I Am A Bully

Recently, I was called a bully.

I’ve been called a lot of negative things in my life. I’ve been called a bitch. I’ve been called a nigger. I’ve been called fat, mean, spoiled, snobby, graceless. During my time at AMDA, I had a fellow student call me a cunt seconds before he spit directly in my face. And just a few months ago, a white lady called me “a Karen” because I was worried about the 3 dogs she had left in her car, with all the windows up!

But until the other day, no one had ever called me a bully, at least, not to my face.

It’s interesting to be called a bully at this stage of my life because that word is constantly declared and discussed in my household. I have two school age-girls and most everyone I know with school-age children are inundated with the word “bully” almost daily. It is way overused. Like “literally” or “amazing,” the word has lost its actual meaning.

Oxford Languages definition of “bully” reads: A person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable.

Habitually. That’s the part most people leave out, and that is why I believe it is overused. Because usually when people are talking about bullies, they’re actually talking about someone who is just fucking mean. It can sometimes tread a fine line, but the difference is worth noting.