How do you deal with people who tease you?

[Deja Q]

Maybe it was a sin in my past life; my current one being a constant victim of teasing, without knowing the resolution, being punishment for something.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Ignore 'em.

People who tease other people are dickwads and don't deserve to be acknowledged.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. I kill them, I kill their families, I kill all their friends

and then I burn their house down.


I did that once in second grade and never got bothered again.

[Dave Reynolds]

10. Remind me

to never decorate my saloon with the body of one of your friends.

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. LOL!

:rofl:

Nicely said!

[sakabatou]

3. If they're physcially teasing me (such as pushing)

then out comes the shao-lin chuan fa.

[miss_american_pie]

4. Rise above it

:hug:

[Borgnine]

5. I curl up into a ball and tremble.

[Deja Q]

6. No need to do so.

Please reinstate what you had edited. :7

[Benfea]

7. I usually deflect it with self-deprecating humor

If you can make the jokes at your own expense outrageous enough and funny enough, their own teasing seems kinda lame by comparison. Eventually they get bored with having such an easy target.

[Deja Q]

12. Funny, that. I do that all the time...

and then it's the usual "you're selling yourself short" and "you're not that bad" (though it's written in a way that suggests you aren't entirely wrong in your conviction you are bad...)

"Humans. Always useless in the end."

[Dave Reynolds]

8. A small, sharp pointed stick

applied with vigor to the eyeball ends most forms of teasing.

[ZombieNixon]

9. Ignore them. Loudly.

Unless it's physical, in which case the Tae Kwon Do usually comes into play.

[Elidor]

13. Fuck them

Shuts them up every time.

[Giant Robot]

14. This is probably a lot more serious than you are giving

details about, I imagine. I don't want to downplay that with some easy advice. I respect the strength it takes to withstand that kind of assault. I would just leave you with this thought: people who tease you are doing it for a reason, most likely a reaction from you. Don't give them the reaction they want, and be consistent about it, and they will probably wander off looking for something else that will meet whatever need this fills. I hope it helps.

[HEyHEY]

15. Laugh my ass off

[adriennui]

16. what type of teasing

verbal or physical?

[Deja Q]

17. Yes. I shall not adumbrate a series of incidents.

It has already been brought to my attention it is not appropriate to do.

[eyepaddle]

18. I personally go all wise-ass on them, ask them if they had to take a

seminar to learn to be that cool, etc. When they take a shot at act as though it is OBVIOUS to everyone that it is impossible that they might think they actually scored one on you. Usually some statement to te effect of "now THAT was funny!" Or maybe, "Hey, nice one--you win this round Dr No." You could also try a question: "Was that a shot?"

You seem pretty well read and reasonably articulate, so just pretend you're Dennis Miller and throw references at them that you don't care that they get.

Granted this should work with teasing--not out and out harassment. That would be a different much more serious, and likely more intractable problem. However if the bullying is a REALLY established pattern, it might be tough to shake. In my own life I pretty much had to graduate from high school and leave town to get out of that rut.

After I filled out and got active, I now have the pleaant situation of rarely feeling physically threatened, we can't all be so lucky.

Good luck HypnoToad--even if you can't make 'em stop pivking on you--don't ever let them get so under your skin that you question your own worth.