Walgenbach!

Mr.Walgenbach, Yes the Busisness Teacher.  What's so important about him?  Well he was not only a great teacher but the best teacher.  He can teach us anything we need to know about handling money, beginning a business, and even winning more money than professional investors.  Most teachers are not like him, so that makes him unique.  He is simply the best teacher we can have.

Lupe Aguirre, Ana Regalado & Jaqueline Rodriguez :)

Teen Pregnancy

                   Issues

• Financially
• School/Work
• Family
• Life
•  Teen Pregnancy can cause many problems . One of those problems is the money$$ . The money they use for themselves and for there new born . Money just doesn't grow on trees so work comes even harder . It my interfere with their studies . As a person who knows how it is to go through that must be hard and brave enough to keep and raise the child . Work isn't easy for anyone specially if theres a baby on the way and your just a teenager . Should of thought of that before right ? Well many kids didn't . Many stories around the world that many kids do it on purpose while others try there best to prevent it . Money Money Money is all that crosses there mind when it comes to needs .

   Another problem might be there families . Most teens have there families support while others don't . It must be hard living under the same roof with the mother/father of your child because your family didn't want you in . Or even harder if both teens don't have that support at all . Many others have the support and even more . They must live that good life even with a child . You just have to keep your head up and make the choice you think is the best one .


      Life , life is another problem . Many teens are not able to do what they want to because they have  child too soon in their life . Many girls have there room all decorated with stuff they enjoy and when they get pregnant it turns into a nursery room . It must suck . Other teens might enjoy taking care of there kid of course its there kid they pretty much have too , but of course there is a moment where they want to do other stuff and they cant . Teens be careful out there and remember the consequences there is to this . :)

Domestic Violence

Is Violence a serious  problem?

I believe it is.

Domestic abuse, also known as spousal abuse, occurs when one person in an intimate relationship or marriage tries to dominate and control the other person. Domestic abuse that includes physical violence is called domestic violence.

  

If you dealing with this there is help you can be a teen and have a domestic violence there's help  there are many, ways hear are some hot lines http://www.thehotline.org/

Just 2 Weeks Left of School!

My freshman year at  Bernstein has been an amazing year and can't be described in words.  Throughout this year it has brought its good and its bad.  But by year's end I have come to love this school.  I found and gained some new friends.  I specially gained one true friend.  She is my best friend now.  Sadly, I also lost some friends.  But it's all good.  I am so looking forward to the next couple of years.  I can feel that I am going to have an awesome year next school year.  And I would really recommend this school to incoming freshmen.  I seriously can't wait.  I also learned the ups and downs of this school.  After all, this is one of the best schools in Hollywood.  And I would like to give special thanks to Mr. Walgenbach for being good at what he teaches.

Jacqueline Rodriguez

Book Review by Lupe Aguirre: Rules for Writers by Diana Hacker

Rules for Writers written by Diana Hacker is an amazing writing handbook that helps college students or anyone who enjoys writing and wants to perfect his or her skill.  I love this book.  The examples are clear and relevant.  One example I really liked and learned from was the section on sentence building.  Ms. Hacker presents a sentence that is passable in everyday speech, but not so for those looking for greater precision in their writing.  See for yourself.  "When Gloria set the pitcher on the glass-topped table, it broke."  In personal conversation, that construction poses no problem.  But in print it might.  The problem with that sentence is that the placement of the pronoun "it" distracts subtly from clearly grasping its specific referent.  Does it refer to the pitcher or to the glass-topped table?  She rewrites the sentence to eliminate any doubt, which increases the readability and flow of her sentences.  "The pitcher broke when Gloria set it on the glass-topped table."  I found this book really useful.  I keep my copy close and use it whenever I write.  Used copies of Ms. Hacker's book are affordable.  Amazon sells them for $8.80 here. 

Lupe Aguirre

Homophobic Bullying?

