Hurt People Hurt People

Comic Book and Movie Villains are nothing more than bullies.
In The Incredibles (2004), little Buddy Pine grows up to become
the malevolent villain, Syndrome.

As part of my son's Gracie Jiu-Jitsu training, the coach will put the students in imaginary but 'real world' confrontations and then teach them how to protect themselves and get out of the situation. The common scenario he puts them in is the schoolyard bully who is trying take their lunch money by force. It's an old cliché but it's an all too real situation that children still encounter today. In the news more and more stories of bullied children are being told. Some of these children have been bullied to the point of suicide. Because of these horrific instances, anti-bullying laws are now being pushed to protect the vulnerable.

But bullying isn't only found on the playground or in grade schools. Many child bullies grow up to become adult bullies; and adult bullies can be more intimidating and more threatening than their younger counterparts. Adult bullies can be found in the workplace, in social clubs, in the neighborhood and even in the church. So, why do bullies bully?

The cute little orphan, Goob, grows up to become the menacing
Bowler Hat Guy in Disney's Meet the Robinsons (2007)

After years of reading comic books and watching movies, it has become clear to me that villains are usually nothing more than big bullies. Some villains are thieves and some are monsters but usually, they're just bullies. Villains are usually out for revenge. They want to make the people who hurt them in the past, pay and pay dearly. Their broken past and the injustices they faced, usually as a child, are the catalysts that made them a villain. In fact, Tip #2 of the Seven Tips on Creating a Fantastic Fantasy Villain, found on the Fantasy Faction website, touches on this.

To create a Lovable Villain you need to make them characters with whom readers can relate. There are ways of doing this that will help our readers empathise with the most miserable antagonist. Villains can own their own set of injustices. If they feel they are ‘hard done by’, by society, life or circumstance, they not only have an understandable reason for maladjusted behaviour, but they will have enough logic for their actions to allow the reader to have some sympathy towards their plight. From a single human frailty, such as fear, jealousy, or loneliness your villain can still generate evil but they will also have at least one character trait for a reader to relate to. Child abuse, neglect, ridicule in their early life could well influence a villain’s lack of self esteem and arouse a sense of sympathy from the reader.

To make them seem 'real' to their audience, authors and screen writers will give their villains a history that is believable; something people can relate to. Two recent, animated villains with a troubling past come to mind, Syndrome (The Incredibles, 2004) and the Bowler Hat Guy (Meet the Robinsons, 2007). In the movie clip below, Syndrome reveals the childhood rejection that made him a bitter villain.

In the next clip, the Bowler Hat Guy goes back in time and runs into himself as a child. Jump ahead to 2:06 or just watch the whole video.

These are a couple of fun, fictitious examples of how villains are made, but I think there may be some truth to them. I'm no expert on this subject but I have noticed that some people who come from broken backgrounds do end up as bullies; not all, but some. I know because I've experienced a few of these people in my life. Although I grew up in a rough neighborhood, I had a pleasant childhood. I didn't have any traumatic experiences so I cannot relate to how a person like this may feel; but I know they must be hurting. Because they are hurting, they hurt others.

Now, I have to mention that in comic books and movies, the hero usually has a past too. The hero usually comes from a broken background too; but the difference is that the hero has turned his bad experiences into something good. He becomes a fighter for justice and not a menacing villain. So, maybe bullies are not just victims of their circumstances. Maybe they do have a choice to do the right thing but they choose not to.

"People who are bullies haven't dealt with their own insecurities of low self esteem and self-worth. By controlling and manipulating and coercing they hide their own insecurities."

(from Steve Hutto's blog post Bullies In The Church?)

So, what about us, the disciples of Yeshua? If we are born again and if we've put away the sinfulness of our past and we are trying to live a godly life, why are there bullies in the church? I like what Steve Hutto says in his blog post about bullies in the church -- "People who are bullies haven't dealt with their own insecurities of low self esteem and self-worth. By controlling and manipulating and coercing they hide their own insecurities." When we are born again, there is a change that happens within us but this change does not erase our past. In fact, after we have accepted Messiah, we may still be affected by our past sins and/or the past sins done against us. This is why we have to intentionally address them. We need to accept forgiveness from God for our sins and know in our hearts that He truly has forgiven us. This will remove the guilt. Then we need to truly forgive those who have sinned against us. We need to release them to God and in doing so the anger toward them and the need to get revenge is removed. Being forgiven and forgiving others will release us from the bondage of sin. Hutto goes on to say, "The problem is that a bully doesn't trust God in the areas of his/her insecurities. They look to their own 'strengths' instead [of] acknowledging their weaknesses. Thus the power of Christ is not free to move in and through them." A disciple of Yeshua who is a bully, who has not addressed their past, will not be able to move in the fullness of the Spirit. There will always be this, their past hurts, holding them back. They will not be as effective as they could be in their job of advancing the Kingdom.

Hurt people hurt people; but forgiven people forgive people.

Related Links:
The Serial Bully
www.BullyOnline.org

Bullies In The Church?
Steve Hutto's Blog

Big Bad Bully
Psychology Today

Healing Past Hurts
www.LordsLaw.com



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