Nihilism, Smart Asses, Bullies and Sociopathic Behavior- And Brown Shirts thrown in for good measure.

Over the past year…. some things have changed.  I’ve watched these people insult, break apart, reform and still the basis for their ‘alliance’ is as rotten as ever. The good thing is this:  some of these people realized that their behavior online was seriously being criticized by more sane members of the community, and some of them have left.  However, these things come about because some people are just…well, they are insecure and followers of anything that seems ‘powerful’.  What they don’t realize is the power they are seeing in many of these individuals is seated deeply in a personality disorder: usually a pathology or extreme narcissism  For a while, this looks powerful and weak people want to exist in the shadow of power. Perhaps this is just the worse part of human nature?  But there is hope, because more and more people here in these communities have expressed their resolve to stay away from these sorts. In no way are they leaders. They are actually parasites. They are a major part of a bigger problem.  Atlanta has enough issues without this fermenting and spreading around.

Perhaps the worse offenders will move to the scrub pines of Florida.

Nihilism’s Corpse 

Nihilism is a deep-sea fish.

When it, in the form of language surfaces in the sea, it is already lifeless.  I detest its corpse like a dirty rag.  I hate it. 

—Nagase Kiyoko 

 (Nagase Kiyoko was a wonderful Japanese woman poet who died in 1995.  She is considered the “Grandmother” of women poets in Japan.  Many of us, not especially poets, but women who have regard for a woman who writes with such passion and sensibility, love her and her work.  I stumbled upon this poem in the dark and it exactly fit  this article.  Thank you, Grandmother Nagase)

I know calling any group today ‘Nazi’ is startling.  What happened here is a bit of the behavior of the development of the Brown Shirts in Germany in 1920’s and 30’s, of course  on a much more provincial scale.  These were the ‘lumpen’, in German, the broken, the bottom feeders of German society.  I use the term broken thinking of people who are not facing their own demons, but inflicting them on the population in general. Certainly an area like Atlanta has plenty of problems, but when the so-called intellectual class (or so they would seem to themselves) holds on to their own issues without examining them closely, we have ‘broken’ ideology leading. Or better, Nihilism which doesn’t go anywhere.

Recently I joined a local website, something called Capitol View Smart Asses.  I joined because I thought perhaps these folk would be active in the community, perhaps they had some energy. We face a lot of issues here; drugs, corruption, etc.  The usual for an urban area.

You know the old saying: “We have met the enemy and it is us?”

Things didn’t go well.  I had a meeting with a local woman about the corruption of our council representative.  That was informative, but when I gave a woman (neighbor) a sum up of our meeting, this woman immediately texted another woman in CVSA (unknown to me) with some interesting fabrications.  I didn’t realize that this woman was so mentally unbalanced.  I should have. Others have now told me she is extremely bi-polar.

What sort of group called itself “Smart Asses”?  A lot of people have asked this.  It’s made up of two connecting neighborhoods: the memebers of this site are  are middle class, middle aged and white.  Mostly.  They consider themselves the intellectual elite of the area.  But in actually, they are nothing but bullies and worse.  The original woman I met with about the council rep. tucked her tail and ran.  She said that “the n’hood had broken her.”  Apparently not so much because she was there on the website.  Some people have the moral integrity of dental floss.

What I experienced was mob mentality.  Only two of these ‘girls’ (can’t call them women because they haven’t the mental maturity of women) knew me, and frankly? I broke with them over a year ago. And these two ‘women’ were either drug dealers or heavy drug users. (anyone who breaks with this behavior is gossiped and marginalized by these two and the rest of the Smart Asses.  And since this area, these neighborhoods, have a huge drug problem, they are nothing but hypocrites and they are in no way a part of the solution to this problem. That they are white and consider themselves ‘leaders’ here is a serious part of the problem.  White privilege raises it’s ugly head again.) The rest?  Didn’t know me from Adam’s house cat.  Nor I them. But that didn’t stop their pack mentality. Of course there were some ‘leaders’ in this bully brigade, but they were the usual shit stirrers. And those I knew. They hadn’t improved.