It takes some courage to discuss certain, highly charged topics, like homophobic bullying, but we feel the topic is important enough and is worth the risk of ridicule and rebuke.  But it may also be to our credit that we are willing to raise the issue.  We feel it is worth it because we have observed some hostile attitudes that we'd like to address and increase understanding of, and ultimately provide peaceful solutions.  Having said that, we in no way want to change people's values.  Individuals have the absolute right to like, to dislike, and to be indifferent.  We welcome all responses. 

Some students at Bernstein are gay, while others, while most, are not.  A person's sexual preference is their own business.  But people judge; that’s what we do.  So when we see a personal action being expressed in public, we might be offended.  It’s not the sexuality that is offensive; it is the public display that may roil us.  That’s an important distinction to make.  But we all know that it is best to be as kind to people as we can in spite of our objections, however shaking they might be.  It is the degree to which a civilization demonstrates kindness, and not necessarily its technology, that is the hallmark of its civilized people and culture.  We at Dragon News prefer civilized words and actions.   

Many gays to avoid ridicule decide to keep their sexuality to themselves as do most people.  That's smart.  After all, our sexual preference is not something to be brandished about proudly; we didn't do or accomplish anything with it.  It makes no good sense to make that private part of our lives public.  You make personal things like that public and the public will destroy your private life.  So good for gays for refusing to make their private life the property of the public.  Everybody knows we live in a prejudiced world.  And why not?  Prejudice, after all, is economical.  Asking other people to think about someone else or any topic that they are not interested in requires too much effort.  Nobody cares, hopefully.  To ask or force someone to care invites its own problems.  Take our advice.  Keep it to yourself.  That won't hurt your career.   

My best friend happens to be gay.  It's your life, and although your enemies can tell you that you are wrong, you don't have to listen to them.  If you are getting bullied for your sexuality, you can find some help here.  We don't want anybody harming others or themselves.  Do not hurt yourself, please.  Someone else's prejudice is no reason to hurt yourself; they are not worthy of you being injured.  Though we read regrettably that some teenagers do hurt themselves, we must ask to what end?  In the United States, we take this issue seriously, because more than 30 out of 50 die because of bullying that makes other feel bad about their sexuality.  The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention recommends that school officials take suicide threats seriously.  They've found that seventy-five percent of all suicide victims give some warning of their intentions to a friend or family member.  The American Suicide Center does provide help.  If you feel you want some help, we encourage you to contact them.  Being called an agreed-upon nickname by our friends is acceptable; they are our friends.  Even if they call us what to others sounds derogatory.  It's not the name that hurts, it's the intention.  Among boys who are friends, if one calls the other a fag it is done in playful teasing.  But if a stranger calls someone a “fag” it is done to provoke, humiliate, and hurt.  That's when it is wrong.   It's not about being gay, it's about someone trying to hurt.  I recommend that you just be yourself.  If you’re being harassed, it may be good to let someone know—a friend, a parent, a relative.  If family and friends are not sympathetic, you may want to consider contacting one of these helpful resources.   A friend suggested this thoughtful video.  Let me know what you think. 

www.teenlineonline.org/ 
www.thetrevorproject.org 
suicidehotlines.com/national.html

Count Down!

