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March 10, 2004
A Sad Day for Oppressed Nerds Everywhere
It turns out that bullies really are much better off than the kids they beat up.
Those of you who were bullied as kids no doubt remember being told by your parents that the only reason people pick on you is because they have low self-esteem, and want to make themselves feel better by pounding the snot out of you. A new study in the journal Pediatrics shows that bullies really have no such self-image problems, and were pretty much just beating you up because it was funny. As the study's authors say, out of all of the children who were interviewed, "bullies were psychologically strongest and enjoyed high social standing among their classmates."
As much as these findings go against conventional wisdom, we have to say that we always had trouble seeing how the kids administering swirlies, wedgies, and purple nurples could have had self-confidence issues. It takes a very self-assured young person to put the face of another young person into a toilet.
"Bullying Among Young Adolescents: The Strong, the Weak, and the Troubled" (Pediatrics)
"Machiavelli for Twelve-Year Olds" (The Altlantic)
Posted by matt at March 10, 2004 12:38 PM
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