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Bullying...

How are we doing at addressing bullying?

  • We're not doing enough.

    Votes: 26 43.3%
  • We're right on track and taking appropriate measures.

    Votes: 7 11.7%
  • We're blowing it way out of proportion.

    Votes: 20 33.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 7 11.7%

  • Total voters
    60
You're the one arguing that there's something wrong with them if they want to kill themselves. I said that there isn't necessarily something wrong with them and assuming that deciding on suicide, in and of itself, is enough to conclude some mental or emotional aberration, is an irrational position to take.

There isn't anything wrong with them... they just have a more serious issue of depression (for example) than the average person. I literally can't imagine any person taking their life that isn't depressed in some manner or another. Can you give an esample of a person fully alert, with no issues at all, logically concludes to end their happy life and die?
 
Jello has like 10 freakin' calories. Nobody's gonna go fatty on Jello.

Now I would argue with you, but Sheldon is looking at me, so I will believe anything you say.
 
There isn't anything wrong with them... they just have a more serious issue of depression (for example) than the average person. I literally can't imagine any person taking their life that isn't depressed in some manner or another. Can you give an esample of a person fully alert, with no issues at all, logically concludes to end their happy life and die?

Somebody facing 30 years in prison.
 
I've always told my kids that I would never be upset with them for defending themselves. I don't expect anyone to take a beating physically or verbally and not defend themselves.

Same here... a few months ago while at the community pool some girls were bullying my daughter who was on a floaty by herself (nine years old). One of the girls put her feet on my girl's shoulders to push her off. I was watching for a few minutes prior to that to see how my daughter would handle it but that got me over there. I told the girl off pretty harshly and informed her that she is lucky I got over there 'cause my daughter would have beat the crap out of her... My girls take jui-jitsu, it turns out her dad was standing right next to me. Didn't know it at the time but when I was told that I stared the guy down. Anyway, I told my daughter that she is free to defend herself.
 
Somebody facing 30 years in prison.

That person is fully alert, has no issues and logically concludes to end their happy life? OK.
 
Same here... a few months ago while at the community pool some girls were bullying my daughter who was on a floaty by herself (nine years old). One of the girls put her feet on my girl's shoulders to push her off. I was watching for a few minutes prior to that to see how my daughter would handle it but that got me over there. I told the girl off pretty harshly and informed her that she is lucky I got over there 'cause my daughter would have beat the crap out of her... My girls take jui-jitsu, it turns out her dad was standing right next to me. Didn't know it at the time but when I was told that I stared the guy down. Anyway, I told my daughter that she is free to defend herself.

This is how I know I'd make an awful parent. I would've waited to watch my daughter beat the hell out of the other girl and enjoyed every moment of it.
 
Well, this turned out to be an interesting thread. How many people here weren't physically bullied, but were otherwise?

My bullies were adults. In school I was always a head and a half taller than most kids. I was a bullies bully. I tended to take out my anger and hurt on those that would pick on others. Looking back on it I was no more healthy than the bullies. I had a horrible stutter til about 15 and couldn't speak a complete sentence. Easier to just be quiet and come across as unapproachable. Everything pretty much leveled off in high school. New state, new school, new living environment. Never really had problems after that. Still have triggers though. Child abuse...violence against women...really sets me off.
 
Same here... a few months ago while at the community pool some girls were bullying my daughter who was on a floaty by herself (nine years old). One of the girls put her feet on my girl's shoulders to push her off. I was watching for a few minutes prior to that to see how my daughter would handle it but that got me over there. I told the girl off pretty harshly and informed her that she is lucky I got over there 'cause my daughter would have beat the crap out of her... My girls take jui-jitsu, it turns out her dad was standing right next to me. Didn't know it at the time but when I was told that I stared the guy down. Anyway, I told my daughter that she is free to defend herself.

When both my kids were in middle school, my son came home and asked me if I'd be mad if he beat someone up. I stopped what I was doing, turned around and asked him why.

