Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for September 07, 2023

A coward’s words, Moe!

Consider it a lesson in Darwinism.

I’d have more sympathy for Calvin if he didn’t love to pelt Susie with snowballs.

In elementary school I was told if you stand up to a bully they’ll stop. At our school if you tried that you got creamed.

In third grade my mom told me the people who were razzing me about my glasses did it because they liked me. That made no sense to me, and it made me wonder about her.

I notice that Calvin is also too short to kick him where it hurts as well.

Probably the best proof that Hobbes doesn’t exist, other than in Calvin’s imagination, is that Calvin hasn’t sent him after this junior thug,

Poor Calvin. Too many Moe types around.

Size matters (sigh).

Calvin: Form your fingers into a goosebeak and - BAM!! Just behind the eye or the carotid artery. He’ll leave you alone after that…

The idea that abuse isn’t abuse was prorogated by teachers and administrators who didn’t want to be bothered or sometimes were afraid of the abuser or their parents, themselves. Either way, parents got fed that lie and passed it on to their kids (who knew better). Kids grew up with warped ideas of love and friendship (e.g. ‘He don’t beat me, he don’t love me’). Their kids became abusers and the cycle continues.

Some readers have unfairly compared Calvin to Donald Trump. Moe is actually more like Trump than Calvin is. It’s true that Calvin has a large ego like Trump but Moe shares Trump’s aggression much more than Calvin does.

I wonder if today, Moe would be arrested, charged with assault and battery, and tried as an adult. I certainly hope so!!

galoot: an awkward, eccentric, or foolish person.

As an elementary school teacher for 38 years, I would like to share a couple of observations on the topic of schoolyard bullies. As the above stories demonstrate, boy and girl bullies abuse their victims from different positions but for a similar reason: the feeling of power. In almost every case, it was impossible to break the cycle of the bullies’ behaviors. Some it turned out were bullied at home by adults or siblings. Some bullies did it for sadistic pleasure. For whatever reason, teachers and my school was not effective in changing their behavior other than expelling them. Until this one year. In March of that year, two students were added to my 5th grade class on the same day. They were welcomed by the class but they bonded with each other instead. Within that first week, I was getting complaints of theft, intimidation and punching from quite a few students. I took the two aside and spoke to them one on one and together. Didn’t matter. I called their parents. Didn’t matter. But instead of expelling them, which would turn them loose unsupervised in them neighborhood, I changed course. For three weeks, once a day, our two bullies and students had “How to Deal With Bullies” class. The bullies complained to their parents, who complained to the principal, who in turn said to me, “Good Work”. Their victims and the rest of my class learned three things to protect themselves when bullied, which wouldn’t result in them breaking the “no violence” rule. We role played, we traded places, and we learned to understand more about each other. What happened to the bullies? They quit beating up, intimidating and stealing from my students. I don’t think they wanted to sit through another class and have their secrets publicly exposed and discussed and watch others role play what the bullies looked and sounded liken to them.

My younger brother use to hit me frequently. Then came the day when his growth spurt kicked in. I said, “Guess what?” and punched him. “You’re big enough I can hit you.” End of problem.

Galoot. I haven’t heard that since the last time I passed through this arc. Not something you hear in songs much.

Galoot? Cal used hi time machine to back to 1930 for an insult

I have a daughter that has both mental and physical disabilities since birth. To say her school years were horrendous is an understatement. The kids, both genders, were merciless and the administration was disappointing. She attended a parochial school and I never expected the students to behave any better but I did expect the staff to do more to stop the bullying. They were very compassionate but ineffective. Kind of a “kids will be kids” kind of mentality. And it didn’t end after college graduation. Society in general can’t wait to tell those that are differently abled that they can’t do something. And then they act on that premise. Now she eliminates her exposure to the outside world so she can limit her exposure to bullying.

I don’t wonder for one second why some kids act violently at school . . .

The Bully hasn’t been expelled yet? Going to be a rough year for Calvin.

But Moe’s just “an assertive go-getter who can get results”, according to some people.

A lot of people have made careers out of this mindset.

Wonder why the thug has no eyes??:?

Moe just told you how to get him to leave you alone.

There was a decade when the pop psychology theme was that bullies became bullies because of poor self-esteem. A certain degree of bully-pampering was employed to build up their sense of self. There followed several decades of bullies who continued to bully through life but with remarkable self-esteem, which enabled them to justify their behavior to themselves.

(Rich people employed this method for years before it became popular. We even got a President out of it.)

Just what we need…more violence!

I was bullied in elementary school and was told by my teacher, a counsellor and the principal, “Deal with it yourself.” I did. Gave the bully a black eye, broken nose and knee, (broke and moved the knee cap and broke some cartilage). They gave me a week suspension. And he spent that week and more in hospital and after returning he and his minions left me alone. He was in a cast for the rest of the year as his knee had to heal. This was before the modern surgical techniques let one recover faster from knee surgery.

His nose was within striking range. Bullys tend to be cowards at heart, and a swift and hard hit somewhere vulnerable can teach them to back off. The throat would be even better, but it looks like it is beyond Calvin’s reach.

In the Flagstaff school system what Moe does to Calvin is not bullying. They are the same gender and he is not picking on Calvin because of his ethnicity or religious background. Carry on, Moe.

America is a violent country. Call it fake news or change it.

Proportional responses are going to keep bullied people out of hot water with staff in my experience. Unlike Bruce Lee 85 above crippling a kid for mussing you up some. Be willing to take a beating for one good shot to the nutz/throat/ear makes bullies go elsewhere next time….Just don’t miss. I spent my childhood as a bully beater, I would go out of my way to punk them in the middle of their crews to let them know they weren’t the Big Dog. Yes, staff LOVED bully beaters, I used that good will to get out of other trouble.

Speaking of someone his own size, has Moe ever met Miss Wormwood?

Bring on that feline sometime and show Moe someone of his size. Love to see mauled Moe

so bullies really are cowards