From my perspective, I would consider your experiences lethal... in a metaphorical way. Many people, including children, are afraid of death because they are unsure of what happens afterward. I've observed that most people fight just to hurt one another either to scare their victims or hold their "ranks", not to literally murder.
Bullying still happens to this very day, especially at school. There are many schools that would just rather not have anything to do with it. I think this is a serious epidemic we on the face of the Earth cannot entirely rid. People think and act too differently.
Seeing street fights break out in front of me, do not phase me at all. It never surprises me how white boys are the most cowards, yet they start the most fights. It also never surprises me how black boys always throws the first punch. The Asians or in my case Hmong boys mostly sucker punch only. To diffuse fight with white boys, it's bringing up the obvious that you're here to enjoy your time and so are they so just let it be. For black boys, you need to take out his closest buddy and they'll usually back off. If you get physical with the aggressor, his posse will gang up on you. For the Asians/Hmong boys, it's a numbers thing. They wont start anything if there's less of them. Everybody is diffferent, but that generalization works pretty well.
Knowing what I know, I'm still dumbfounded why I never pull a lethal move on anyone. Maybe it just never occur to me at the moment that my aggressor has intention to seriously send me six feet under. I think that would kind of require an after action review to assess the risks involved. Something this stupid kid don't even give a second thought too, till years later.
Bullies do need to be smacked. It's when they know that they can get hurt, they'll back off.