I wouldn't advise telling them anything I might advise

No, but in seriousness, my advice is to have a discussion with them via voice. Put nothing in writing. Even if you aren't rude, they may gode you into crossing a line by being how they are. And in my experience you'll get punished for telling them off whereas they will somehow never be punished for being a jerk.

Then again maybe that's because trolls are way more likely to report you than you are them.

Put nothing in writing.

I think this very wise counsel, and I will follow it. Thanks OBJ 🙂

I realize my answer is pretty shady but it's good advice nonetheless. I was grinding for emp years ago and someone boosted past me. I didn't say crap to them about it... They just saw my name on the leaderboard and decided to message me. Told me basically they'd let me have emp if I gave them 1 million gold. I told them EXACTLY what I thought of boosters and what they could do with their Emp title. I got comms banned for like a week.

And I get it-- times have changed-- everybody is supposed to turn the other cheek or whatever these days. I was raised in a little more "stand up to bullies," generation and, sadly, I don't think I learned the lesson they wanted me to learn.

What I learned is don't put it in writing.

I would argue what they wanted was a million gold and I certainly didn't give that to them. So they went without my lunch money, as it were. And what happened, in this comparison, was that the teacher yelled at me.

The thing is people that know how to stand up to bullies are also people who can recognize and stand up to unjust authority. When someone tries to take my lunch money, and I cuss them out, and then the teacher yells at the cusser instead of the THIEF... Yeah...

I'm afraid that is where this comparison needs to end. Because while children can't necessarily be trusted to properly identify injustice OR tell the truth, and therefore aren't allowed to 'fight back,' in a school environment... Adults should be granted more leeway.

The problem is that since this is a video game we have to play by school rules. And I do get it-- really-- I can deal. That doesn't make it right. There is a difference between cussing at someone and stealing. And there is a difference between being the aggressor and being the defender.

While you may think my lashing out equates to crying I would argue that anger is not the same as sadness. Both are "bad" emotions that none of us like and take an unwelcome residence in society. But extreme sadness is often paralyzing and best appropriated to situations where there is nothing to be done-- such as a relative dying. Anger can be a source of bravery and a catalyst for change, when allowed.

But again-- just different philosophies. Maybe the difference is generational. Or maybe it's just that I'm ex-Army. I have a strong sense of right and wrong and a willingness to fight.

Believe me I'm not suggesting violence is a good thing. But people who say violence is NEVER the answer, I suppose, just haven't experienced the FULL spectrum of life. Bullies, Nazis, Slaveowners, Terrorists, lions and tigers and bears oh my!

The fact that I received punitive action doesn't effect my opinion at all. Nor would I think the "bad guys," had been right if they had won the war. Who wins has nothing to do with who is right. In fact I would argue that fighting back is only appropriate if you have considered what happens if you lose and are willing to pay that price. Being willing to suffer is actually a good way to test whether or not your beliefs are justified. Sort've a "put your money where your mouth is," thing.

BUT. I'm not saying war is like what happened to me. Nor is having my lunch money taken at school. But there can still be parallels.

And one thing is for certain-- once you've been to war, crying is no longer your response to bullies. So you can call what I did crying if you want... Or perhaps even what I'm doing now is crying under a certain connotation. But by literal definition that isn't what I did at all. Nor did I hand them my lunch money.

I decided I'd rather not have Emp at all than be extorted. And I told them quite colorfully what I think of cheaters. And I was punished for telling them what I told them. But I suffered with dignity, as strong people might. And I'm not sure what alternative recourse there might've been but ultimately I decided I'd rather continue playing this game than fight that fight. Does my subsequent lack of action mean my first response wasn't justified? Perhaps, but the entire ordeal is far too small to waste regret on. School rules -v- real life my friend.

If you get bullied for your lunch money in school the right answer may be to give it to them so you don't get hit and then go tell a teacher. After all, you know the bullies name and so does the teacher, it'll be easy to catch and punish them. If you get mugged in a dark alley you won't have a teacher to tell and the cops may not be able to find the culprit later. Now the money in your wallet probably isn't worth dying for... But... There may come a point in everyone's life where your dignity and sense of right DOES outweigh your fear. And I wish everyone the strength to do what they need to do.

Is me having a silly make believe title (I already got the dang title anyway,) the same as me having 200 dollars stolen from me? No. Nor is a 7 day comms ban the same as getting stabbed. Orders of magnitude my friend-- it's all about orders of magnitude.

Was I happy with how the situation played out? No. Am I comfortable with what I did? Absolutely.

TechMaybeHic wrote: »

I'd respectfully tell you to delete that entire post, and I'm entirely serious.

Nothing in real life equates except what you allow it to in your head. There was no physical violence, only psychological. And it's living only in your head. Let it go knowing it has no real impact on your life.

Huh? I wrote entirely too much, I'll give you that, but I'm not going to delete it. I'm sure my rant on bullying and the military were unnecessary but it wasn't me that first made this something it wasn't.

You equated it to having my lunch money stolen. I incorporated something very real from my life.

I am sorry if that post/philosophy disturbed you in some way... It isn't as though I'm promoting violence. Perhaps you see it that way. I'm just saying... Here this will be succinct:

"People have a right to defend themselves in direct proportion to how they are being attacked."
If someone steals your lunch money, tell your parents and/or the teacher.
If someone cheats in a video to screw you out of something cussing at them is probably okay.
If someone wants to commit genocide do whatever it takes to stop them.

No??