Would you believe that bullies usually eat their own? ‘Want to know why? Here are all the details you need to know about.
This happens at school and in the workplace. When there’s are no targets available to degrade and dehumanize, bullies will begin turning on one of their own in the peer group.
Therefore, in this post, you will learn why bullies eat their own so that you can use it to your advantage.
Once you learn all about this strange phenomenon, you will be more knowledgeable about the mentality of bullies. Also, you will find a way to use it to your advantage.
This post is all about why bullies eat their own so that you can have more knowledge about the mindsets of bullies.
Bullies Eat Their Own
Understand that even the inner circle of the clique has a pecking order. Every clique has a leader, second in command, third and so forth (depending on how many members in the group), all the way down to the bottom rat.
Therefore, if you aren’t available, the members of the clique will turn on that bottom rat and they will be the target of the day.
And if it so happens that the bottom rat’s not available either, then the poor sucker on the second rung up is the one who will catch hell. And so on.
Crap always rolls downhill and lands on whoever is unfortunate enough to be in the basement. Moreover, what was really scandalous is that sometimes, the typical victim didn’t have to be unavailable.
If you pay attention, you can stand back and watched a lot of back-biting between the members of the bully cliques. You’ll notice that a few may go out with the other friends’ boyfriends or girlfriends behind their backs.
You’ll then notice how they smile in their faces at school or work the following Monday. However, stay out of it. Let them backstab each other all they want.
It’s their business and you know that any sane person would no part of such strange, twisted, and dysfunctional friendships.
Bullies Eat Their Own:
Sometimes, not being a part of “the clique” is a blessing!
You should consider yourself damn lucky not to be in with the cool crowd!
Why? Because, with them it’s back to back ego trips. While most targets, followers, and wannabes consider it a curse, you should consider it a blessing.
You can deal with not being in the in-crowd, that’s fine and dandy. The only thing you should have an issue with is when none of those creeps will leave you alone.
When they won’t go on about their business, and get a life, you should realize that it’s because of their own issues.
Bullying is all about power!
Remember that bullies must always have a victim. In other words, they must have someone to abuse.
Bullies need a person to look down on, to dump on, and to tell what to do and ride roughshod over. Therefore, if their usual targets aren’t available on any given day, the bullies at the top will turn on the lowest members of their own group and continue demeaning them until their regular targets return.
This is yet another reason why you should never accept being in one of the in-cliques. Must you be in one to feel validated? No.
You’re just as awesome without them. You’re also freer! Because if you’re not in a clique, you don’t have to live up to anyone’s unwritten rules or standards. Therefore, you’re free to be yourself and do your own thing. And there is nothing better!
Why Bullies Eat Their Own
Bullies can’t live without a power rush. Therefore, again, they want to have a target or a victim. In fact, they need targets. To feel almighty and powerful, bullies must have people to dominate and subjugate.
And having power over is extremely addictive to them. It’s like a drug. It’s why bullies repeatedly bully their targets over a a long period of time, years even.
Because that “drug” wears off rather quickly and it won’t be long before your bullies come back for their next “fix.”
However, what happens when you finally realize who your bullies really are behind the tough facades they put up? What happens when the masks fall off, and your bullies’ cowardice and insecurity come to light?
Oooo! This is beginning to sound delicious, isn’t it?
Here’s what happens. Once you see the real people behind the masks, your confidence will get a big boost. You’ll realize that you aren’t and never were the one with the issues.
In this, you will find that it was the bullies who had the issues all along. Then, you will finally have the courage to give the bullies the old proverbial middle finger and tell them all to go eat a fat one.
The Sudden Power Shift
Moreover, the power dynamic will take a sudden shift and the scales will automatically tip in your favor. In other words, you will no longer be a victim. Remember that the best way to dis-empower bullies is to empower yourself.
Because, once you stop being a victim, bullies no longer have power over you. Therefore, they must go search for another victim.
When these bullies spot several potential victims, they’ll test the waters by performing several tests on these “potentials.” They will test these potential targets by watching them closely and launching subtle attacks and insults just to see how they react.
However, what will the bullies do next, when things don’t go quite the way they expect? What happens when their potentials also give them the double middle finger?
Uh-oh, now they can’t find someone they can target! Curses! Now, what’s a poor bully to do? Simple. They begin eating their own. In other words, they turn on a member of their in-group.
That’s right! Once the bullying in-group runs out of targets on the outside, they have no choice but to turn their bullying inward and start bullying people within their group.
Remember that bullies need a target victim. They need someone to dominate and subjugate to have power because they can’t get power any other way.
Without someone to ride roughshod over, to tell what to do, and to exert control over, bullies feel powerless. And you know what? They are!
Bullies Eat Their Own:
Here are 3 reasons bullies bully within their in-group.
1. Power Struggle.
Bullies will fight like hell to be on top. And if that means bullying members of their own group to do it, don’t think they won’t.
It’s human nature. Everybody wants to be on top. And if they can’t, they’ll do everything they can to stay off the bottom.
Therefore, the top two or three bullies may do things to each other to get on top. Or they may take turns bullying the bottom rats to compete with one another on who’s the toughest.
2. Their primary victim isn’t available.
When their usual victim is no longer available, bullies must search far and wide to find a replacement. In other words, when a victim finally leaves the toxic environment, it puts bullies right back to square one.
Therefore, again, they must find someone else to be their victim. And if they can’t find one, they’ll turn on one of the members of their in-group.
Understand that once a victim leaves, the bullies’ power goes with them. Without power, bullies don’t know what to do with themselves.
Here’s another thing to note. Bullies often become very angry when their target victim transfers or moves away. Why? You may wonder.
Again, it’s because they lose power over you. Understand that, bullies have a sick, twisted obsession with their victims. Therefore, if bullies have grown comfortable with jerking you around and you up and leave, the game is over. They lose power over you.
You’re out of their reach and they can’t handle it.
It’s why abusive partners won’t let their victims leave. Once the abused partner is gone, so is the power the abuser had over them. It’s the same with bullies.
And it’s the reason the thought of you leaving terrifies them.
3. Bullies Eat Their Own:
The victim pool is sparse or has shrunken.
I’ve said it many times before. Bullies don’t only want victims. They need them! Therefore, if the victim pool is non-existent, they will create victims for themselves. And this usually requires that they select someone in their friend group.
Once the selected victim leaves, it basically turns the entire environment on it’s ear. People will begin turning on each other and there will be a lot of in-fighting.
So, see this for what it is. Bullying is an obsession. It’s all about having power over someone else.
This post is all about the reasons bullies eat their own to give you another reason to feel good if you’re a victim of bullying and finally decide to get the hell out of dodge.
1. What Do Bullies Fear Most? 10 Things that Terrify Bullies
2. Social Bullying Examples: 7 Reasons Bullies Destroy Relationships