Gism Butter

Wed, 16 Feb 2005

An Open Letter to Scape Goats

There are a number of things you've probably been told on an almost daily basis. As you've likely discovered, they don't help much.

Just ignore them.

Don't take it so personally.

Don't give them anything to pick on. Just keep quiet.

Read some Dale Carnegie.

You need to take your meds, there's something wrong with you and the these meds fix it.

The bullies are just self conscious. they're just as scared as you are.

There's nothing you can say or do, really. If you're being picked on a lot, the most likely cause is something about your personality or body that you can't easily change. Being too short, too fat, too tall, having glasses, zits, freckles, boobs. Whatever the reason, it's making your life hell, and there's fuck-all you can do about it.

I'm not writing this to show you how to stop the teasing. There's nothing that I can think of that can help you put an end to it. It'll end when you leave you current school. Then, if you're lucky, you'll find a group of friends that won't pick on you so much at your new school. If not, it could just start up again. There's really no way to tell.

Being the scape goat in you class sucks. It's not fun, and it comes at a time in your life when you're at your most vulnerable. It can fuck you up for a long time.

But it doesn't have to. There's one mantra which I think could have helped me when I was going through it from 3rd to 8th grade. t may even have helped to a lesser extent in high school. It wouldn't have solved the problem, nor would it have made me want to go to school, nor would it have won me friends nor influenced people.

But it is true, and that is somewhat comforting.

Here it is: "Given enough time, the tables will always turn."

You've probably heard it uttered half-heartedly. Adults know that telling you to wait another 8 years before you'll be happy is not an appealing thought. Being the butt of every joke, and being ostracized from all social activities is gong to continue. But it won't be forever. And the further you get from it, the less it matters.

Your life can only get better. Baring a few years in the immediate future that could be worse, after the age of 18, life only gets better. Hell, after the age of 13, it only gets better.

Of all the worthless advice you've been given, I am writing this to assure you that my mantra is truthful. In 10 years time, you will be a broad and cultured person. You will know what suffering is. You'll know what true happiness is.

Those jerks who are torturing you will be pumping gas. They will leave school and think back on their days of torturing you as the best in their life. You will look back on them as the worst. They've nothing to look forward to. You've everything to anticipate.

I finish this letter with a story. There was a young lady who hated a boy. The boy picked on her and called her names. He was the most popular boy in school. Today, that girl is living life to it's fullest. And that boy committed suicide two years after graduating. His suicide note? "Life doesn't get any better after high school."

It's true. Don't you dare think that life is worthless because of some jerk makes fun of you. You'll make it through.



posted at: 18:05 | path: | 0 Comments

RSS