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So is it all bollocks? Well, actually, no. The studies aren't big, but they fit with a bigger and more terrifying pattern that's emerging from countless other bits of evidence. The idea that bullies are broken people lashing out seems to be bullshit in all but a tiny minority of the more obvious cases. Most bullying happens because well-adjusted kids look at the world they live in and realize that bullying people is actually the best choice they can make. It's not Nelson Muntz who kids should be afraid of, it's Frank fucking Underwood.Volk reckons there are three basic and rational reasons why bullies bully: "To get resources (lunch money, for example), to get or maintain dating partners, and to get social power that can be cashed in to get resources, dates or other favors." The victims are chosen very deliberately because of their vulnerability or inability to fight back effectively. Schools provide a perfect environment where bullies can get what they want with very few consequences.Once you realize that bullying is a rational choice, it's obvious that a lot of the measures adults take to stop it are completely pointless. As Volk puts it, "We're asking bullies to stop using a strategy that serves their interest with few costs." Trading a few detentions for being the most popular kid in the class is a no-brainer, and bullies can easy switch to methods that can't easily be punished—cyber-bullying, for example, or just constant low-level psychological abuse.In schools around the world, bullying weak people is just a sensible thing to do. It sounds shocking, but then step back and look at wider society—is it really much different? We have whole sections of the media dedicated to identifying and bullying people who don't conform to our specific ideals. Adults harass and abuse people they disagree with online. We treat politicians and public figures with contempt, while politicians in turn enact brutal crackdowns on the sick and the vulnerable. Is it really that surprising that being a bully is a good way to start out in life?Follow Martin on Twitter.READ ON NOISEY: Why Do So Many Musicians Act Like Terrible People Online?