It was educational, this wolf pack mentality of bullies.  And what was even more interesting was these women had lost their ability immediately to think independently.  They couldn’t. They were under the power of two women who had every reason to stir the mud.  Perhaps they were being fed lies, but they were too stupid to consider anything except what they wanted to hear.

Like the girls in high school, they exhibited a viciousness.  Something you would expect from some teens, but not from educated women.  As I said: they lost their ability to think for themselves.  Lynch mob mentality.  Many consider themselves (and the men in this group) as the ‘leaders’ of the community. This is especially frightening.

Over the last few years I have seen some of these same women fight, insult each other, break up and then reform. Thus it is with people who have their own emotional (and other) issues.  And it will continue to happen over and over.  They will not change short of a meteor hitting them on the head from outer space.  They don’t see what they are or do.  This is human behavior of the troublesome kind.  Many of us outgrow it.  These  folk haven’t.

Too late my friends and neighbors told me that this group was “stupid”, “mean”, “pointless”.  Yes, it was stupid and mean, but no, it was not pointless.  It was in a fundamental sense, they were stroking their own egos, but the point of it was to elevate themselves above everyone else in the community. In a way, it was funny or really sad, the snarliness of the people posting there. Any group that calls themselves Smart Asses has contempt for everyone else.  But they don’t amount to a hill of beans in the real world.  After only a few days on that website, it was clear that the leading philosophy was Nihilism.  And Nihilism only leads over the cliff.  That’s if you can get anyone to follow.

It is the philosophy of nothingness.

(And what does naming a group “Smart Ass” really mean?  Are they drawing attention to the hope that they are ‘smart’ or are they admitting that they are just ‘asses’?)

Internet trolls.  The internet is full of people who are bullies and they make their nests within these online groups. A few readings of CVSA showed clearly that these fools were nothing progressive, were not about anything that remotely relate to the broader community. They ‘wanted’ their own group to feel ‘superior’ to another group.  People who had left or refused to join saw what was going on and summed up they didn’t want to be part of this ‘bitchin’ group’.  It was going nowhere.

Later I was contacted by a person who read that site.  She was a psychologist. She read what happened and wanted to talk. What did I think?

We talked. What could I say? These people were corrupt, egotistical bullies, with their own demons of various kinds. That they were NOT teens was frightening. That some of them were parents was even more so.  Strong Narcissistic tendencies or behaviors in that group, both in the men and women, but that is to be expected from anyone calling themselves a ‘smart ass.’

She said she saw a lot of ‘sociopathic behavior’ on this site, and of course where there is this behavior, there are usually sociopaths.  I agree.  These people are just embarrassing, but more so, they are…collectively as a mob and individually, dangerous.  My neighbors checked them out and called them spoiled, little brats. They are bullies who probably will be raising bullies for the future.

Nothing changes until people throw off their hypocrisy and their own corruption. Then? Perhaps things will advance.  But this area has hit a brick wall because the personal corruption of people like these Not-So-Smart Asses. They hold this corruption close to their hearts.  It is their right.  Perhaps this is just human behavior, but certainly is not the best of it.  And, this area deserves the corruption these same people were complaining about with the council rep. Corruption stacked upon corruption.  What a bright future this area has. No wonder people have dropped out of activities here. It looks hopeless, and it is until something breaks.

(Note:  over the past year since I wrote this post, people have expressed their disgust with this group.  Those people who have done so have either become friends or were.  They knew a lot more about these folk than I did. And it is good to see that they can think independently and avoid these toxic people.  Our neighborhoods that are polluted with drugs, crime, corruption certainly don’t need these hypocrites.  Perhaps they will move to Florida.)

And about that pack mentality?  These groups of bullies?

Brown noses lead to Brown Shirts over time.  Hardly a progressive ideology for this area.  In fact, self serving and destructive for any area.  I think of these people as pre-runners of the Taliban. Weak, malleable people who in no way could be considered leaders of anything.

