[LWJ]

First, I am not advocating that bullying is positive. We all know that it is not. And, I have experienced first hand a teen suicide from bullying.

With that out of the way, why is bullying such a common behavior?

I think that there must be a social utility built in way back in our development? I never took any sort of Anthropology courses, so this is all new territory to me.

What prompted this question? I have a neighbor who everyone hates. He is mostly harmless but he is just one of those people that everyone despises. Even the sweetest church-lady across the street rolls her eyes at his mention. And my other neighbor would really just love to see harm come to this guy. Me? I see this guy and a part of me just wants to punch him. (and, I am really not the sort of person who goes around hitting people.) I am pretty sure my reaction is not unique.

To be clear, I am nothing but polite to this person. While my darker instincts tell me to do one thing, my civilized training keeps bad behavior in check.

So what is it? Why do we have a streak of violence cooked in? How does that help us?