Originally Posted by JVS:
“I take him as I find him, these entrenched views must make it hard to form a balanced opinion. Yes, Bear is sometimes annoying (yearbook), but sometimes he speaks home truths (radar dodgers) and sometimes he's hilarious (nominations).
He's not a bully, he's a wind-up merchant who's playing a game, admittedly not a very good one at times.
Apply a bit of perspective and you might even enjoy this series.”
He IS most certainly a bully - and I am tired of the tired old "wind-up merchant" excuse
(which to me suggests some type of pathology too).
When the target clearly is getting distressed and asks the Bully to leave their personal space - and they don't - it is bullying and provocative. It clearly is not being accepted as a joke by the target and this should be a clue to stop.
If the Target is not enjoying the "wind-up" which should be fun or at least acceptable to both parties, it is ceases to become a joke.
Otherwise it is selfish, self- aggrandising infantile behaviour at the expense of others.
Most social behaviour requires mutual respect of boundaries . Where one person's boundary ends and another begins is a matter of debate . But when someone asks you to leave them alone and has nowhere to escape from you ...it ceases to be a wind-up and becomes anti-social and unacceptable.
NO means NO.