Jane Kohut-Bartels

Copyrighted, 2014

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

17 Responses to “Nihilism, Smart Asses, Bullies and Sociopathic Behavior- And Brown Shirts thrown in for good measure.”

  1. Yousei Hime Says:

    Reblogged this on Shiteki Na Usagi and commented:
    Have faith in the good in people but with eyes wide open.

    Like

  2. ladynyo Says:

    Agreed, Yousei!~ You nailed it. “Have faith in the good in people but with eyes wide open.” It’s sometimes the ‘good’ is so far down that you need a pickax to find it.

    And thank you for reblogging this on your blog: Shiteki Na Usagi.
    (tasmith1122.wordpress.com)

    It’s controversial but trolls and bullies have made the internet a rather ‘iffy’ place to be. However, when people step up and speak pass the bullies, others are strengthened to do right. If this had only happened to me, it would be just that. But after talking with people, there were others that either were driven away or left because of the behavior of these same people. We have enough trauma in this Atlanta area without the added crap of bullies. Learned a lot of lessons here, but I am still surprised at the ‘moral courage’ of people I thought knew better. They don’t. But others do and that balances the scales.

    Lady Nyo

    Like

  3. CZBZ Says:

    Contempt. What a give-away. Nothing speaks of arrogance more than contempt and disdain for others.

    I’m so sorry you’ve gone through a shocking experience like this, Jane. People who haven’t dealt with online harassment and bullying might not understand. It can be emotionally destabilizing and of course “mean women” know this which is why they do it. Have you read very much about “relational aggression”? This is a rich field for exploration into women-on-woman dynamics.

    It surprises me that they know one another in person, yet behave contemptuously towards members of their community. They aren’t hiding behind screennames the way most bullies do, so why aren’t there any public reprisals for their behavior? Isn’t Atlanta the seat of southern hospitality? Why is their behavior tolerated by the community?

    Sending you some love and gentle hugs today,
    CZ

    Like

  4. ladynyo Says:

    Hi CZ! I’m so glad you had a chance to read this…we’ve discussed this before, but I’m glad I finally cobbled the words together to address this publically. Gave me a sense of sociopathic behavior up close and too personal. But then again, I already knew this about some of these people. I should have listened to my friends and neighbors.

    You can’t find much in nihilists that is positive and uplifting. LOL!

    Yep, contempt and arrogance go hand in hand with Narcissism, neh? Actually, they are the guts of narcissism. (and also psychopathy)

    Ahh….I considered it for quite a while, and then decided to write about this publically. I was not the only one who was queered by the behavior of this group: and others talked to me why they left and why they never joined. Some left because of the behavior, that it was ‘mean spirited’ (surprise, surprise) but others didn’t join because they had an prior experince with some of the members. The behaviors of people ‘like this’ doesn’t change much. What to me is surprising is the herd- (as in cow) like behavior of these women …not only the two harpies who assumed leadership. And of course, the men here were more silent, but also caustic in their general comments. Perhaps they didn’t want to get into the middle of a ‘bitch fight’. Smart Ass indeed. (and you know more of the inners of this crap than I have posted in this article. I would talk to their mothers but one is dead and the other I don’t know. LOL!) It’s just depressing that middle-aged women act in such mob-like mentality. (See Brown Shirts history…) They were given evidence to the contrary, but they were gunning for me anyway. One waited over a year to do this: I should have seen it coming, but one always hopes these things don’t. What is sad is one woman who I didn’t know, and she didn’t know me, was just a shit stirrer and a liar. Sad, as she is also a mother. Bullies breeding more future bullies.

    No, I have done no studies on “relational aggression” or if I have, I don’t remember it. All the psychology courses are lumped together in prehistory. Like math, who would know it would become essential? But my husband tells me that there is NOTHING worse than a bunch of women in a pack. They don’t ‘fight’ like men…they mob. Well, live and learn. I will look into this relational aggression. Sounds right up this dark alley!

    Atlanta? Nah….Atlanta is a cultural bog. And this behavior isn’t necessarily tolerated, it’s just ignored by sane and decent folk. Like my neighbors who warned me too late not to join that cabal. I didn’t listen. I should have.