Wow, this year went by so fast.  I remember my first day in September, 2010 like it was yesterday.  As I stepped on this large new campus I remember how excited I was.  The structure seemed to rise high into the sky, much larger than any school I had previously attended.  It seemed to accentuate the space above me, bringing into focus the bluest sky.  The view from the cafeteria of KTLA, the Hollywood sign perched atop the Hollywood Hills, and Hollywood itself made me feel privileged.  In the months leading up to my arrival, I would study the facade of the school through my car window as my dad drove past and be amazed by the perfection assembled with brick, concrete, glass, and steel.  The sleek design of the school intrigued me.  Looking back, my 9th-grade year has been an amazing one.  I've laughed out loud, enjoyed some delicious ironies, endured a few terrible moments, survived disappointments, but intensely enjoyed several funny moments.  Taken together, I have enjoyed every minute of my time at this school.  I feel lucky to have been able to see with my own eyes and greet the cast of Glee.  I'm so thankful I chose this school.  This school has an amazing learning environment, it has patient and smart teachers, and the comfortable campus itself encourages and challenges me to learn more.  I love all of it.  The teachers at Bernstein take their time and make a conscientious effort to teach you; not like other schools where teachers show up in the classroom just because it's their job.  When you don't understand a specific task or subject, our teachers will make the time to help you.  I am looking forward to three more good years here at Bernstein High School.  I love it.

Lupe Aguirre

Spotlight On: The Talented Danny Regalado

We were really fortunate to get this interview of Danny Regalado.  In fact, it may not have taken place without our excellent connection of Ana Regalado . . . yes, Danny's younger sister.  His sister Ana is a contributing member of the Dragon News staff.  It was she who conducted the interview, first in person and then followed up via text.  Danny is one of the many talented students here at Bernstein.  We continue to shake our heads at the amount of talent and at the level of talent that walks the grounds at Bernstein High School.  Here is what Danny shared with us: 
Ana:      Where do you see yourself in 5 years ? 
Danny:  "I see myself playing about 10 different instruments and becoming a professional chef."

Ana:       How are you preparing yourself for school ?
Danny:   "I prepare myself by going over old work.  I keep on task in everything I do in school.  I am prepared enough to attend college."

Ana:       How do you feel when you're on stage ?
Danny:   "I feel like it is me.  I can be myself doing what I love, being on stage and doing singing."

Ana:       What are you trying to express when you're singing?
Danny:    "I express my feelings with the lyrics of the music.  I try acting it out, not singing but I act."

Ana:        How do you want people to remember you?
Danny:    "I don't know.  I want people to remember me as the kid that dresses funny and nice."

My interview was brief but it is good to have some reflections from this talented young man.  If you have not heard Danny sing and haven't seen him perform, you should.  You can see a few of his performances here, here, and here.

 Ana Regaldo

Bernstein Artists Featured

A great, big thanks to Ms. Prang for linking the House of Blues' "Drawing Us Together Visual Arts Exhibit" where you can check out the talents of senior Michael Gaytan and Nichari Tang.  Open up the link and put the cursor over the particular art work to locate the artist.  A lot of great work here, and lots of great talent at Bernstein High School.  Go Dragons!  Go Michael!  Go Nichari!

I was lucky to be granted permission to interview Michael Gaytan.  The interview consisted of a series of questions that I wrote down, and he was gracious enough to answer them.  Here is what he felt comfortable sharing with me.  

1.  Your work was entered in a Los Angeles competition and selected to be featured at the House of Blues.  How did you feel about having your work featured there?  
Michael:  "Honestly, I felt great about it.  It made me feel good because people were looking at my art and liking it, too.  It made me feel like if I accomplished something."

2.  Your painting is interesting.  It is really busy and a lot of fun to look at.  Could you elaborate on its meaning?
Michael:  "There's not really a meaning to it.  The theme was 'Hollywood and Music,' so I just painted random things that reminded me of Hollywood and Music."

3.  How long did it take you to complete?
Michael:  "Like two days.  I wish I would've worked on it some more though."

4.  Who are your artistic influences?
Michael:  "My artistic influences are street artists, like Bansky, Shepard Fairy, El Mac, and pop-artists like Andy Warhol, and many more.

5.  How much time do you generally devote to painting each week?
Michael:  "Not a much as I want to.  I haven't been painting much because of school and friends.  I paint on the weekends if I am in the mood or have nothing else to do."

6.  Do you work with other artistic mediums besides oil paints?  Which is your favorite?
Michael:  "I don't like working with oil paints much because they're more of a hassle.  I prefer acrylic paint, and that's pretty much all I work with--acrylic paint and paint markers."

