How are you supposed to react to "banter", insults

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Danthemayne
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31 Jan 2013, 2:01 pm

Hey, I'm Dan, good to meet y'all, this is my first time posting on this forum.
I've been browsing around on here for maybe a year now, you seem like a nice bunch, I hope I can benefit the forum and we can all learn from and appreciate each other.

Sorry to start on a bad note, but today's been a s**t day.

I find it really hard to deal with "banter" (which is basically teasing, mocking etc.). In choir today my peers found it "banterous" to take drum sticks and hit me on the shoulder, the back, the groin, etc.. When I took a stick from my peer the guy who's sticks they were said "this is theft. I gave the sticks to them, not to you. give it back". A weird story to start off here but that's what happened. This kind of thing happens literally every rehearsal. Sometimes it's making my phone ring in the middle of the rehearsal, sometimes it's squirting water down the back of my neck. The funny thing is, honestly, it's just me, every time (at least in my row). The other people in my row are left alone.

In maths I got called stupid to my face, and when I tried to justify myself by comparing grades with the person who said it, he said "IT'S NOT A COMPETITION" really loudly so the whole class turned round and I looked like a dick.

Then when I went to ask two other players (I'm in a music school) about when the rehearsal was one was like "it's not on. Jokes it's at 7:30." Then the other guy called me a bender. I later found out there actually was no rehearsal, when I called another player and he said "there's no rehearsal. go away" and hung up.

Then at dinner, one of the people there said that she listened to my remix, which spurted a whole conversation about it. It's a dubstep remix, and apparently the guy sitting next to me listened to it four times "just for the comedy" of it because "there was no drop". Then they said I should do something else because making it was a waste of time (it took me nearly 50 hours to make). Later on in the conversation, I said "I know why you two are friends, it's cuz you're both really touchy and flirty" (this girl is quite a good friend of mine) and she literally threw a fork in my face. Luckily it mostly missed and I wasn't hurt. Then everyone stood up and left. On the way out she was like "sorrry" and gave me a massive hug. She asked me whether I was still pissed off, and I tried to explain why I was in fact still pissed off. She just blew me off and said "If you can't forgive me, I'm not wasting time on you. Your remix is s**t." then she flipped me off and walked away.

So, that was my day so far.

Let me know what you think please... Sorry about the long post.

-Dan



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31 Jan 2013, 2:43 pm

That doesn't sound like "banter". That sounds like harassment and bullying. You need to keep a written record of what's going on in a "bully book". If it's legal to record people without their permission in your area, wire yourself with a hidden mic or camera so there's no dispute on what's going on. After you gather enough evidence to prove that this is a consistent thing, turn everything into a higher-up in your school. Legally, they have to do something--unfortunately, this doesn't mean they will. If they don't, go above them in the hierarchy (so, for example, school counselor, then vice principal, then principal, then an assistant administrator, then administrator, then the board of directors).


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Magnanimous
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31 Jan 2013, 2:51 pm

I think that, legality issues aside... you should kidnap them and torture them to death slowly... making sure they cry for mercy before being explicitly sure not to show them any. Slow dismemberment while they're still alive is highly advised in order to achieve maximum catharsis. If you go so far as to hang them upside-down in your basement from flesh-hooks for a few days (or weeks), that probably means their pain has become your obsession, and you've gone a little bit too far.

That said, the legality issues are rather significant.... as they lead to a swift end to the frivolity, followed by being told you have a real purdy face and then made to squeal like a piggy... (i.e. buttrape without lube).

ERGO... due to unfortunate circumstances, attempting to do justice by torturing those responsible to death will NOT work out in your favour (such a shame)...


... Now contemplating whether to give you better advice or not. You said "y'all", and admitted to listening to dubstep, which pretty much sticks you on my contempt list under any other circumstances. BUT what bizarre language quirks you have and sh!tty music you listen to are your own business, I suppose.
Long story short, they're going to give you grief because you're different... and you can't stop them, because people are douchebags.
SO.... you have to find legitimate ways to retaliate (without legal repercussion). And remember, there is no such thing as overkill.
Learning not to give a toss about their criticism helps too. Don't feed the trolls and all that.
Make their lives HELL to the best of your ability... at least until they stop, if they ever do.
... Just do anything besides sitting there and taking it like a b!tch.



