Thank you, @snowmachine, for the upvote and feedback :c)

I have to admit, I've not ever had to go toe-to-toe with a bully (I once came close). However I have witnessed individuals suffering incessant flagging.

Yes it is tempting to step in - but often one finds when looking into these instances that the line is grey and hazy - the victim will usually have already resorted to futile forms of retaliation and threats. Like I said, my methods above only work when a conflict has a clear protagonist and antagonist.

In truth the Steemit platform does not do nearly enough to facilitate the defense of flagged users through peer support. This unfortunately encourages bystanders to hesitate to commit to the defense of the weaker party (especially where one is also a weaker party).I quite agree that ignoring bullying is incorrect from a purely ethical standpoint.

Thank you again for the feedback. :c)