7.  Your work is quite good.  Have you ever offered to sell any of it?
Michael:  "Thank you.  Yes, I have tried selling it to friends and family or people who were interested in buying it."

8.  Do you have a website with photos of your work online for others to consider, maybe to purchase?
Michael:  "I have a blog that I share with my friend, Bryan Garcia, at http://yoproductions.wordpress.com.  It doesn't have all of my work, but it has the clothes I sell and my character that I came up with."  

Spotlight On: Daniel Pimentel

 Daniel Pimentel is a senior in his final semester at Helen Bernstein High School and is a favorite student among his peers and with his teachers.  Though he began high school at Fairfax High and found it a bit challenging to switch as a junior, in retrospect he feels quite lucky to have studied with Bernstein teachers, expressing particular admiration and gratitude toward Ms. Aclufi, his AP Psychology teacher, and Mr. Chomko, his Physics teacher.  I, Ana Regalado, interviewed him on Monday, May 23, 2011.  Here is what he shared with me.
   
Ana:     Where do you see yourself in five years?
Daniel:  Graduating from UCLA.

Ana:     What courses in college are you looking forward to?
Daniel:  Physics or psychology.

Ana:     How has your experience in high school been?
Daniel:  My experience in high school started at Fairfax High School.  That was originally the school I belonged to for the first three years.  I started at Bernstein High School this year as a senior and at first I didn't know what to think because being new at an unknown school seemed somehow frightening, but now I can easily say that moving to this school was one of the best decisions of my life.

Ana:     How do you want people to remember you?
Daniel:  I just want my teachers and all of the students who knew me to remember me as the guy who always knew the answer to every question that most people just wouldn't know the answer to.  I am sure that my Physics teacher, Mr. Chomko, would agree to this.

Ana:     What do you hope for in the future?
Daniel:  Well, this upcoming year I am moving to Northridge to go to college and around two years from then I hope to transfer from there to either UCLA or to UC Berkeley.  If I get accepted to UC Berkeley, I would like to become a lawyer.  If on the other hand, I don't get into UC Berkeley, then I will just go to UCLA and study either Psychology or Physics.

Feeling Bullied?

To Be or Not To Be Bullied?
If we are ever bitten by a snake, you don't ask, "Dear snake, why do you bite me?"  You'll never get satisfying answers from the snake because the snake would rather lull you with its colors and it silky movements.   The snake will never give you insights into its character.  It can't.  But others talking about that snake can.  When we come upon a coral snake, it is be well-advised to learn the saying "Red and black, friend of Jack; red and yellow, kill a fellow."  This phrase helps us distinguish between poisonous coral snakes and their counterfeits.  Snakes bite.  That's what they do.  Asking "Why?" in a threatening context is no help.  Regrettably, we may face threats and potential harm from individuals or a group of individuals.  If we are attacked by someone, asking "Why?" afterwards helps to provide some insight on motive.  Understanding motive post-assault helps to understand what happened and helps to judge a perpetrator.  But during an imminent threat, you ask "What is it?" or "How do I remove myself from this threat?"  These are useful and actionable questions.  Bullying is a snake of many different stripes and colors.

To defend ourselves against bullying, we need to identify the threat, assess the risk for staying, and then act on that evaluation quickly.  If we hear a rattle walking on a trail in the desert or in the mountains, we stop and find another path.  With some poisonous snakes, we get a warning.  We can minimize the threat within minutes.  But with people, particularly those with whom we are forced to work, managing the threat involves more decisions outside of our own authority.

None of us need a definition of bullying.  That's for legal haggling.  We know when we are threatened and we know when we are loved.  An action, gesture, or word gives us all the information that we need.  If someone threatens violence against us in public, odds are that that threat was for show.  But since one can never completely tell, it is wise to let authorities who know threats and who deal with threats what happened.  If a threat goes under the radar, that can be more insidious and threatening because it is something that has to be endured.  Harder to prove because there are no witnesses except for yourself and your aggressor.      

