The first story today is from 2011 has some thoughts on bums, the hobo kind and not the butt kind. Somehow, if you can believe it, butts worm their way into it.
There is nothing funny about the bully story, it is my opinion on how bullies around the world are growing more prominent. All we can do is try to control some of it locally and protect the kids who need it. Everybody have a nice Saturday.
I always admired a good bum. I am not talking about the English, Australian or Canadian bum either, which is what they call your rear-end.
To me a bum is somebody who has removed himself from life as we all know it. He has thrown away all responsibilities, almost all possessions, and he lives hour to hour with only his next meal to worry about.
I started liking bums when I was a kid, mainly because I loved their luggage. TV bums always carried a stick over their shoulder with a bandana tied on the end containing all their worldly possessions. That seemed like a cool thing to do to me, even if it wasn’t the most practical.
Bums seemed to spend all their time lying around doing nothing, looking bumly. They ate beans out of the can, spent a lot of time around campfires, and always seemed to have exactly five days growth of whiskers. They acted like they had discovered the secret to eternal life, and that the secret might involve not owning a wristwatch.
The word bum has come to mean many other things besides being the moniker for a homeless drifter. There are tennis bums, beach bums, ski bums, stumble bums (washed up boxers), Bleacher Bums (Wrigley Field), Dem Bums (as in Brooklyn), bum advice, bum checks, bum trips, and bum knees.
You can be a real bummer, get bummed out, have somebody give you the bum’s rush, throw the bums out, be accused of bumming around or move to a bum’s paradise.
In short, everybody in the world can have one variety or another of a bum experience each day of their life.
Now, getting back to the English for a moment, any discussion about bums much by necessity touch upon the rump. In Britain there are popular chocolates called Bite-size Bums. They look like exactly what you would expect. I only regret I could not order some in time to treat my wife on Easter.
I find it curious that the leader of the United Kingdom is called the Queen Mum, which rhymes with bum, which must lead to hordes of indecent little ditties devised by those with crass tendencies.
While cruising around the Internet gaping at bum-related subjects, I made a startling discovery. An Australian author named Andy Griffiths has written a trilogy of children’s books titled The Day My Bum Went Psycho (2002), Zombie Bums from Uranus (2003) and Bumageddon: The Final Pongflict (2005).
These are not related to American style bums, but rather murderous rumps from space and other places. I guess kids get exposed to different things in the new millennium. I know my boys would have thrived on them in the 80’s, but then again, their Dad was not a normal fellow.
Zombie Bums From Uranus does pique my interest. I love zombies, I’m partial to bums, and Uranus is my favorite planet without a breathable atmosphere. I know it is a children’s book, and unlikely to be a work of art, but I’m thinking I must have the trilogy. If nothing else I want it on my bookshelf to confound the casual observer.
So now I am thinking some chocolate bums to go with the books would be nice. While I wait for the order to arrive I could fashion up a stick with a red bandana tied on it, to carry around the books and the chocolate bums.
Gee, maybe eating a can of beans out of the can would help pass the time. My wife won’t mind, she likes bums too.
I know she does, because she told me I was a loveable bum just the other day.
I realize this is a slight exaggeration, but I do believe the whole, and I do mean whole, world is going insane at an accelerated rate. What do I blame for this?
Bullies, plain and simple. I know we hear and read about cyber-bullying, playground bullying and neighborhood bullying every day. These things are indeed a deadly serious issue; they cause suicides and prompt severe mental problems that can last a lifetime. School should be a time of learning, bonding, building happy memories and having fun.
You’re only a kid once. It should be a cherished experience. In many cases it is, but thanks to peer bullying and parent bullying, it is often a time of regret. Regret that you have to get up in the morning. Regret that you are not bigger and stronger. Regret that you can’t protect yourself, either mentally or physically.
Do the bullies, both individual and groups, ever feel regret? Many of the younger ones do, but only years later, when it is too late to undo the damage they caused. Most of the worst bullies are that way for life, as mentally tortured as many of their victims.
The only way bullies can find satisfaction in life is by distributing misery to others. It’s like a drug to them, and unfortunately for the rest of the world many of these hateful individuals end up being the rulers of the world’s countries.
While some bullies are low intelligence tormenters, and others have decent IQ’s, they all have one skill: they are natural born recruiters. Many of their followers just don’t want to be a victim, many are bullies themselves but like having a leader, and some get sucked in before they realize there could be negative consequences in the future.
This recruiting ability by the most efficient bullies is why there are so many gangs ruling neighborhoods and countries. Think there are no bullies in American politics? Think again. The Federal level is full of them, as is the upper level in every country in the world.
Bullies are arrogant, over-confident, in all ways inconsiderate, belittling braggarts and they have a firm belief in their superiority over their fellow man. They love to be in the spotlight, and often use Facebook as a bullying weapon.
“Look at me, look at me! I am the best and brightest, glittering disco ball in the universe! Bow down, peons!”
Let’s say for instance that a family is a mini-country. Many are respectful, resourceful, protective, loving and humane to all who deserve it. If one of them is bullied and needs help, there is a very good chance that the bully will get what he deserves: some of his own medicine, in spades, right between the legs.
Some families have their own internal bullying problems. Not just immediate family either, though children are common victims, but in-laws provide an especially tempting target to be treated like dirt.
Remarkably, there are those who will even admit that they are bullies to anyone they consider weaker than they are. Or whom they think are weaker, for they are not always right. Quiet, thoughtful and caring are not necessarily signs of weakness, though a bully will always think they are.
I apologize for losing my sense of humor with this offering. It just seemed like it was time to remind everybody that if somebody is being bullied, you need to either find a way to stop it or find someone who can. Especially in schools, for that is where most of it starts and that is where much of it can be changed. Kids should be made aware that it is OK to ask for help.
Have a nice, bully-free life.
Out of Kilter 