He said he was going to take care of a kid that was constantly bullying my daughter. He was calling her a whore, slut, trashy, etc... she never mentioned it to me, but her brother had witnessed it and had stepped in.

Apparently, it had been going on awhile and this other kid was enlisting cronies to jump in.

I told him I wouldn't be upset if he said something, but he was not to just go up to the kid and lay him out unless this other kid took first shot.

Turns out, he confronted this boy and two of his friends, and she didn't have an issue again. Now if it'd turned out differently, I would've contacted the school, but historically they do nothing.

I would have no issue with either of them standing up for themselves or each other in a situation like that.
 
Not the same. When someone is assaulted, there needs to be intervention. Getting your ass kicked, pushed down a flight of stairs, etc. need to be addressed regardless of circumstances. What I'm saying is that we don't need legislature that's going to criminalize the quarterback knocking your trapper keeper out of your hands in the hall, or having a mean name written on a piece of paper and put on your locker. There are people out there that think we need to call a cop if you get hit with Jello from across the lunch hall.

Yeah, i think this kind of normal kid behavior is something the anti bullying crowd will have to let go of if they want to be taken seriously. This is how it all gets lumped in together under the label of 'bullying,' giving cover to the much more serious assaults in the process.
 
This is how I know I'd make an awful parent. I would've waited to watch my daughter beat the hell out of the other girl and enjoyed every moment of it.

The main reason I stepped in was because they were in the deep end of the pool. If they were out I would have watched longer...
 
When both my kids were in middle school, my son came home and asked me if I'd be mad if he beat someone up. I stopped what I was doing, turned around and asked him why.

He said he was going to take care of a kid that was constantly bullying my daughter. He was calling her a whore, slut, trashy, etc... she never mentioned it to me, but her brother had witnessed it and had stepped in.

Apparently, it had been going on awhile and this other kid was enlisting cronies to jump in.

I told him I wouldn't be upset if he said something, but he was not to just go up to the kid and lay him out unless this other kid took first shot.

Turns out, he confronted this boy and two of his friends, and she didn't have an issue again. Now if it'd turned out differently, I would've contacted the school, but historically they do nothing.

I would have no issue with either of them standing up for themselves or each other in a situation like that.

WOuldn't the school be scared of future litigation?

If you notify them something is ahppening and they do nothing, then they are libel for all future damage.

Wouldn't that be the case?
 
Okay, so what's the problem? Hopefully something more than this:



It was that and more, everyday. And yes, it is a problem that needs to be escalated if the situation calls for intervention. It is also something schools have to, and I mean, have to, stop.
 
There isn't anything wrong with them... they just have a more serious issue of depression (for example) than the average person. I literally can't imagine any person taking their life that isn't depressed in some manner or another. Can you give an esample of a person fully alert, with no issues at all, logically concludes to end their happy life and die?

Ah, the argument from personal incredulity. How original.
 
Internet bullying is really a problem
You don't have to tell me. I've very much aware. And it's not just kids who do it, adults to it all the time to each other as well.

much moreso than I though until I watched this movie with my girls about cyberbullying. I was always like, "Oh just get up and walk away from the computer if it's that bad," but that was a very simplistic way to look at it. It's more than that. Computers are encompassed in kids lives these days (most of them, anyway) and bullying online is even more harsh than in person.
Not to mention other kids see it and bring the issues to school, so simply staying off the computer doesn't really matter.

We all know from experience that people are nastier online, and would say much worse things online, than in person. That kind of thing can be stopped, and should be stopped, but usually it's not, until it's too late.
Agreed. But schools really have no power to stop it. They can punish it at school in some states (including mine), but they cannot really stop it.
 
There are millions of children in the country.

How many does a situation like this affect? I mean the severe bullying that causes a person to kill themselves.

I would says it is a tiny tiny number, so why get so upset about so few cases?
More than there should be:

Suicide rate 2010

Granted that is a little old per se; but it still shows suicide is a huge problem, especially among the teens.