Individuals bully.  Groups bully.  Do institutions bully?  Unfortunately, yes.  Teach your child not to be a victim.  But bullying  But don't we endure mild forms of bullying almost on a daily basis, when we're asked to go here and not here.  Told to do this and not that?  Instruction sometimes is colored by a kind of force that does not and should not reach the meanness of bullying.  Force is force is force.  The results of education and edification are joy and enlightenment.  We know that; we all know this.  But there is a difference to education, which we achieve almost anywhere and schooling, which the state seems to have a monopoly on.  Schooling is a form of education; it is perhaps that part of public education we prefer to do without.

so for those few cynics that believe that education is forced , a force that might be necessary for edification.  So what then is the difference between the compulsory nature of schooling and the malicious nature that we associate with bullying?  Intention is the criterium for most illegal or criminal acts.  So is it with bullying.  The intention to bully or harass has to proven in order to convict someone of that crime.  But bullying takes on many faces.  Sometimes teasing and light-hearted haThe answer is repetition and intention.  Dr. Valeri Besag's book Bullies and Victims in School is referenced at Wikipedia, where her definition of bullying is offered as "an act of repeated aggressive behavior in order to intentionally hurt another person, physically or mentally.  Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person."  Okay, the key words in that definition are "repeated aggressive behavior . . . to intentionally hurt another person."  According to Dr. Besag, for an action to be bullying it has to be repeated and aggressive and intentionally done to hurt another person.  A single incident of aggressive behavior might be the result of a bad day, where the aggressor feels in review contrite or embarrassed for acting in such a way and he or she pursues more respectful and dignified exchanges in the future.  We should allow Los Angeles Unified School District to weigh in on this subject, for it has its own definition of bullying.  Bulletin 5212.0 defines bullying as ". . . a comprehensive term that describes the deliberate antagonistic action or creation of a situation with the intent of inflicting emotional, physical, or psychological distress. The behavior may be a single or repeated act and may be electronic, indirect, non-verbal, psychological, sexual, social, physical, or verbal."  The difference so far between Dr. Besag and LAUSD is that for an action to be bullying, it does not have to be repeated.  It can be a single, isolated action.  That is a low-tolerance position.

Bullying is wrong.  Nobody approves of it.  We think, "Hey, I know bullying is wrong.  I certainly don't bully," which may be true.  But sometimes when we stop and think and realize that "Hey . . . you know . . . what I did back there was a bit cruel."  Opinions speak for themselves, and opinions of ourselves tend to speak well of us.  Contrary to popular belief, facts do not speak for themselves.  We do something offensive or untoward and it is like lightning when someone informs us, "Hey, what you did was wrong."  It's the realization of our deeds that must pierce the bubble in which we protect ourselves.  We need to stop and assess and realize that, hey, we're not so wonderful all the time, that we do make mistakes.  We are capable of hurting people.  "I hurt people!  Impossible!  I'm the nicest person in the world.  I never hurt anyone.  I mind my own business."  That's an important distinction: hurting people unintentionally is not bullying.  It is also the popular alibi used by bullies, "I didn't mean to . . . ."  Bullying is intentional.  A bully will use situations of powerlessness to hurt, to limit, or otherwise make someone feel bad about their situation.

Okay, so we know that bullying is intentional.  We know that we're capable of it, but how do we stop it?  Reporting a bullying incident is done after the fact.  Someone has already been hurt.  But maybe there is an underlying fact about schools themselves that makes bullying the norm rather than an aberration that rises and falls in frequency due to the absence of enforcing officers.  Some, like Roland Meighan, assert that schools are themselves a bullying institution.  He argues that "In a democracy, nobody is supposed to be detained against their will unless they have committed an offense.  So what is the offense that children have committed to justify detention?  It would appear to be that their "offense" is that they are young."  Here, Meighan elucidates that compulsory education is itself a bullying institution, and being such should not surprise anyone of the frequency and intensity of a passively-endured violent environment in which kids grow up in.  That is one heck of an indictment.  Meighan, you should know, is a proponent of home-schooling.


