One of the weapons of bullying is name-calling and everyone is as immune to it as they are vulnerable. You do not need shining metal armor to bounce off those dreadful oral bullets.
All you need is control over yourself and your emotions. The moment you let yourself get injured, it becomes easier for the next bullet to locate you.
When the bully is done with you, you are already on the ground helpless and vulnerable while the bully towers like a champion.
This article is here to give you the one key to winning the war against bullies; staying in control.
We have compiled 20 different responses you can give when you are called awful names. Proceed to the heart of the article and find your key.
20 Different Responses To Someone Calling You Names
- Can you not call me by your name?
- Would you like to say that again?
- You hurt my feelings but my nose suffers more.
- I think I should go and cry because you just called me that.
- Can you not call your mom by name?
- Can you not open your mouth like that?
- Hello, cutie!
- Preach the gospel
- Hi. Want a hug?
- You have a nice voice. I’m so jealous!
- Stop howling. Your dad’s not here to respond.
- I love you too!
- Wow! You must be able to sing. So adorable.
- Hello, best friend.
- I’m pretty sure that name suits you better.
- Dear. Took your bath today, I hope?
- Big Boy/Girl. You’re growing cheeks now.
- 400;”>Nice to meet you, teddy bear.
- That sounds like what you would bear.
- Let me hear you say that once more.
Can you not call me by your name?
The key to winning against a bully is to stay in control of the situation. In some cases, you can snatch control from the bully. In other cases, it is too fast for you to do that so you just have to stay in control of your emotions.
When you calmly respond with this rhetorical question, you have stay cool and look cool. Wear a smile and keep your emotions in check. Don’t feel nervous. Don’t act nervous. Don’t look like you are nervous.
The best way to do this is to make it feel like a normal conversation. Be careful not to pay so much attention to your appearance. Just keep in mind that the bully is playing mind games with you and he or she can’t win.
‘Can you not call me by your name? I feel a little unworthy. Don’t you think?’
Would you like to say that again?
This may seem to you like the opposite of what I stated earlier about confronting a teaser. No, it’s not. You can use this question to test the person’s true feelings of supremacy.
With this, you will know if the person is truly strong enough or just trying to intimidate till you become weaker than him or her.
When you ask this question, wear a serious look and step closer and act like you will fight. You know you have won, when the bully refuses.
He/she never had enough confidence to take you on. It’d be quite ridiculous for the bully to repeat the statement. If that happens, laugh genuinely and say you love his or her voice. Then you can beg the bully to say it one more time.
‘O my God! Your voice is great… I’m jealous of it. Say it again, please… Just one more time, choir boy’
You hurt my feelings but my nose suffers more.
Don’t take the words in the response at face value. You must not look hurt. It’s not even about your looks alone. You must not feel hurt. You must train yourself to be immune to all kinds of verbal abuse. Control your emotions and know that that is all the bully can do to you; talk.
Face your bully, smile, and tilt your head back a bit, then say how he or she hurt your feelings but your nose suffers more. Smile genuinely and clap shortly saying, ‘You tried. Every part of you is a weapon. The smell too… You defeated me.’
I think I should go and cry because you just called me that.
Of course, you’re not going to cry. You’ll just ruin everything. You can say this and make sure you’re not acting like you mean it.
Just keep a fake serious look on your face while looking at this big boy, then say this. You may even tell him to give himself a round of applause for succeeding in hurting your feelings. Whatever you say, make sure you are comfortable with it and end it with a smile.
‘I think I should go and cry because you just called me that… Give yourself a round of applause. You succeeded in hurting my feelings. You should win a medal for it. Big boy’
Can you not call your mom by name?
This is a unique comeback. It probably goes against the theory we started with but nothing stops you from merging the two as one. One thing about responding with comebacks is that, it only gives you the upper hand till the bully responds with an even bigger insult.
When you say this, prepare to get an insult about your mom too. If you don’t want that, you should avoid saying this. However, you will still have to learn to control yourself when your parents are insulted. As mentioned earlier, all the bullies can do is talk.
When the bully replies, just laugh about it and say you give up. Then you can tell him or her not to bark in your face to prove a point.
‘Can you not call your mom by name? I think it’s sort of unlike you. You’ve been a good boy’
Can you not open your mouth like that?
This is another nice comeback. If the bully is talking close to you, you can smile and step back before you say this. Then you can just make jokes that are not necessarily insulting.
The point of laughing and smiling is to show that you are unaffected. Not just unaffected but also enjoying the moment.
‘Can you not open your mouth like that? I can see your gut… and yesterday’s meal or whatever that slimy shit is’
Hello, cutie!
You can say this to both male and female bullies when you are called. You can just answer them saying this. Wear a smile and look cool.
