PORTERVILLE, CA – The mayor of Porterville, California is in hot water after telling victims of bullying to “grow a pair.”
At a recent meeting of the city council, Mayor Cameron Hilton claimed that he opposes bullying but added that he thinks it’s too often blamed as the end all be all problem. He stated on the record that some people need to “grow a pair.”
The meeting was centered on the topic of proposed safe zones around the towns where the government would show children where they could be safe from bullies.
Councilwoman Virginia Gurrola took offense to the mayor’s remarks stating that, “It’s hard to just ‘grow a pair’ when you’re a 10-year-old girl.”
Hamilton cast the lone vote against the city creating safety zones, and sadly it appears that he may be right. According to a new study in PNAS, the long-lasting physical effects of bullying between victims and aggressors show lower levels of inflammation.
William Copeland, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University, linked the lower levels of inflammation and bullying, showing that while victims can show spikes in inflammation, bullies themselves have lower risks for related diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
“We found that the enhanced social status that came along with being a bully did seem to advantage them over time,” says Copeland. “That finding more than anything else surprised us.”
According to research at The Libertarian Republic, it appears that females of the species are also more inclined to mate with males of higher status. In the song “Grow a Pear” by Kesha, the pop music stars explains what it would take to mate with her. Claiming that she “just can’t date a dude with a ‘vag'” the singer states that if the male “grows a pear” they can call her back.
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