  
Taken seriously, it is the effects of bullying that are terrible.  People are made to feel so bad that they are liable to hurt themselves.  Individuals have to be strong but not all are.  Some young people are vulnerable; they feel bad often.  Bullying that degrades good and happy feelings can make a person hurt themselves.  Suicides, although rare, can result from a bullying incident.



What drives bullying is a desire to control the people in one's environment.  Controlling one's environment in school is a challenge.  For so much of a student's and an adult's environment is controlled by others, people we don't know or worse by people we don't like or worse yet people with contradictory interests.  Look at all of the things that are taken out of our control:  We are told WHEN to start school.  We are told WHEN we can have lunch.  We have to ASK FOR PERMISSION for the biological need to go to the bathroom.  We are told WHEN we can leave a classroom and WHEN we can leave the school.  We are told WHAT we are to study.  We are told WHAT constitutes academic success.  So much of our day is controlled by others or by an impersonal system for which no one wants to take credit or to hold to account, a system that benefits only those in power who are so removed from my life and what is important to me.  The only thing that we do have control over are our words, our actions, and our bodies.  And within this institution, we are told reminded how proud and what a privilege it is to attend such an institution.  Proud to be a slave?  Privileged to told what to do by someone else?  Why do people endure this?  Herd mentality, a case where everybody else is doing it?  Tradition, a case where everybody else, including my parents, has gone to high school?  Why is it that those who drop out and are independent are perceived as losers or failures?  Are we as a society that afraid of freedom that we have to stigmatize and demonize those who take their own path in life?  I thought that this country was built on independence?

In school, being with people perceived as fun, smart, and cool is what we all want.  We want exciting, beautiful, and smart people in our lives.  But people have preferences.  And once we have Bullying comes in many forms.  Physical and verbal abuse we are all aware of.  Coercion, too, we understand to be a form of bullying.  But there are subtler forms, like quietly excluding one person from a group.  Being excluded feels crummy, particularly when there is tacit agreement through silence from the rest of the group.  But by the same token, every individual has the right to associate with whom they prefer.  We don't have to like everybody, nor does everybody have to like us.  The heart knows what it wants, and if someone prefers someone else over us then so be it.  It doesn't feel good.  Again, it is the intention of being excluded.  If a group is intentionally excluding one person because they all do not like him or like her, then that is an act of bullying.  It is deliberate and willful exclusion to humiliate and embarrass.  And that is exactly how you can determine the intention: review the effect of someone else's actions on you.  But be careful.  Most people are not out to harm us.  They may not live up to the promises or expectations of being a friend.  Disappointment is a recurring part of life.  People and things which don't disappoint we are absolutely delighted by.


The Power of Bullying is all in its Effects

What is the effect of bullying?  Fear, helplessness, powerlessness.  
Bullying is when one person threatens another person whether within a group or around their peers.  Anyone can be a bully.  Bullying occurs at good schools as well as bad schools.  Bullying can be carried out in different ways.  Physical bulling might be in the form of pushing, hitting, or shoving someone.  A threat can be conveyed by words in the form of threats and rumor-mongering.  Giving someone a look or the evil eye is a form of non-verbal bullying.  When your friends are gossiping at lunch about at girl, or commenting on what you are wearing.combined with looks of disgust are all a form of bullying.  People usually bully someone because someone looks different or is different.  For some bullies, it is gratifying to target the weak or someone young and in a grade smaller than them.