It is interesting to note the rate goes up as people get older and responsibility continues to increase with less assistance from family and/or friends.

What is even more interesting is the states with the top suicide rates are rural states.

[Stats from Ark for Children]
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people- about 4,400 per year
For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 attempts- about 440,000
14+% high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 % have attempted it
Bully victims are 2-9 times more likely to consider suicide (Yale University study)
At least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying (British study)
10- 14 year old girls may be at higher risk for suicide (British study above)

Those are scary numbers if bullying is causing half the suicide rate in children. It's lower now than it was in the past as well. Problem is it hasn't dropped any lower since the mid 2000s, it was on a decline then stopped declining. That is what we need to figure out; there is no reason for someone who is a teen to commit suicide with the correct help.
 
If a person thinks they have a sufficient reason to kill themselves, even if you disagree with those reasons, what business is it of yours to step in and stop them?

If we are talking about people we ought to know were treated like dirt or felt like dirt because of others (the premise of this thread), yes, you want to step in immediately.

I'm not particularly surprised you start out as an apologist for bullies, and then rhetorically argue for a number of the victims (who did nothing wrong at all, except find themselves to be targeted) to go and die.

You are promoting a pathway to suicide for innocent children. For what, exactly?
 
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What did you do about your bullying? Just curious because I was pretty severely bullied myself.

Part of it I can't even remember because I was reduced to having little energy throughout the day or desire to do much of anything..home or otherwise. It was more like being a zombie, but constantly thrown into situations that caused severe distress. Eventually it continued to escalate through some portions of the school staff, but not much else. I didn't want to be at school, and I sure did not want to be around those students (actually, most of the students).
 
You're the second person who has pigeon-hold this as distinctly American.

I made reference to someone else's assertion that bullying is the American way. Learn to read before you smart off, k?
 
I made reference to someone else's assertion that bullying is the American way. Learn to read before you smart off, k?

I did read it. And I just re-read it. You failed. I would suggest you put more effort into your writing to make your intention more clear.

Unless, of course, your intention was clear... and wrong... and you're simply trying to backtrack and cover yourself as the first person who made the same mistake did.
 
Not sure what you are trying to imply...

Look it up. You can't imagine something, therefore you're asserting it doesn't happen. Your lack of imagination has nothing to do with reality.
 
I was a victim of persistent bullying for being both different and disabled, day in and day out for years. I spent at least two years being escorted to schools kicking and screaming (no, I am not joking) because the atmosphere was that bad. Professionals surrounding, but not necessarily directly employed by the school in question thought this was a ridiculous atmosphere to maintain. Some teachers responded, others dismissed it. I didn't have suicidal thoughts, but I had teetered on the edge for years as a result. Now, really, another student was pushed down a flight of stairs for being different, and he and his family sued the district. People in the school thought he should have just taken in like a man, and got even more annoyed when he and his family fought back.

So yes, Gipper, I think this "man-up" mentality is bull**** and that apologists for bullies need a severe wake-up call.
Indeed, I would argue that the "man-up" attitude is, in fact, a form of bullying itself. That adults have such attitudes illustrates the fact that bullying is not merely a problem for children, but that it is merely a symptom of a broader society-wide tendency to disregard people's feelings and well being and to see pain or victimhood as individual weakness.
 
How easily someone is offended is directly proportional to how stupid they are.


Then again, I don't think most people are emotionally stable. Technology has simply highlighted this truth.


Stick some adult that never had any friends or any dates on an internet forum and it should be no surprise that person is going to have an interesting time to say the least. Imagine someone who's never been on a date going around giving dating advice on a forum.. I've seen it. We live in a crazy world.


I would say that describes more than 75% of forum goers.
 
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I made reference to someone else's assertion that bullying is the American way. Learn to read before you smart off, k?

Moderator's Warning:
Cease the personal attacks.
 
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