22 Jun 2010, 2:19 pm
got bullied all the time back in HS. i'm still weird, but i no longer get picked on, ever.
part of that is the fact that i seldom socialize, and when i do, i'm careful about who i socialize with. other weirdos and outcasts seldom pick on another weirdo. (note that i said seldom, not never!).
the other thing is that i've learned that i have intense eyes. *very* intense, actually, or so i'm told.
since i usually have my head slightly down, looking at the ground (sound familiar?), if someone says something "not nice" to me, i don't raise my head to look at them. i turn towards them and kinda roll my eyes up to look at them. after a 5 or 10 second staredown, i simply focus myself back on whatever i was doing. apparently, i look somewhat manic when i do this, and getting a half-crazed stare seems to make people think twice before continuing. 
And i'm not a big guy - 5'9, 135 lbs.
PLEASE NOTE: this would not have worked for me 20 years ago - i looked like i was 15, and a glare from a "teenager" doesn't make much of an impression, no matter **how** nuts they think you are! And i know, a lot of people here just can't make that kind of eye contact. it took me a LONG time to learn to do it. simply amazing how well it can work though.
