I have seen my whole life people mean to people fatter smaller and just for anything really in my past.Saw in high school and now that I'm 23 years old I still see it happen around me maybe even more.I am from California and lived here all my life and maybe its worse here and here is a story of mine,once when I was in high school I saw a kid making fun of this kid that was small and had medical issues the kind of kid you know to be kind to.I seriously injured him for that and I ended up being pulled out for it because I pretty much just walked up and hit him without saying a word,still sticks with me.I am a person that hates bullying so much that I can hardly take jokes that are directed towards people that I think will offend.What do people get out of putting others down?Why do the people this day and age have no morals?Everything is accepted no matter how wrong it is.Why is this?Does anyone have any stories of you being made fun of or sticking up for others?I'm asking this community because I know most of you/us are kinder at heart then the majority maybe do to nerd reason idk lol.

Dominance comes in many forms.

Insecurity and gaining advantage.

I can't speak for anywhere else, but in the UK it's customary to insult your friends in a jokey manner, we call it banter. It can sounds outright hostile to outsiders but it really isn't so. Here, the minorities be it disablity, race, or whatever, have a sense of humour and can dish it out as well as they can take it. Are you sure it's malicious where you are?

People have always been like is. I despise bullying as well, but it's been going on for thousands of years and it will not stop. I'm proud to hear you did that to that horrible human being. Picking on some harmless kid with medical issues is sick and the bully deserved what you gave him.

But people bully because they are insecure and they have low self-esteem. They could also be the victim of bullying as well. This in no way makes bullying justifiable, but that's just the way it is.

I think those reasons about sum it up. I experienced some rather pointless put-down just yesterday that was a pretty good example of this, but the guy didn't realise he was just making himself look like a prat in front of everyone. Oh well.

Ignorance and stupidity never go out of style.

EDIT: ...and probably boredom has something to do with it.

In the US friendly mocking is acceptable, it's just friends messing around with each other. But when someone who has the upper hand targets a person who is weak and psychologically and/or psychically torments them, it's bullying. The person being bullied doesn't even have to be weak, they could just be targeted by some popular kid at school who is a bully and then others join in, it's that mob mentality.

People crave power.

Yep, domination and that macho alpha male crap.

It's human nature.

And pie. Oh and cake!

Humans like to think that they're some cut above animals. But they're not. They enjoy having dominance and power over others, and flaunting it. At the very least, dominating others makes one feel better about his/her own issues (after all, there's always someone dominating you in some way), and at the very most, having others under your thumb gives you more leeway to do what you want.

And coffee. I've reached an impasse, though: need coffee but can't face the 10-minute coffee-making ritual... without coffee.

I don't get the Alpha/Beta thing. I know a Beta subordinates to an Alpha, but what of those who are independant? I don't follow anyone, nor do I lead. I suppose it's what happens when one confuses animal pecking orders as somehow parrallel to human behaviour.

What should I be classed as, if at all? Omega?

THe solution is simple, get someone else to make your coffee.