I think you are very much right about this. Bullies stop bullying almost always after they have been beat down or at least stood up to. No amount of reasoning will change them. As an anecdotal example: I knew a kid that was bullied in High School constantly by another kid. I and a few others told the bully many times to lay off and nobody thought it was funny. So the bully wasn't doing it to impress anyone else or anything like that - he was just a dick. Then one day the kid being picked on snapped and pushed the bully...knowing full well a fight would start. The kid also knew the bully would most likely beat his ass. Well, unbeknown to the kid pushing back (and fortunately), there was a ledge with a shallow guard rail behind the bully that the bully fell back against and over the guard rail and then fell over the ledge. The bully fell about 15 feet to the ground and got hurt pretty badly. Had the bully not been hurt...not only would he have beat the kids ass but he would have continued to bully the kid - that I have no doubt in my mind. However, the bully never bothered that kid again after he recovered from his injuries.