    What is good from all this, though, are the writers and other poets that I have known over the years that asked this morning if they could repost this article on their own blogs. That is remarkable to me and says that this issue isn’t isolated. As we both know it isn’t. It is something that permeates our society and destroys from within. And it is reflected in our schools with all the bullying. Jesus God!

    CZ, you have written some remarkable stuff about trolling, internet bullies and the consequences in our society. Keep writing, dear friend. We need more light shown on the bullies that exist amongst us.

    I’ll take those hugs!~

    Love, Jane

    Like

  5. TR Says:

    Hi LN, I have myself dealt with groups at school where this has gone out of control similar to this situation. My own views and beliefs and values were unknown to me for the beginning part of my adulthood. I think sometimes group think can be seductive. It gives one a false sense of belonging to something. I don’t understand the concepts behind group mentalities but I can well imagine the feeling of belonging that comes with it, I know that I have felt like this temporarily.
    It, as in your case, went too far as to attack people and leverage power in a community. When others get swept away in participating in cruel behaviours is something that is scary. I had this happen to me and through face and face and our digital community I found myself resigning from a post. It got too much.

    Groups like this lead to destruction of communities and is scary to think that this is orchestrated by one or two people. A downfall of a community – a sense of community and neighbourliness – can be done so with a few strokes of the keyboard is scary. xxTR

    Like

  6. ladynyo Says:

    Hi TR!
    I am so sorry that this has happened to you, too. But it’s part of a society that has bullies and trolls and narcissists in command. It’s especially frightening that these people are middle-aged: not teens as we would expect. And that some are parents points to the issues we have in schools with bullies. No resolve here.

    “It gives one a false sense of belonging to something.” Yep, you are right! I forgot that part when I was writing this entry, but had something a bit like that from an article before:

    The dynamics of pack mentality and the Role of Narcissists in a Group.

    1) Wounded people feel powerless, thus drawn to people who appear to be powerful. Some, many of these powerful people are actually Narcissists. (CZ’s blog)

    People who join groups like CVSA and others, join to feel part of a group. They want to belong to something. They want to contribute something of themselves to a group of people they want to know, to a ‘cause’ that interests them. It might be a political group, a group formed around an environmental issue or just about anything that draws people together in a local area.

    Our Beginning Encounter with Pathological Narcissists

    “ We may even feel safe; but their charismatic charm erodes with a kerplunk after engaging with them for awhile. Keith Campbell writes, “Narcissists may be confident, exciting, or charming at first, but their likability may fade over time as their grandiosity becomes apparent.” (Campbell 2002) Pathological narcissism manifests in social interactions, how that person relates to others. You may not see the pathology until there’s a conflict. Vulnerable people may be irreparably harmed when the person with a narcissistic personality turns on them, abusing their dignity and self-respect.” (from CZ article on Destructive Narcissism)

    Thunk. Head hitting the desk. I should have followed this thread more, but I was trying to compress these thoughts. However, CZ has done a remarkable job in writing about all things narcissistic for over 10 years. We all have learned so much from her own conflicts with online bloggers, sites. She has paved the way, along with CS and yourself. So much to learn, neh?

    Yep, this stuff can get too much, but there is much more at stake here than our own personal comfort. Our communities, our schools, and especially our children suffer…even unto suicide. These self-proclaimed ‘intellectual elite’ of these communities are no better than the lumpen they snear at in the streets.

    What was most amazing with this incident was the level these women fell to: not that they said such nasty things, but that they were unable to think independently for themselves. They were cows in a herd….following the ‘leaders’. This mind-compromise starts somewhere. And violence follows the herd. And that is in part why I referenced the Brown Shirts history in this entry. But they don’t have any idea what I am writing about. In many groups there are the (narcissistic) leaders and the more submissive followers. This proved true here. They can’t think for themselves because to do so might upset the applecart and turn the ire of these ‘leaders’ on them. So it goes.

    I am very thankful that so many writers and poets have written to me and asked if they can repost this article on their own blogs. Of course, because this isn’t an Atlantan issue, it’s around the world, and is reflected in the countries where this article is appearing. Hopefully it will strenghten the resolve of people who have faced these same things…as you have, TR.

