Ridicule is a variant of bullying behavior. It comes in many forms, including mocking, insults, and "humor" designed to make the person an object of scorn or derision. Insults can target a person's clothing, appearance, or personality, as well as demean family, race, gender, sexual orientation, or values. In the last decade, research has shown that the long-term effects of ridicule can be as damaging to victims as bullying behavior that involves physical aggression. Changing such behavior involves nurturing empathy for others and challenging their distorted thinking. The most effective means of preventing and changing ridiculing behavior is to create a caring community where it is unacceptable to hurt other people in any way. Although this may seem idealistic, concentrated interventions such as the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP) have been shown to arrest trends in hostile thinking and aggression. Teacher ratings of RCCP show significant student gains in emotional control, prosocial behavior, and academic achievement (Aber, Brown, and Henrich, 1999; Lantieri, 2000). The curriculum can be downloaded at www.dont-laugh.org.