Choosing to be kind to the person everyone is dunking on is a risk to your status. Do it anyway.
RESILIENCE
WHAT THIS MEANS
Pile-ons run on participation, and participation includes everybody who watches and says nothing. Stepping out of one is noticeable, and that is the whole cost: a short spell of being slightly outside the group’s fun. The person on the receiving end keeps an exact memory of who was decent to them, and so will you, long after the joke itself has gone.
You do not need a confrontation. Send them something normal, sit nearby, talk to them where people can see. Quiet and repeated is worth more than one dramatic defence.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
Who is being mocked in your group chat right now?
MORE IN COURAGE & RISK
- Fear’s excuses come with no expiration date. Check whether your reason for waiting will still hold up next spring.
- Taking a risk because you’re angry is just a reaction with nicer branding. Wait a night before the big move.
- Telling a teammate their effort is hurting the team will make your voice wobble. Say it once, kindly, then outwork them.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.