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They say the best way to deal with bullies is by standing up to them. That is probably true, but I propose that another way to get the job done is with humor. You likely remember that the bully Sarah Palin was utterly decimated by the comic stylings of Tina Fey and the writers at Saturday Night Live.
Kids playing soccer on St. Kitts (credit: TripAdvisor.com)I once personally saw comedy triumph over bullying, while on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts (sister island to Nevis, where Alexander Hamilton was born). A group of young men from the island began teasing their one heavy-set friend. He wasn’t obese, but unlike the others, he had a somewhat large pot belly. I forget all the mean things they were saying about his physique, but I vividly remember his response:
"I’m not fat,” he said, pointing at his own stomach, "This is my tool shed. I keep me tool in it!"
There was a moment of stunned silence, I think because it takes a second to mentally process how that could even work, anatomically. But then everyone burst out laughing. Their conversation quickly turned to something else, and they were all pals again.
I realize that being teased by friends for being chubby hardly fits the definition of actual bullying. And I am aware that bullying, say, of LGBT kids, or minorities, or people with disabilities, is the opposite of funny, and can even be deadly. But in the right situation — and I’m sure this will be helpful in the coming months — jokes can be a powerful weapon.
How about you? Have you ever used humor in self-defense (or witnessed it)?
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