“They could just be having a bad day” when someone bullies someone else

I find the most straightforward response is, "would you do/say that when you're having a bad day? Because I don't think I would"

"Well in that case, he needs to learn better coping skills."

The state of your mental health is not necessarily your fault, but it is your responsibility. It's ok to be having a bad day, week, or year but it's not ok to hurt other people because of that.

At my absolute worst, on the worst possible day, I always start by apologizing for being frustrated.

Maybe they’re just an asshole.

“they could just be having a bad day!!”

It doesn't give them the right to make sure I do too.

That’s what I tell myself every time I see someone misbehaving. I don’t believe in free will the way most people do, so assigning blame to the individual doesn’t really make sense to me. I basically see people like that as malfunctioning robots. I might not want to be around them, but I’m not blaming them for what they are - because I don’t think they could’ve been otherwise. We’re all slaves to our genes and environment. If I were in their shoes, I’d act the same way. I don’t blame bears for being dangerous either - I just try to stay away from them.

I think it's true, but it's definitely not helpful in the moment. You can treat someone who isn't nice with a baseline amount of respect, but if their behaviour is bad out doesn't always matter how their day is going, the outcome can be the same

"So could I. Worst case, they are the last straw, pushing me do something that can never be taken back."