1 of 8

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 2

Give them an icy stare and raise your voice, if necessary. I've done this with a few co-workers over the years, and it works extremely well. If the person is insane, they will welcome your hostility and become even more obnoxious. Avoid these people entirely. If you're a manager, fire them. If you're a teacher, have them transferred to another class. If you're a student, talk to your teacher/professor or principal about them. If you're a co-worker, talk to your manager, and not just once. If your bully co-worker isn't fired, threaten to quit, and then find another job if necessary. Remove the bully from your life, in other words, before they start affecting your attitude.

There seems to be an egalitarian ideal in our society that everyone just needs to try and get along. I think this is not only unrealistic, but also potentially dangerous. Some personality types (and tribe types) simply don't harmonize. There's no changing human nature, so it's best to limit your tribe to 150 people (not including MySpace friends), and only try to maintain close relationships with your favorite people. It might also be good for society if we'd all try and keep our base instincts in check. This means openly acknowledging that we're all a little prejudiced, and also trying to deconstruct our surface-level reactions to people from other tribes. We can always stop and think about what makes us treat some people nicely and other people with disdain, and maybe thereby change our future behavior. But being honest with ourselves is crucial. There will never be anything like a truly egalitarian society until we can first admit that favoritism is inevitable, and then maybe try to minimize the harm we cause to other tribes.

Learn more about this author, Jonathan Young.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2

Add your voice

Know something about Causes of prejudice and bullying (and what you can do about them)?
We want to hear your view. Write now!