Right? I got bullied when I was 10 until I was 14, I'm 31 now but I'm still afraid of bigger groups of people and have a really low self-esteem. It does not go away ever.
PREACH!!!!!
I hate how the comments keep blabbering on about mc being pathetic and not standing up for himself. Are we even reading the same story people!? Our baby has trauma and low self-esteem. Just because people like a confident mc doesn't mean they can hate on mc because of his trauma response. It's people like them that cause others to think even lower of themselves because they get called pathetic. Learn to empathize and see why mc is the way he is, there've been enough hints in the story to show that he's already tried to off himself because of self-hatred.
Some people are different. Not everyone handles bullying the same. Some people can stand for themselves. All bullied kids are not snowflakes. And I am talking for myself.
More than being upset at the MC, people are upset at the whole situation, the feeling of powerlessness and hopeless. Maybe it is phrased poorly, but people just want the MC to have courage and the strength to overcome a barrier in life. If being traumatized was an answer to being unable to move forward in life, having therapy sessions would be a bit vain of sense.
Anyway, I was just trying to bring a bit of balance to the debate. People are speaking out of frustration against the whole bullying. It might be insensitive to some, but it is a very primitive/visceral reaction to be angry at bullying and want some instant retaliation. Part of the brain does not take injustice very well. When we see injustice, our brains are wired to feel anger, frustration, or even a sense of urgency to fix the wrong. It's like this primal instinct kicking in, telling us that something's wrong, and it needs to be corrected right away.
The MC can be a better version of himself. It might take some time, but we are kind of hopeful. Whether you're the type to stand up for yourself immediately or someone who needs time to process and come back stronger, both approaches are valid.
You're right that not everyone reacts the same way to bullying. I like when characters can stand up to bullys and give them a good face slapping. I also like when characters have a traumatic past and struggle to overcome it. I just wish people recognized that the mc isn't the former and gave him some slack. People react differently to trauma and mc is currently trying to do better, it's just that it's an uphill battle and everything isn't going to be better instantly after some therapy. It's actually really brave of him to step back out into society and interact with people when he obviously has a fear of it.
Thanks for your opinion. Hope I didn't come across as preachy.
PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP, YES I FUCKING TELL YOU TOO BECAUSE first off if you didnt experience bullying then good for you mc has a low self esteem and i get him he has trauma( just my opinion) and i get him feeling shit about yourself and having negative thoughts while hiding your preference and giving a ton of shit about what people think about you is shit and pathetic but the mc cant help himself because society or his environment made him that way as far as i know since i dont quiet remember how the story goes but like even in real life men women experience this type of thing and they cant help themselves because thats just the way they are specially since the mc cant rant all the thoughts in his mind (my cousin experience this until she cant take it anymore and almost end her life but luckily my aunt stop it immediately and now she goes on therapy) but yeah just my opinion sorry but my cousin came to my mind when reading this and i got work up seeing comments about mc being pathetic since my cousin experience this type of thing that's all bye...