Strange Tales of East Germany

Meredith recalled her middle school years:

Because she was fat, she was mocked every time she ran.

Because she lived far away, her father, a taxi driver, drove her to school every day, only for her homeroom teacher to sneer at her.

Her letters were maliciously intercepted, then read aloud by her classmates in front of everyone.

People played pranks on her by adding all sorts of things to the leftover cola, like fountain pen ink...

That unease of being isolated and helpless stayed with her into adulthood.

“If that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have become so weak.”

“I think she was where my lack of confidence began. She made me feel like I was nothing.”

Even now, she still doesn’t dare ask them, “Why did you bully me?”

There is a passage in Keigo Higashino’s Malice:

“It was as if someone had suddenly branded them with the mark of a demon.” That was how school bullying began.

This could be said to be a common feature of school bullying throughout history.

The bullied cry out in despair: Why me?

The answer is cruel:

Most people are bullied at school for no reason at all.

Theme: Say no to school bullying!