Bullies a part of life, according to children's expert

Bullying was a definite part of my childhood, though other students were either the victim or the perpetrator much more often than I. Even when you try to stay away from it, it affects you -- at least, that's the lesson I learned throughout my school years. Do you agree?

A government official in Britain, Tim Gill, agrees that's it's a part of life, but he goes on to say that it's a necessary part of life -- it prepares children for the hard knocks they'll encounter later in their adult life.

I can see his point -- sort of. But I don't see how tearing someone down over and over again until they have no shred of self-esteem and are on the verge of depression, suicide or worse is constructive later in life. Minor teasing is one thing, but if you ask me, full-on bullying is something that has very little use to someone at any point in their life. What do you think?