[color=lime][b][u]Letters to Cripto: #57[/u][/b][/color] ----------- [i]Dear Cripto: Everybody talks about how you were bullied, but have you worried that you might have done some bullying yourself? I ask because I have a 12-year-old son that gets easily angered. I don't know yet, but I think he is autistic. Having read all eight volumes of your autobiography, I'm beginning to think my son is the same way. Why? His teacher sent me a note saying that he was angry at the other kids because they were being disrespectful to him, and the ones he said were bullying him proclaimed, "We are not the bullies! It's you!" He did let them have it. I disciplined him accordingly, but I also did what most moms should do in my opinion. I called the other kids' parents and let them know what was happening. (I hope that wasn't a mistake.) My son admitted to getting in a fight with one of the bullies, because the bully criticized him for wearing the wrong color of tennis shoes. (The bullies had white shoes; my son had blue tennis shoes. Why? Just like you, he's a big fan of Sonic the Hedgehog.) The bully's parents agreed that if he should so much even look at my son in the wrong manner one more time, they'd personally hand him over to me for as many demeaning menial chores as I see fit, for as long as I do. This may not have been the method your parents would have used, but that's how we agreed to settle this. My son handles loud noises better than you did at that age, but I don't say that to be disrespectful. He doesn't have a problem standing up for himself, but we're struggling to teach him that Jesus overruled the concept of "Eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," instead telling us to turn the other cheek. Unlike your case, my son wasn't giving the bullies reasons to bully him. They just see him as an easy target. He has, however, stated that he wants to settle the differences. In any case, I hope you're doing well, and I wanted you to know that my son looks up to you as a role model. Sincerely, Simone Platterson, age 41 (human being) Norfolk, VA, USA P.S. Though we live in the same hometown as Zachary Chandler, I don't think we knew him personally. Still, we see that more good than bad came out of his time as our dictator.[/i] ------------- Cripto's reply: [color=white][i]Dear Simone: No worries; I didn't take your comments as disrespectful. When I was that age, I did have my share of emotional breakdowns, meltdowns, and outbursts, and so I do look back on it in hindsight and wonder if it was bullying in a sense. I only had the outbursts in response to the others providing the factors (such as loud noise), and so I'd be the one to scream at them to shut up. And it always did the trick, even though I, too, was punished accordingly. I also felt that I should plead guilty to possible bullying when you consider the fact CNG tried to make me a carbon copy of Leo the Patriotic Lion, and we now see how it was controlling him like a puppet. In my case, it only lasted from when I was 14 until my 18th birthday, when I became a G-52 myself. But we both did have the period where whatever came out of our mouths was obeyed to the letter, or else there would be severe consequences for those who disobeyed us. However, as you correctly said, I did give them reasons to bully me, so the answer is yes. In my case, some of the kids bullied me because I wasn't into "Pokémon" like they were, but the motivation to bully me came from me going around preaching that its popularity meant it was the downfall of civilization as we knew it, and that the world was approaching its bitter apocalyptic end. Where did I get that notion? I have no idea. No doubt Satan was laughing his head off at it, though. I wasn't trying to fit in with the crowd. Well, I take it back; I did at first, but then I wanted the crowd to be exactly like me, and that doesn't work either. God made each and every one of us different for a reason; it would be so dull and boring if everybody was the same. It shouldn't surprise us to know that this is exactly what CNG wanted. I can tell you that my parents did have discussions with the other parents, but they wouldn't have done the method of calling them over the phone, and I don't think they would have had me do any menial chores. I'd have to check with them on that. But it does vary from parent to parent. If this is the method that solves the problem, then go for it. If it doesn't work out, we'll have to think of something else. I hope that answers the questions for you; if not, feel free to write back and let me know where I made a mistake. Let's keep in touch, anyway; I'm glad to hear that your son wants to make things right. Thanks for writing to me. Yours truly, Nathan Knight, a.k.a. CriptoCat (Cripto for short) Frontman for the rock band Furry Fury[/i][/color]