Sleet wrote:I don't think the show ever intended people to think that because she was bullied, what Babs did was okay. The message was that you shouldn't let being bullied turn into being a bully, which is what the CMC started to do.
So, now standing up to yourself is now considered bullying? Right...
@penwrite: Yeah. Understanding is part of the process of building friendship. But BOTH sides must be able to understand one another. I'll use marriage as an example. If just one part concedes to the other and just one side puts the happyness of the partner above his/her own, the relationship is condemend to fail. Miserabily.
Also, in an example: suppose a person out of nowhere invades your home, while holding a gun, to kill you and steal everything you have there (the person says he's going to do so). And you are also holding a gun. What do you do? Put down the gun and start saying "dude, don't do that. you must be poor or having some kind of debt. let's put that behind us. I'll go prepare something for us to eat and we can talk about this."
What do you think it'll be the most likely outcome? Him start crying saying he was sorry or him shooting you in the head using the chance you gave him since now you're defenseless.
I'm sorry, but I would never put my life or those I care about (if there are any nearby) in danger for the slightest chance the guy is just bluffing with their threat. It reminds me of the case shown in Brazil some months ago. two brothers fled from home and went to the police saying that their prantes were going to kill them. The social service analized the kids for just a few days and dismissed thems aying" they were lying" then coerced them into going back to their homes
Big surprise. A few days later the parents did kill the two kids. People love taking threats too lightelly. Soemtimes people are bluffing. sometimes people aren't. but we can't read minds and people often forget that EVERYONE can commit murder (one big defense some murders hgave is first building up a good image in society just so people can say but person X would never do that...). Anyone is capable doing the most of beutful acts the same way they can do the most cruel acts.
What makes a person evil? Their choices and the intent behind them.
Want to do good things because you genuinelly care for others = good person
Want to do bad things because you like to make others suffer = bad person
want to do good things seeking praise and glory = bad person
Want to do bad things in name of greater good = bad person. For those who don't believe in me in this one, just remember 2 things: the famous saying "the hell is full of good intentions" and that MANY of the worst people in the world did their horrible things thinking of what they claimed to be good. Hitler thought that arian race was the supreme it it was rightful for them to rule over others and that the Jew were the root of evil. Stalin thought that capitalism was the root of evil along with any form of religion and those who were capitalist and/or religious should be killed (he killed several million of his own population under this pretext).
As for mental illness, I said it was excuse because they are not responsbile for their own actions since their free will is near null or completly null.
As for growing up. I agree with you. Sometimes a genuine act of kindness is enough to change a person to become good. It would be wonderful if that worked 100% of the time. But just read what i said to Penwrite above. babs did learned the lesson. But it was plot forced and that kind of talk would HARDLY work on real life.
If what you say concerning personal experience is true than if 2 people read the same happening that happened to a third person in a newspaper then the 2 had the same personal experience? Sorry, but we disagree on this. Experience is something that is built with years and are passed on to others through life lessons, books, talks, etc. You don't have to experience something first hand to know the consequences of it. That's one common dellusuion of people. You don't have to try drugs to know their consequences. You don't have to be a bully to know that not only you'll induce phisical, but also psicological pain to others.
Okay, now what I'm about to say is 100% PERSONAL experience, since it happened to me and I know that not everyoone is that cruel. One day, three of the bullies that liked to torment me came to me after the PE class and talked to me for a while. They said they were very sorry for all the things they said and done to me and that they would like to be my friends. I believed them. I was very happy with this and I immediately forgave the, I truly did. But that had been just a ruse to delay me from getting to class just so they could prepare a prank to me. Once the prank was done when I got to class they ALL laughed at me and told they were lying and explained all their plan to me. I cried that day. Not because of the prank, which was quite stupid, but because I had trusted them.
I KNOW that not all bullies are as nasty as the ones that tomented me were. The same way i know there are WORSE bullies out there. I chose to be higly suspicious of the people I called friends ever since. I know there are good people out there and I even met two people by accident 7 years ago and we are VERY close friedns up to this date and theya re famioly to me. I was distant at first, but I was slowly opening myself to them and I don't regret giving them the chance.
Do you want to know how I would have handled the episode? Let the CMC finish their plan and after that they would come to babs and say "Look, we wanted to be your friend. We really did. And we would still like to. But if you are going to torment us, then we'll fight back from now on. If you don't want to be our frieend. Fine. Just don't try do anything bad to us and we won't do anything bad to you."
Then you could fill in the whole "I was bullied" thing and THEN they could make ammends and become friends.