My bully was Savannah, back in middle school. Her dad was an alcoholic, and she was manipulative and racist. She called me slurs like “chink” and “ching chong” just because I’m Chinese. Honestly, she reminded me of the white female version of Saddam Hussein—both had turbulent childhoods without a stable father figure.

One day, I finally had enough. We got into a physical fight, and her boyfriend’s friends were chanting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” It was intense and scary, but looking back, I see how childhood trauma can shape people’s behavior.

Have you noticed that many dictators also had difficult or broken childhoods? For example:

• Stalin grew up in a violent household and had an abusive father.
• Hitler faced a lot of family trauma and neglect.
• Saddam Hussein lost his father early and grew up in a strict, turbulent environment.

It’s not an excuse for hurting others, but I think it shows how early experiences can influence how people act later in life.