Danthemayne
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31 Jan 2013, 2:59 pm

haha, okay, well... thanks for the responses, I guess. It looks like you both took time to respond, and I appreciate that. Well, I think that taking it higher up would be perceived as a really bitchy thing to do and bring me down in the eyes of a lot of people. The idea of retaliating sounds good, although last time I did that I started a war and ended up unknowingly sleeping on someone else's condom; not a very pleasant experience. And, to the last poster.. I don't actually say "y'all" in real life, I just think it's a funny thing to say online. And there we go, another person telling me I listen to (ergo "make") s**t music. Nice.
any ideas for retaliation techniques? Or should I just laugh it off? I think it's harder to take for aspergers people because we can be more sensitive than most.



emimeni
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31 Jan 2013, 3:05 pm

Danthemayne wrote:
haha, okay, well... thanks for the responses, I guess. It looks like you both took time to respond, and I appreciate that. Well, I think that taking it higher up would be perceived as a really bitchy thing to do and bring me down in the eyes of a lot of people. The idea of retaliating sounds good, although last time I did that I started a war and ended up unknowingly sleeping on someone else's condom; not a very pleasant experience. And, to the last poster.. I don't actually say "y'all" in real life, I just think it's a funny thing to say online. And there we go, another person telling me I listen to (ergo "make") sh** music. Nice.
any ideas for retaliation techniques? Or should I just laugh it off? I think it's harder to take for aspergers people because we can be more sensitive than most.


Think of going higher-up as a way of retaliating. :wink:


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Magnanimous
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31 Jan 2013, 3:10 pm

Danthemayne wrote:
haha, okay, well... thanks for the responses, I guess. It looks like you both took time to respond, and I appreciate that. Well, I think that taking it higher up would be perceived as a really bitchy thing to do and bring me down in the eyes of a lot of people. The idea of retaliating sounds good, although last time I did that I started a war and ended up unknowingly sleeping on someone else's condom; not a very pleasant experience. And, to the last poster.. I don't actually say "y'all" in real life, I just think it's a funny thing to say online. And there we go, another person telling me I listen to (ergo "make") sh** music. Nice.
any ideas for retaliation techniques? Or should I just laugh it off? I think it's harder to take for aspergers people because we can be more sensitive than most.

Desensitise yourself.
Mind over matter.
Unfortunately, all that care for putting things right doesn't just go away... but to a limited extent you can master it and learn to stay zen, no matter what irrelevant little sh!tbags might say or do to you. Their words are hollow and devoid of substance, and as such they will only hurt you if you let them do so. It is just a matter of conquering your emotional outrage at such things and simply learn to treat things more objectively... See things as they are, and not what you want nor fear them to be.
Funny thing is, that just makes effective retaliation all the more satisfying... And you can't do it on a social level, to be sure... but I figure if you really think about it, you can concoct some sort of devious plan for making their lives unpleasant.


As for your music.... yeah, I think it is utter sh!te... but why should that matter to you? I'm just some stranger on the Internet. You listen to what you like, alright? =)



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31 Jan 2013, 3:19 pm

i hate banter - its usually another way of saying abuse

typically people are worried about "social identity" and will consider appearance based arguments as gospel. They will also use social alliances against you if you dont have any of your own.

they do it to "get a rise" out of you or just to make themselves look and or feel better

these people sound very disturbing.

they dont respect you because thats easier than understanding.



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31 Jan 2013, 3:46 pm

Danthemayne wrote:
Hey, I'm Dan, good to meet y'all, this is my first time posting on this forum.
I've been browsing around on here for maybe a year now, you seem like a nice bunch, I hope I can benefit the forum and we can all learn from and appreciate each other.

Sorry to start on a bad note, but today's been a sh** day.

I find it really hard to deal with "banter" (which is basically teasing, mocking etc.). In choir today my peers found it "banterous" to take drum sticks and hit me on the shoulder, the back, the groin, etc.. When I took a stick from my peer the guy who's sticks they were said "this is theft. I gave the sticks to them, not to you. give it back". A weird story to start off here but that's what happened. This kind of thing happens literally every rehearsal. Sometimes it's making my phone ring in the middle of the rehearsal, sometimes it's squirting water down the back of my neck. The funny thing is, honestly, it's just me, every time (at least in my row). The other people in my row are left alone.

