to be done, or the pushing around could go on forever. Everyday your throat will be dry from that dry peanut butter topped slice of cake that the cafeteria lady gives you, because you let the Goon take your chocolate milk. Now, in a world so busy that even our kids need android cell phones, we have to learn to stand up for ourselves and each other. And hopefully not with violence, but with wisdom.  It reminds me of an old proverb that said, "If you don't find an identity for yourself, there's someone who will give you one."