Does intervening when a child is bullied do more harm than good?

[swiv]

The answer to op's question:

EARLY, AND OFTEN!

Seriously though, when I was in school, the only kids who got actually bullied were the ones who actively flouted social norms and structures. I don't mean those kids were just unaware of social cues, they deliberately antagonized kids who for whatever reason ranked higher in the pecking order than them. The only exception to this rule was this FOB african immigrant kid who was picked on pretty mercilessly by a bunch of basketball americans.