In maths I got called stupid to my face, and when I tried to justify myself by comparing grades with the person who said it, he said "IT'S NOT A COMPETITION" really loudly so the whole class turned round and I looked like a dick.

Then when I went to ask two other players (I'm in a music school) about when the rehearsal was one was like "it's not on. Jokes it's at 7:30." Then the other guy called me a bender. I later found out there actually was no rehearsal, when I called another player and he said "there's no rehearsal. go away" and hung up.

Then at dinner, one of the people there said that she listened to my remix, which spurted a whole conversation about it. It's a dubstep remix, and apparently the guy sitting next to me listened to it four times "just for the comedy" of it because "there was no drop". Then they said I should do something else because making it was a waste of time (it took me nearly 50 hours to make). Later on in the conversation, I said "I know why you two are friends, it's cuz you're both really touchy and flirty" (this girl is quite a good friend of mine) and she literally threw a fork in my face. Luckily it mostly missed and I wasn't hurt. Then everyone stood up and left. On the way out she was like "sorrry" and gave me a massive hug. She asked me whether I was still pissed off, and I tried to explain why I was in fact still pissed off. She just blew me off and said "If you can't forgive me, I'm not wasting time on you. Your remix is sh**." then she flipped me off and walked away.

So, that was my day so far.

Let me know what you think please... Sorry about the long post.

-Dan


When I was an undergraduate in music some 37 years ago, most everyone on my floor in the dorm went partying every Friday and Saturday night. 5AM in the morning, most of them are coming back, fully plastered, soused, 6 sheets to the wind, drunk. Of course, there's a lot of drunken behavior, urinating in the hall, if you know what I mean. Since I had to be ready for the early service at my church, this got to be tiring. Finally, after several weeks of this garbage, I came up with idea. The next time there's a big party that keeps me up, I wait until everyone is asleep. I turn on my stereo, crank up the volume, and put on the Tuba mirum section of the Berlioz Requiem (those of you not familiar with that piece, this section has 4 large brass choirs, 16 tympani, a choir of 300, and an orchestra of 100 playing and singing at the loudest possible level. Needless to say, a lot of people use this piece to demo a stereo system. People were pissed at me for almost the remainder of the semester, but I got my peace and made my point.)



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31 Jan 2013, 3:49 pm

Meistersinger wrote:
When I was an undergraduate in music some 37 years ago, most everyone on my floor in the dorm went partying every Friday and Saturday night. 5AM in the morning, most of them are coming back, fully plastered, soused, 6 sheets to the wind, drunk. Of course, there's a lot of drunken behavior, urinating in the hall, if you know what I mean. Since I had to be ready for the early service at my church, this got to be tiring. Finally, after several weeks of this garbage, I came up with idea. The next time there's a big party that keeps me up, I wait until everyone is asleep. I turn on my stereo, crank up the volume, and put on the Tuba mirum section of the Berlioz Requiem (those of you not familiar with that piece, this section has 4 large brass choirs, 16 tympani, a choir of 300, and an orchestra of 100 playing and singing at the loudest possible level. Needless to say, a lot of people use this piece to demo a stereo system. People were pissed at me for almost the remainder of the semester, but I got my peace and made my point.)

I am in a state of conflict... between being impressed by your creative retaliation... and mocking you mercilessly for needing to be "ready for church".



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31 Jan 2013, 3:54 pm

Behind banter is a friendly intention. But behind what you described is malice. As someone said earlier, I think it's harrassment and bullying. Not well-intended at all. (I don't even like banter, even if it is done in a truly friendly way.) And that woman you called a friend doesn't sound like a real friend.

As someone suggested, you could report it to school because harrassment should be taken seriously - with punishment on the offenders, or resort to more sneaky revenge (serious enough to scare them off). You shouldn't try to be "nice" to them because that will only make them think they can do any horrible thing to you. You need to show them that you will make them pay if they treat you wrongly. You really shouldn't have to deal with such people.



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31 Jan 2013, 4:00 pm

jk1 wrote:
Behind banter is a friendly intention. But behind what you described is malice. As someone said earlier, I think it's harrassment and bullying. Not well-intended at all. (I don't even like banter, even if it is done in a truly friendly way.) And that woman you called a friend doesn't sound like a real friend.