Do not lose your cool. Make sure you look unbothered. Make jokes from what you see and try to act like you are joking with a friend in everything you say.
‘Hello, cutie! You’re looking as adorable as ever… what’s up, mummy’s boy?’
Preach the gospel
You can respond with this if your bully keeps saying shitty things about you. This response, coupled with a sincere smile on your face, will show that you are not affected by the comments.
You can even say it loudly and clap so everyone can listen as the bully insults you. Irrespective of how funny or nasty his or her comments may be, just keep laughing and saying it’s true. Everyone already knows the truth so no one believes anyway. The bully will get tired. You have won.
‘Preach the gospel! Guys, little goodie goodie wants to tell you true things about me. It’s all true… hear him out. He really needs this’
Hi. Want a hug?
This response will sound silly. You can let this precede your child’s play with the bully. When he or she calls your attention with a degrading name, you can say this.
Keep a smile on your face and act like you’re listening to all he or she has to say. Then you can make jokes about what he or she says to you before excusing yourself.
‘ Hi. Want a hug? Oh, you don’t? My boy’s grown now… I’m so proud of you’
You have a nice voice. I’m so jealous!
One of the best ways to get a bully irate is to say a cute compliment to him or her in front of everyone. As sweet as it is, It would be so humiliating to the tough boy/girl.
After saying this, you can watch him or her react aggressively to your comment. Keep a smile on and act like you are enjoying the show.
‘You have such a nice voice. I am so jealous of you… so sweet’
Stop howling. Your dad’s not here to respond.
This is a similar comeback to the one that mentions the bully’s mother. If you don’t want your parents mentioned in the bully’s response, you can avoid saying this.
However, if you choose to say this, switch to the funny and cool version of you when the bully responds with an insult.
‘Stop howling. Your dad’s not here to respond’
I love you too!
There will be a slight feeling of cringe when your bully hears this. You just have to keep smiling and reacting in a very cool way to everything the bully says to you. Smile, wink, or blow a kiss.
Making cute comments on the bully will turn the joke around on the bully and you will find yourself winning the face-off in no time. The bully will probably never come after you again… unless he or she chooses to get physical.
Wow! You must be able to sing. So adorable.
When your bully is ranting in your face, you can make this comment on his or her voice. Wait for the bully to speak again. To every statement he or she makes, smile, point forward and say ‘right there’.
You will frustrate your bully and he or she will be forced to stop talking to you.
‘Wow! You must be able to sing. So adorable… right there, cute voice again’
Hello, best friend.
‘Best friend’ may just be one of the last things your bully wants to hear you call him or her. You should not look so serious.
Keep a smile on your face and wait for the bully to respond. Then you can act heartbroken that the bully rejected you. Make sure you look as mocking as possible.
‘Hello, Best friend… you broke my heart. I didn’t think you’d ever deny me’
I’m pretty sure that name suits you better.
Respond with this insult first but don’t get so serious with it unless you have a dictionary of hard-hitting insults to slam your bully on his/her back.
After you say this, just laugh at the bully’s response to your insult and make jokes out of it.
‘I’m pretty sure that name suits you better. Don’t you think? I mean look at you’
Dear. You took your bath today, I hope?
This is a quick response you can give if your bully calls you names while you are walking away. Just say this loudly as you continue walking.
Since the bully did not stop you earlier, he or she would have to deal with the pain of the insult. You’ve won that round.
‘Dear. You took your bath today, I hope?’
Big Boy/Girl. You’re growing cheeks now.
You can step closer to your bully with a wide smile and leave this comment. You can even proceed to touch him or her lightly on the cheek, as though you are admiring a little baby.
‘Big boy/girl. You’re growing cheeks now… adorable’
Nice to meet you, teddy bear.
This is another quick response when a bully says nasty things to you while you are walking away. Just drop this compliment and the bully will be stunned, being unable to respond immediately.
Also, it would look pretty weird if the bully walks up to you because of the insult. Then, he or she would be reacting like the bullied one taking revenge.
‘Nice to meet you, teddy bear… what a cutie!’
That sounds like what you would bear.
You can look into the bully’s eyes with a light smile and say this to him or her. Then you can laugh at everything the bully says next. That will help you keep your emotions in check and the bully will never take control.
Even the crowd will be unable to react appropriately if you are not reacting as you are expected to.
‘That sounds like what you’d bear… I’m not worthy of that name’
Let me hear you say that once more.
You can put your hand on your hear and shout this to the bully while smiling. It will appear so dramatic. Just keep saying it. If the bully refuses, you can continue teasing.
‘Let me hear you say that once more… come on, mummy’s boy. No one’s going to beat you’