#noscience

So you know the whole thing where people say they got funny because they were the target of bullying? I was thinking about that just now and I wanted to explore an addendum. So in the scenario where it’s verbal bullying, and there’s onlookers, the bully says some awful thing, and everyone looks at the person being bullied for their reaction. In that moment, this person is thrust into a situation where they have an audience, perhaps for the first time. Maybe, just maybe, some people steer into that curve and try and win over the crowd by being better at repartee than the bully. They have an audience, and if they have a spark of talent, they can eventually get to a place where someone bullying them is the beginning of a performance. They then have a chance to redraw the power dynamic from one of an aggressor and defender into one where it is more even, all with the demonstration of their own socioverbal competence.