    Your own experience points to the necessity for people to write about these things. Of course, I would much rather write about poetry, etc…but some times we can’t ignore these things that surround us in society. I am very grateful for my neighbors, my friends here in Capitol View, and for people who have become firm friends over the years on the internet. We can make a difference here as long as we don’t stick our heads in the sand. Or follow the herd.

    Many Hugs!

    Jane

    Like

  7. TR Says:

    Hahaha, I have you to thank! Thank you! I hadn’t sorted out this story from my past until I read this article. There is a lot for me to think about, together with CZ’s info. I put this group off to the side because I wasn’t understanding a lot of it. I know how I felt, alienated, attacked and hurt and angry but I couldn’t understand the dynamics that lead to these behaviours. xxTR

    Like

  8. ladynyo Says:

    Hey! It’s a process….LOL! We can’t understand it all in one bite! It takes a long time as we shift psychological concepts through our own experience. Yep, I know….that alienation. But like you wrote to me about apathy for certain individuals??? Alienation isn’t that bad in retrospect. Alienating ourselves from bad company (LOL! as in your blog title!) is a survival mechanism.

    I think we build and build and build until we make (suddenly…usually in the middle of the night where we drag ourselves to the computer and write) a breakthrough and things become clear. Or clearer.

    CZ has done so much in this clarity for me, as for others…You, too. Your blog has been not only informational, but inspirational.

    The dynamics are obscured until we make the connections….and then we build upon that.

    Hugs,
    Jane

    PS: I know that my dear Liz is going to knock me on the head for not seeing this shit with the CVSA before….Ouch!~ I can plead that my crystal ball is broken, but there IS a question of common sense! LOL!

    Like

  9. CZBZ Says:

    Liz may want to knock you on the head. Personally, I’d like to give you my squinty-eye-reprimand–the one that scares my kids even to this day. BUT, I shan’t do that because I end up in messes frequently enough to keep me writing. ha!

    It is NOT easy to find a group that’s interested in the same things as ourselves. That you would be drawn to an intellectual group is no surprise Maybe you were inclined to “overlook” a few warning signs because of your desire to talk about political issues in your community. That’s no surprise, either. We all do that–everyone but the most cynical person rationalizes or excuses things they don’t like when they want something. There isn’t any relationship or group out there that doesn’t trigger a few concerns (if the group appears too perfect, RUN). If you believe in yourself and your ability to impact the group for the better, accomplishing group goals, then of course you join the group and try. Now some people will run the other direction when they see a problem;; but some people run towards the problem because they believe they can help or even fix it.

    That’s how competent people of good will end up in abusive situations. How can you know a group is dysfunctional until you try to make a difference by participating? At least you knew it was time to Give Up and Get Out.

    I’m so glad that my articles about Online Narcissism have been useful. That “almost” makes my trials and tribulations worth it. I said “almost.” It is, without a doubt, a traumatic experience when nasty women gang up a scapegoat and alienate her from the community.

    Like

  10. ladynyo Says:

    Hah! You don’t scare me unless you throw in a twisted mouth and look like my mother, but I know you can’t ever do that! LOL!

    No, it is not easy to find a group that has interests we ourselves support or desire. But I should have thought this out further. These people really didn’t show much intellectualism: of course, I wasn’t there long enough to see any of that, but I should have considered the members: the ones I knew I knew were trouble already, and they were the biggest mouths. The ones I didn’t surprised me the most: they were so….mallable by these big mouths. One was given evidence but she didn’t consider squat. And these are the future leaders of our city? Bah. This is Nazi group-think at its most primitive. I should have listened to my neighbors who refused to join because they found this group ‘mean’. A bit more than mean, though. Toxic I think hits the nail.

    Yeah, how do you balance that running away and running towards something? It’s something we can’t really decide until we are in the line of fire. Well, time will tell, but these things usually don’t have a shelf-life very long. The dynamics of these people are impacted by their psychological profiles, and we all know what that means. LOL!

