There’s No Room In My Life For Bullies

Last week Chris and I sat down to watch one of the new shows that had been getting a lot of hype. It’s fun to watch something together and discuss the characters and plot later.

A few minutes into the show (which shall remain nameless), the viewers were introduced to the resident high school bully whose job, it seems, is to make the main character’s life a living hell. She spilled a huge secret in a very insensitive way and even tried to physically harm a rival through a series of pranks.

The bully girl had the perfect arched eyebrows, snarky expression, and spoke in such a condescending, cruel tone that I was tempted to jump off the couch and slap that bitch through the TV screen.

I instantly knew that I would no longer be able to watch this TV show. I mentally crossed it off my fall viewing list. It’s too bad because the other characters on the show seemed pretty interesting, but that one bully ruined the whole experience for me.

OK, so you might be thinking, “Geez, Sage. It’s a TV show! There’s supposed to be bad guys or else there’d be no conflict.”

I get it, I really do. Some of my favorite shows like True Blood, The Simpsons, and Glee also have villains.

But I don’t have room in my life for bullies.

You may recall that I was bullied when I was in school for numerous things including being fat, being an atheist, being a vegetarian, wearing glasses and braces, and on and on.

I wish I could say that “words will never hurt me,” but in reality, bullying hurt me very much.

The bully on the TV show reminded me of some of my former bullies, so much so that I had a sick feeling in my stomach like I had been dragged back in time. I’ve made a decision to cut bullies out of my life wherever they may be lurking, including on TV.

I don’t want to turn on that show every week and feel like the bully’s taunts are directed at me. I can handle other villains (like sexy vampires or bumbling millionaires), but a nasty high school chick is just too much for me.

Do you avoid TV shows or movies because of certain types of characters?