A bully bullies because he can.  The humiliation of another enlarges the bully in his own mind (and there only). He picks his victims purely on the basis of risk. That is, the lower the risk to himself the easier the target.  Bullies are the proverbial chicken-hawk.  Though this may provoke some, the bully is essentially a coward. 


How Does One Answer The Bully?
The answer with childhood and school-yard bullying isn’t litigation or bureaucratic intervention.  No, it's plain old self-defense.  The easiest way to back down a bully is good right cross to the nose, and that’s exactly what I’d tell my own kid.  One shot and he won’t be bothered again. Very laissez-faire I think. Once a bully perceives a risk to his own life and property, i.e., his body, and well-being, he will change his ways.

What interests me most, however, is not the psychology of bullies–there are many reasons some people choose to be thugs, and as they are not excuses, they are not that interesting to me–nor techniques for self-defense, but why libertarians don’t see bullying as aggression. Surely, you wouldn’t say, to women, that “the answer” to rape is self-defense? Surely, they should defend htemselves if they have to, but far better to prevent it and if they do it, you arrest and hang ‘em. Why does a bully get away with it?
In my view, if a kid bullies, he ought to–quite literally–be arrested and imprisoned for a time, and punished with severe pain. And if he does it again, he should be imprisoned for a long time, if not ejected from society. I am quite serious. They are criminals, pure and simple. There is no excuse for it.
Bullying is a problem.  We're all aware of it, perhaps been a victim of it, and yet even done to someone less vulnerable than ourselves.  It one person taking advantage to intimidate, scare, and otherwise belittle another.  What is bullying exactly?  Bullying is not good-humored teasing or kidding another person.  Bullying involves a threat of physical harm, perceived or actual.  Bullies are created not born.  Situations create them.  The strong prey on the weak and vulnerable.  The weak know their role--endure the abuse. 

If It Is Prohibited, Why Does Bullying Persist?
That's a good question.  Lew Rockwell, of LRC.com and an advocate of home-schooling, claims that bullying is due to the creation of a "kid culture, [one that is] separate from parents and other family members, encourages this sort of evil."


To What Is Bullying Attributable?
Scores of theories for why kids bully have been expounded.  
The Educational Heretics Press out of Nottingham, England claims that schools in the United Kingdom have aggressive inspectorates, adults who discipline and bully students into compliance and conformity with school rules.  Students observe this and learn that one can get what they want if they bully.  Bullying by adults gets masked as discipline.  Some forms of bullying are legitimate, while others are forbidden.  The staff writer continues his damning indictment of bullying as persecution, "The unwritten, but powerful message of this package, is adults get their way by bullying.  There are at least three types of outcome to this model of schooling. The 'successful' pupils grow up to be officially sanctioned bullies in dominant authority positions as assertive politicians, doctors, teachers, civil servants, journalists and the like, and start their own career as persecutors."

So it appears that bullying has a context.  It does not occur in a vacuum.  Turns out that the compulsory nature of school contributes to the bullying mindset.  Nazis culled individuals who were raised in abusive environments, either at school or home.  It was easier for them to be desensitized to violence.  In fact, observing someone else's abuse and torture provided a level of entertainment and catharsis.  Horrible. 



What To Do If Someone Bullies You
If someone's aggressive behavior scares you, try not to show fear.  Seeing fear in a victim's eyes satisfies and activates an aggressor.  If an aggressor repeats a non-life threatening action with, tell an adult.  All action and each decision we make involves risk.  But each situation has different risks.  Sometimes the risk to self is high; other times it is low, where almost nothing will or could happen.  You've got to assess risk all the time.  When an aggressor attacks you to hurt you, you should already have gauged the risk of being hurt by that person as well gauged the risk of defending yourself.  If an aggressor hits you to injure you, you have the right to defend yourself on the spot.  Just assess the risk.  Bullies, too, gauge the risk.  They do not bully unless the risk of getting caught or the risk of harm is low.  Bullies, as has been noted, are not courageous individuals; they calculate risk.