sn44

You and The Piano Guys is such a great combo!

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ITT: People who have never been bullied or abused and regurgitate the same old "suck it up buttercup, life ain't easy" crap. Yes, OP crossed the line with the stabbing, but until you've been on the receiving end of this stuff day in and day out, week after week, year after year you cannot understand the inner turmoil that goes on inside. Couple that with a broken system that does nothing to help you and damn right you fear for your life. Violence begets violence.

I carried a knife to school for selfdefense. To this day I still do. I never leave home without a knife. That said, one thing I have that OP didn't was martial arts training and an ability to keep myself in check. Even at 15/16 I knew my knife was a last resort. Then again, so is a seatbelt. No one puts on a seatbelt wanting to get into an accident. I didn't/don't carry a knife wanting to start a fight. I carried/carry a knife to finish a fight.

Anyway, one day in middle school my bully out right attacked me. Usually I just sucked it up (thats what you do neckbeards, right? Just suck it up?). This time he turned and shoved a friend of mine into that wall. That's when I snapped. I went after him like a gerbil shot up with red bull. The fury that had been bottled up for years was unleashed and I let the guy have it. The first teacher turned away and did nothing to end the fight. We went back and forth while tumbling through the lobby. Eventually I got a good hold on the kid and put him face first into a Coke machine. That was enough to stun him. I pined him on the ground with my knee on his throat and said, "are we done?" This was when the school principal came running around the corner.

Up until that moment I had been one of the "good kids." I was an office aid, band geek, and general around kiss ass. The principal grabbed the bully, typical asshole/bad-boy, first since he was known to be at fault.

Later that day I was called to the office to explain myself. When asked why I threw the kid into the coke machine I said, quite calmly, "It was either that..." then I placed my knife on his desk "... or this."

I got a stern talking to about weapons in the school. Luckily my reputation earned me the benefit of the doubt so the police weren't called. I got three days "in school suspension" (off the record) and my knife was confiscated. I didn't mind, I had others. The three days I.S.S. was worth it knowing I had finally stood up to one of my bullies. There were others, but they were more tame than this one so they were easier to stomach. In the end I managed to avoid any more serious fights. I was still the school punching bag, but i did what i was told and sucked it up.

A few years later, during my Senior year this bully was reintegrated into our high school two years behind. He had been a year ahead of me and was now a year behind me. The last time I stood face to face with him was shortly before spring break my senior year. He was one of those cool kids that always wore his pants around his ass. He said something smart to me then started waking away. I was a step behind him and managed to land my foot on the cuff of his pant leg. Totally by accident. This of course caused his pants to fall to his ankles. He turned around fist in the air ready to punch me. Luckily I chose a good spot... Right in front of the main office... Which had floor-to-ceiling windows. He never got to throw that punch.

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To the OP: You're not the only one who has been pushed to the limit and cracked. I'm sorry it happened to you. Sorry so many people turned a blind eye to your suffering. I'm sorry it effectively ruined your life both then and now. Just remember, that's all in the past. The bully, his actions, and your actions do not dictate your future. You are the only one who has power over your life. You cannot change what happens to you but you can change how you react to it. Yesterday sucked, today isn't all that great, but do what you can to make tomorrow better.

To the trolls and ball busters: Fuck you. You're no better than the bully and if anything your worse for hiding behind your computer.

To the neckbeards saying "suck it up": Try it. Seriously, try it. Walk a mile in his shoes. Walk a mile in any victims shoes and see how much you can take. You have no idea till you've lived this kind of life. Everyone has their limit. When you reach yours you'll be no better than him.

To the victims out there still being bullied: Keep searching for someone to help you. Sometimes your ally will be where you least expect it. I know that sounds cliche, but you are not alone. The system is broken, we know that. There are people in the system, good people, trying to fix it. Now, if and when you do face down your bully, remember not to lose yourself along the way. No one ever wins a fight. No one ever benefits from violence,. It takes a piece of you and leaves a void. Bullies use more violence to fill that void. You, you don't need that. Your hope lies in tomorrow. If you're in high school, one day you'll graduate. If you're at home, one day you'll find a new home. If you're at work, one day you'll find a new job. Till then KEEP SEARCHING FOR HELP. After you find it don't let go. I wish I could say it will get easier sooner rather than later, but I can't. Just don't give up, and don't give in. Stand up for yourself and do it in a way that stays true to who you are.

I'll admit this is a loaded question, and nothing that hasn't been posted in /r/ninjawarrior at one time or another, but I'll ask anyway.

There's a fair amount of "hate" (guilty as charged) from long-term fans of ANW/Sasuke for what NBC has done to turn the show into a drama-heavy faux-reality gameshow. Most of these complaints revolve around the heavy emphasis on:

• the competitor sob-stories back-stories
• the editing of full runs down to quick montages
• the over emphasis of on course injuries
• the near endless repetition of fails & falls montages
• and the needless artificial hype and drama cliches like cliff-hangers and recutting of runs to fit a dramatic build to the end of an episode.

Looking ahead to season 7, and the continued growth and popularity of ANW as a show and obstacle course running as a sport, what does the NBC production staff view as their role with respect to being the current caretakers of the ANW course and brand? More specifically, while money is to be made, is it going to come at the expense of long-term fans, or is NBC going to make an attempt to remain true to the original fan base that helped bring ANW to the US?

Nothing to ask, just want to say I love VGHS and all you guys do both on YouTube and on the RJ site.