My favorite grouphug.us entry of the day:
Last august I was coming home from my summer job on the subway in the afternoon rush hour. There was this kid, about 13, near me in the crowded car. He was getting verbally bullied by these two young punk kids who were a bit older than he was. He was staring at the floor, terrified, while this one kid was up in his face making fun of him. NO-ONE on the subway was doing fuck all about it, even though there were adults all around. Everyone was afraid to make the first move.
I stood there watching this for 5 stops and didn't do anything about it either. The only thing I did do was pat him on the shoulder when I was getting off the subway and say, "don't let these assholes get you down, kid." This was a cowardly cop-out on my part. The doors were about to shut, so I didn't have to confront the punk kids. I should have stepped right in. When I was that kid's age I was bullied alot -- in fact the kid looked just like me, he was even wearing the same clothes as I used to, right down to same faded, tapered jeans and a beat-up baseball cap (same team, same design).
My life has gotten way better since then. I was the nerdy guy who changed radically in university. That August I was 20, and 6'3''. I was the tallest person near the kid. I was probably the strongest too. I should have taken charge, it would have been easy to intimidate those punks. I wish I had gone right up to the punk doing the bullying and said "Guess what? You're getting off at the next station." I could have changed that kid's life by showing some courage and sticking up for him.
I remembered this all in a dream I had last night. In it I kicked the two punks off the train, and the kid started crying because he was so relieved, and I got off with him at the station after that, sat down on a bench
and we had a long talk. I told him about how I used to be in his shoes, about how he wouldn't be bullied and lonely forever. I wish so much this had happened in real life. The fact that the kid reminded me so much of
where I used to be, and that I was the person in the subway car everyone else was looking to to take charge of the situation, couldn't have been a coincidence. I feel like this was some test set up by a higher power that I failed. I hope I get a second chance.
Last august I was coming home from my summer job on the subway in the afternoon rush hour. There was this kid, about 13, near me in the crowded car. He was getting verbally bullied by these two young punk kids who were a bit older than he was. He was staring at the floor, terrified, while this one kid was up in his face making fun of him. NO-ONE on the subway was doing fuck all about it, even though there were adults all around. Everyone was afraid to make the first move.
I stood there watching this for 5 stops and didn't do anything about it either. The only thing I did do was pat him on the shoulder when I was getting off the subway and say, "don't let these assholes get you down, kid." This was a cowardly cop-out on my part. The doors were about to shut, so I didn't have to confront the punk kids. I should have stepped right in. When I was that kid's age I was bullied alot -- in fact the kid looked just like me, he was even wearing the same clothes as I used to, right down to same faded, tapered jeans and a beat-up baseball cap (same team, same design).
My life has gotten way better since then. I was the nerdy guy who changed radically in university. That August I was 20, and 6'3''. I was the tallest person near the kid. I was probably the strongest too. I should have taken charge, it would have been easy to intimidate those punks. I wish I had gone right up to the punk doing the bullying and said "Guess what? You're getting off at the next station." I could have changed that kid's life by showing some courage and sticking up for him.
I remembered this all in a dream I had last night. In it I kicked the two punks off the train, and the kid started crying because he was so relieved, and I got off with him at the station after that, sat down on a bench
and we had a long talk. I told him about how I used to be in his shoes, about how he wouldn't be bullied and lonely forever. I wish so much this had happened in real life. The fact that the kid reminded me so much of
where I used to be, and that I was the person in the subway car everyone else was looking to to take charge of the situation, couldn't have been a coincidence. I feel like this was some test set up by a higher power that I failed. I hope I get a second chance.
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I can't remember seeing one like this.