    Your articles about Online Narcissism (and all the attendent abuses and abusers) were points of light for me and many others. But I’m not really worried about these nasty woes alienating me from the community. These folk mostly have been here a few years, only one that I know for more than 10. I’ve been here, at this address, for over 40. And I know my neighbors, which is something that most of these folk are still trying to figure out how to approach. LOL! The community is broken up anyway, by so many issues and self-interests. It really begs the point how this whole thing started….a discussion about the self-serving opportunism of the local council member. She may be a thug, but at least there was only one of her.

    Well, I am thankful for you and so many others today. People are still re-posting this small article all over the world on their own blogs. That is not because my writing is so alluring, (it isn’t) but because they know the same issues themselves. As you have so clearly (and who can forget the 22 points of Narcissism???? Pack not only a lunch but a weeks worth of groceries and diapers….) written yourself: Trolls, bullies, internet issues are not going anywhere soon. We just have to keep shining a light on this shit. But I am so glad I found the feet to GET OUT. I am sure that there is someone in there, male or female that will feel shame someday. Maybe. Not about me, but about their participation in early training for Brown Shirts local. But these people don’t look too keen on history.

    And what is this crap about ‘selfies’???? This seems another avenue to our old friend “Narcissism”. It is especially interesting when the selfie taker keeps changing the pix. LOL! Saus something, but I haven’t figured it out yet.

    Like

  11. CZBZ Says:

    Oh, that’s good to know. I was worried about your relationships in the neighborhood. I’d hate for you to lose your discount at the antique store. 😉 Since you have strong relationships with people in Atlanta, you’ll fare better than someone without long-term and stable relationships.

    I have learned to sit back and watch a group interact with each other before leaping in with both feet. Online or off, that’s good advice. I also tell people who are interested in joining a forum, to watch people engage with one another for awhile. And most especially, watch for conflict and pay close attention to how it’s resolved (or escalated!). And of course, never join any group with “ass” in the title. ;-P

    I don’t know very much about the “lumpen” but what you’ve written makes sense. Enmeshing with the powerful gratifies the powerless. I’m curious about your comparisons to Hitler’s reign and will spend some time reading about it from a “psychological view.” Do you have any links to share or articles you’ve written?

    Like

  12. ladynyo Says:

    Nah…but I’m learning to stay away from crazy people and opportunists. LOL! Slow learner here. And my dear friend who owns the discount store knows all about this brohaha. I bought a samurai short sword from her while unloading my chest. LOL! Probably not as deadly as your 28 inch wooden spoon, though. LOL! My strongest relationships are with my black neighbors, actually. We have known each other for decades and we are family to most of them. They were the ones who warned me about the Asses.

    Yeah, I should have done that first….sat back and watched, but you can’t access the conversation without being vetted. I was, only because a woman wanted a referral to a plumber. LOL! She won’t make that mistake again.

    I knew that a couple of them were trouble, and I also heard the moans from people who had crossed paths with some of the men….they were pretty ugly. Actually, if any one knows about the Gorean websites that used to exist…the men sounded exactly like that! That should have warned me something.

    “And of course, never join any group with “ass” in the title. ;-P”

    Yeah, most important of all. LOL!

    Yeah, a criticism of the council rep was that she liked to rub up against power, but I saw this behavior with a number of people I knew there….especially one. And this comes from feeling powerless. If she wasn’t such a bitch, I would feel sympathy for her, with all her problems, and she does have them….but now? Nah.

    Enmeshing with the powerful gratifies the powerless…that is a good psychological explanation for the mob mentality of these people. They either are too lazy or stupid or submissive to go up against leadership that they will find in the future to be wanting. Ugh. And I thought poets were argumentive. LOL!

    Geez, I sent you that messy article I was working on which references the lumpen, but there isn’t much more. I think probably what impacted me most was a recent reading (and I ain’t finished) of “Rise and Fall of the Third Reich”. That has been the crucial research, and it’s mostly in the first 200 pages of this incredible book. The Brown Shirts were called such because there was a surplus of brown uniforms left over from WWI…so they were adopted by the S.A. Sturmabteilung..German for Storm Troopers. The book does a surprisingly good psychological profile on the Brown Shirts, but I didn’t find much more in the psychological vein about them on the internet. I am sure it’s there, perhaps google “the psychological basis of the Brown Shits, or something like that. But I really think this book so important for our generation to read….I am shocked at the ignorance by so many people our age or younger about WWII. And it can and probably will happen again in some form in some country….genecide isn’t rare behavior. We’ve seen it again and again in different countries, just not a world involved issue collectively.

