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The Walking Dead, Survival Rule Of The Week: The enemy within

By Liam O'Leary

Jon Bernthal as Shane Walsh, Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, The Walking Dead -- AMC
Jon Bernthal as Shane Walsh, Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, The Walking Dead -- AMC /
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Jeryl Prescott Sales as Jacqui, Laurie Holden as Andrea, Emma Bell as Amy, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Adam Minarovich as Ed Peletier, The Walking Dead — AMC
Jeryl Prescott Sales as Jacqui, Laurie Holden as Andrea, Emma Bell as Amy, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Adam Minarovich as Ed Peletier, The Walking Dead — AMC /

1) They’re a bully.

…Wow. This is easy. I mean, it’s tough not to notice someone who’s a bully. Bullies, generally, are pretty blatant with their behavior, usually because they think they can get away with it.

Now, while one might think a bully’s negatives are obvious — Physical abuse, psychological abuse, etc. — there’s actually larger problems at play should you have one in your group. Namely, that, should their behavior go unchecked, they may start thinking they can start commanding your entire group!

IronE Singleton as Theodore “T-Dog” Douglas, Michael Rooker as Merle Dixon, The Walking Dead — AMC
IronE Singleton as Theodore “T-Dog” Douglas, Michael Rooker as Merle Dixon, The Walking Dead — AMC /

It’s a common theme with bullies that, if they believe they can get away with their behavior, they often escalate. In the case of a zombie apocalypse, they may start thinking that no one can/will stop them, and they can do whatever they want!

This means that they may start trying to rule your group with an iron fist, using violence and intimidation to force your group to do their bidding, up to and including attacking other people!

Worse still, they may even get to the point where they resort to murder  as a means of asserting dominance, killing one member to keep the rest in line.

Now, common sense dictates that force is needed to curtail a bully, the logic being that they rely on fear; If you stand up to them and show that you’re not afraid, the bully will go to “easier targets” or deem that their behavior is not worth whatever punishment they received.

Now, this isn’t to say that’s necessarily a bad course of action, but, remember: A zombie apocalypse will be lawless; This means that, depending on how badly they want that dominant role, they may attack you (Or whoever stood up to them), or even sell you/whoever up the river to assure they regain that position of power.

Jon Bernthal as Shane Walsh, Adam Minarovich as Ed Peletier, The Walking Dead — AMC
Jon Bernthal as Shane Walsh, Adam Minarovich as Ed Peletier, The Walking Dead — AMC /

The best way to deal with them?

Depending on whether they’re violent or not, you may have to set them straight, but, you can’t simply rest on that. Remind them that you will be watching them and that, while you will tolerate them, it will only be on the condition that they cease their bullying.

Keep an eye on them. If they show improvement, it might help to reward that. This may encourage them to stay on that path, especially as the world deteriorates, because they may realize you’ll give them much better treatment than outsiders or the dead would.

Next: There's Only Room For One Boss

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