Saying "so what" is a wonderful way to respond to an unpleasant person, who you have no energy for, and the bully surely fits that description.

“So what?!” Is a slightly annoying and possibly antagonistic thing to say, so definitely don’t say it to someone you want to get along with, unless you’re joking. It’s fairly mild toward a bully, but it could push a someone who is a potential safety threat right over the line, so you need to keep threat assessment in mind before making even harmless moves like this.

However, with almost every bully, the beauty of saying, “So what..?” is that it’s totally benign (harmless) but also obnoxiously hard-hitting. It goes under the radar but gets under their skin.

Here’s why: "So what" is used to show disregard, contempt and challenge, but nobody thinks about it that deeply when they hear it, unless it comes from a loved one or friend.

Listen carefully, this is key!! You may care an awful lot about the bully right now because of all the trouble they put you through, but they DON’T care about you at all!

They care about one thing, and that’s getting the bully food.

So, that means it won’t bother them at all when you say, “So what,” to them, until they realize it means you’re over them and their crap.

It’s like saying ‘whatever,’ except it’s more obnoxious and dismissive, less cliche, and very versatile.

Which brings me to how you should use it to your fullest advantage.

"So what?" is a question nobody expects an answer to, which means you can use it to spotlight a bully’s intentions, bad behavior, or damaged reputation by tagging on a few specifics.

So what you’re doing is ——? So what you’re saying is ——? So what you want people to know is ——?

You can also do this but make it a statement:

So what? Now we all know you’re a jerk. Cool.

So what? Now you’re the fashion police. Thanks for the update.

Or you can use it in the classic sense as a follow-up:

B: Your answer in class was so dumb! You: So what?

B: Nobody here likes you. You: So, what do I care?

B: You like so-and-so, and I’m going to tell them. You: So what if I do? Better than if you liked them.

B: We invited you as a joke…we didn’t mean it. You: So what? Am I supposed to cry now?

Use it in the same way whenever someone tells you what the bully has done or said against you.

Make sure to do this in a way that includes the person if they’re being friendly, trying to give you a heads up. You do this by including them in your dismissal of the bully.

However, if they are just one of the bully’s people, or they’re trying to make you feel bad, say it to them just like you would to the bully.

There’s one more secret benefit to saying, ‘so what’ to rude and unpleasant people.

The more you disregard and dismiss them by saying it, the more you’ll believe they deserve it. And they absolutely do.

Bullies, jerks, and unpleasant rude people need feedback on their negative behaviors if they’re every going to improve. Say ’so what’ to show them exactly what you think of them and their actions.

What’s better is you’ll influence yourself to disregard their behaviors and dismiss their presence in other ways.

Nothing says, “No more bully food for you,” better than SO WHAT?!