As someone suggested, you could report it to school because harrassment should be taken seriously - with punishment on the offenders, or resort to more sneaky revenge (serious enough to scare them off). You shouldn't try to be "nice" to them because that will only make them think they can do any horrible thing to you. You need to show them that you will make them pay if they treat you wrongly. You really shouldn't have to deal with such people.

Malice would imply consideration of another as a threat or a being to be defeated.
I'm inclined to believe it is more a matter of lack of consideration.... that they simply see him as a resource to be utilised for their own enjoyment... disregarding his potential to even hold "valid" opinions or be anything more than an object whose only purpose is for mockery.

More a matter of wilful ignorance than actual malice... Probably worse, at that.



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31 Jan 2013, 5:28 pm

jk1 wrote:
Behind banter is a friendly intention. But behind what you described is malice. As someone said earlier, I think it's harrassment and bullying. Not well-intended at all. (I don't even like banter, even if it is done in a truly friendly way.) And that woman you called a friend doesn't sound like a real friend.

As someone suggested, you could report it to school because harrassment should be taken seriously - with punishment on the offenders, or resort to more sneaky revenge (serious enough to scare them off). You shouldn't try to be "nice" to them because that will only make them think they can do any horrible thing to you. You need to show them that you will make them pay if they treat you wrongly. You really shouldn't have to deal with such people.


Guys, thanks for all your posts, I really appreciate all of this :) Thing is I already did get revenge on the guy who started this all... I pushed him around after the rehearsal (I'm pretty muscly for my slim body), went into his room with my roommate, turned his bed upside down and just messed up his room... and let's just say his poster of a naked woman was dirty after my roommate had "finished" with it.. So I definitely got him back- but this led to the war I was talking about. And other people got involved- hence the condom, which I don't think was him. Believe it or not, he was my first real friend in this school.

It's weird that he didn't get the idea and back off. To be fair, he backed off a little, but it's coming back. Hmm... I'll think of something a little more sneaky.

I think even though I'm strong and quite tall, people sense a weakness in me because of my voice and my personality, so they see me as an easy target because they know I won't (and can't in this school) get very physical. Thing is, there's quite a few people involved now. Once one person starts making fun of me, they all join in. I don't want to piss off all of them because then I'll be actively disliked instead of just "not liked". And that many people will be able to get back at me so much harder than I can get back at them...

I hear what you guys are saying about Zen, and about social alliances. I'm pretty good on the Zen side, but my social alliances side is not exactly my forte.. I think people see me as "the weird kid who isn't that great at playing his instrument, and goes to the gym alot".



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31 Jan 2013, 8:54 pm

jk1 wrote:
Behind banter is a friendly intention. But behind what you described is malice. As someone said earlier, I think it's harrassment and bullying. Not well-intended at all. (I don't even like banter, even if it is done in a truly friendly way.) And that woman you called a friend doesn't sound like a real friend.


^This^

Your school likely has anti-bullying policies and anti-retaliation policies. You have a right to be treated with respect and to go to school without bullying and harassment. I assume you (or someone else) is paying for your school. Since your school is willingly accepting your money, they need to enforce their policies to protect you. But they cannot enforce them if they do not know what is going on.

I am sorry people are such jerks. Just remember this behavior is a reflection of them, not you. That girl you called your "friend" is undeserving of the title.


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31 Jan 2013, 9:09 pm

Danthemayne wrote:
...Or should I just laugh it off?....


that. This is not banter, it's meanness dressed up as banter. I think you're gonna have to play it low-key and ride the storm and things will get better naturally. By the way, nothing wrong with a bit of Dubstep ;)


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01 Feb 2013, 12:30 am

bucephalus wrote:
Danthemayne wrote:
...Or should I just laugh it off?....


that. This is not banter, it's meanness dressed up as banter. I think you're gonna have to play it low-key and ride the storm and things will get better naturally. By the way, nothing wrong with a bit of Dubstep ;)


And there is always the two word response to this kind of thing- look em in the eye-then point to your crotch -and then just say "bite me!"



Danthemayne
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01 Feb 2013, 5:20 pm

hmm okay, well thanks for the responses.. I'm not too sure about the whole "bite me" thing though.. Seems like I'm just going to have to laugh it off/ ignore it for now. I'll let "you all" know if I get back at them :P