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What Every Target of Workplace Bullying Needs to Know
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Bullies Rationalize Their Behavior

by Dividio
(PA)

This story took place about 20 years ago. I was working as a bus boy at a catering hall. It involved a fellow teenager named Gary who had a weird sense of humor, the eccentricities of which allowed me to attempt to ignore the bullying aspects. There was a tool which we used in the kitchen to extract butter from the large containers purchased by the catering hall. The tool happened to look very much as a device used to swat a fly (a plastic stick with a flap on the end.) I took it upon myself to comment "The first time I saw this, I thought it was a fly swatter."

After hearing this, Gary said to me "Come here." and then "Bend over." After I unwittingly followed these instructions, Gary hit me on the head with a pan and then said "That's what people around here get for saying something stupid." And I did not even retaliate to this asshole-like so-called rationalization.

Comments for Bullies Rationalize Their Behavior

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Bullies Feel Entitled to Abuse Others
by: Anton Hout

Bullies like to justify their bad behavior by blaming the target for the abuse. "You asked for it." or "You brought this on yourself." are common excuses of bullies. Good for you for not retaliating in kind but that was assault no matter how funny the bully thought it was.
To: Anton
by: Anonymous

I am sorry, but bullies don't rationalize their behaviour, that's precisely the problem.

For bullies, bullying is merely their way of affecting their environment.

Personally I believe that bullies never think about their actions, only that their actions have the desired affect, and they will do whatever it takes to have the desired affect, unfortunately for the target.

The bully I experienced had absolutely no remorse whatsoever, as a matter of fact, their behaviour was rewarded and sanctioned by management, how pathetic and sick is that... maybe you know some bullies that rationalize their behaviour, I don't.

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