[Seraphim]

Originally Posted by Ammi

..but you are talking about actual cases of bullying though, which of course happens and is very serious but there are also often 'clashes of personality' and other circumstances of people not getting on which are not bullying...it's because bullying is so serious that we can't assume that everything is or things are that if they're not....

And what is happening to Jim is an actual case of bullying. I suggested that you read the Wikipedia entry. Here's an extract:

"One essential prerequisite is the perception, by the bully or by others, of an imbalance of social or physical power. Behaviors used to assert such domination can include verbal harassment... and such acts may be directed repeatedly towards particular targets. Justifications and rationalizations for such behavior sometimes include differences of class, race, religion, gender, sexuality, appearance, behavior, strength, size or ability. If bullying is done by a group, it is called mobbing.... Bullying ranges from simple one-on-one bullying to more complex bullying in which the bully may have one or more "lieutenants" who may seem to be willing to assist the primary bully in his or her bullying activities."