Apparently the did a study that showed that being bullied was better than being ignored, which led Glenn Reynolds to reply “I dunno, I never minded being ignored, but I have a rich inner life.” Which was close to my own personal goal, growing up – I pretty much wanted to be left alone, and I was willing to do quite a bit that was odd, unusual, or even downright disconcerting in order to achieve that blessed state. Well, at least I thought that it was blessed at the time. Looking back, I could have made an effort toward sociability.
Mind you: people should not bully other people. As long as it’s understood that if you decide to mess with the bull, you should expect the horns. I’ve seen people start claiming ‘bullying’ when they really meant ‘Wow, I really underestimated how tough that guy was!”