    And of course, old Uncle Karl (Marx) says lots about the German lumpen….

    Liz is German, and left Bavaria right before Austria was invaded, the Anschluss. I’ll ask her husband because we exchange books to read. He’s a heavy on history and he would also know the best resources to find…especially with a psychological twang. I have been thinking of writing a short article about the lumpen and it’s relevancy to today in the US…but have not gotten very far. Haven’t been doing the concentrated research. But I’ll find more references….it’s a very relevant issue for today I believe. Think of the skin-heads.

    Like

  13. Caliban's Sister Says:

    Hi LN, I am so glad you put this out publicly on your own blog. It’s important for your readers to know what you went through. And of course I agree entirely that you really don’t want to be part of any group that calls themselves “Smart Asses.” It’s leftover playground mentality, no matter how old people are, whether they’re parents (gosh, parents behaving badly? who knew???) or not. I have learned that there are few fewer genuine “grown-ups” out there than I’d thought. Bullying, or hiding behind bullies, or enmeshing oneself with perceived ‘powerful’ people (bullying is false power), is so common. Many of us have experienced it in one way or another, and of course, first, at the hands of our FOOs. Pack mentalities bring out everyone’s latent neuroses, and strengthen the worst in people, as you know all too well. love CS

    ps one quibble: I didn’t pave the way for anyone. I follow only in the footsteps of other bloggers, notably CZBZ, Kathy Krajco, et al, and came late to the game. So thanks for the props, but I don’t belong in the “road paver” category. I belong in the “street sweeper,” center-line repainting category. xo

    Like

  14. ladynyo Says:

    Hi CS! “Left-over playground mentality”. LOL! You nailed it! Exactly…a GOOD way to think of these folk.

    I struggled for almost a month about doing this, putting it out publically. It was heavy and oppressive, but these trolls, bullies count of intimidation and silence. And as we are both writers, we know how this grates. Once I did, it was such a feeling of relief. We shouldn’t be cowed or silenced by these trolls, sociopaths, morons. And when we are, there is something very wrong. These people reflect the violence and behavior of what we have in our schools. There is no question that teens pick up the violence from their parents and spread it amongst peers.

    I’m gratified that people have picked up this small article and reposted it on their own blogs. I was especially surprised that poets of my acquaintance over the years from different blogs choose to do this. I think it reflects the current issue of this internet violence because that is just what it is. So many people are impacted by bullies and trolls on the internet.

    It was illustrative as to the psychology of pack mentality. What was surprising to me how QUICKLY these girls (can’t call them women, they have nothing of the behavior of women…) lost all ability to think independently. Maybe it is extreme to call these folk “Budding Brown Shirts” but any short reading of history brings this to mind. Sad.

    Yes, our struggles to find voice and independence from our FOOs, to deal with their narcissistic power games is the basis I believe to identifing these present bullies. Didn’t take long.

    “Bullying is false power”. Those are words to live by, but these women wouldn’t understand this.

    Ahh…I beg to disagree. Yes, CZBZ, Kathy Krajco, etc are all writers, women we are indebted too for their brilliant and far reaching work on these pathological issues, but you, dear friend, although we both came late to the game, have impacted me deeply with your own experience and work. I stand by this.

    Love, Jane

    Like

  15. Caliban's Sister Says:

    You are too too kind. As you impact me with your beautiful poetry, Jane. love back. CS

    Like

  16. ladynyo Says:

    the best thing about friends is when we find mutuality. (is that a word??)

    You have been so generous and supportive. Life is better because of people like you, CS.

    Love, Jane

    Like

  17. jello Says:

    cool blog

    Allen Solly Dresses For Girls
    http://www.trendin.com/allensolly/womens-dresses-18

    Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.