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[Dilla]

I have never been bullied physically, and I had enough friendly aquaintances in the higher level of popularity food chain in school to where I was never really messed with, despite never being there myself. However, I do know that if I had ever been bullied and had gone to a teacher with it, I would have been labelled a snitch and I would been made into even more of a target by more bullies, so that option was a big no-no.

Hell, my own mother told me that if a bully ever put his hands on me, I had permission to defend myself and fight back. She would deal with the consequences herself. It depends on where you're from and how you've been raised, me thinks.

Also note that if you're going to fight a bully, especially during school, don't have a track record of disciplinary problems. If you've been considered a good, respectful student by your teachers, you definately be let off. You're chances would be better than the bully, that's for sure.

If an alternative for fighting is wanted, the best option to me would be the 'avoiding' option. Make yourself scarce, it works more than one might think.

[Reckoner]

Sometimes bullies will back down if you tell an adult, but many times there is no alternative solution except to fight back.

I have personal experience with bullying, and I have a friend who got bullied.

One time my friend was waiting to cross a very busy street on the outside of my school, when a bully pushed him and he fell into the street. Luckily there no cars there that coould have possibly ended his life that today. He immediately got up, and socked the bully in the face. Later he would find out that a parent called, and he and the bully ended up getting suspended for 3 days because of a "zero tolerance" policy. Obviously my school made a retarded decision.

In my own experience, I kept getting bullied in my class in 10th grade by some jerk who get shoving me or turning my desk, sometimes spitting on me, and calling me whatever name he could figure out. What did I do to him to get this attention? Nothing. I soon told my teacher about the situation and he was reprimanded. However, this did not stop him and actually encouraged both him and his friends to bully me out of class. I finally got tired and beat the sh*t out this kid (He was smaller than me). This was away from the school's attention, so nothing happened to me. But I could have likely got expelled if they found out. He was pretty bruised up, and he stopped bullying me afterwards, though to this day we are not on friendly terms by any stretch of the imagination. We ignore each other's existences.

Well to be on the topic, I hope the ultimate decision on the kid in this story resolves in a positive manner for him and his family.

There was an interesting anime episode in Shigofumi about the topic of bullying if people want to gain some insight into this issue...

[chikorita157]

I had experienced 3 years of constant bulling (not physically) by some jerks in high school and it wasn't pretty... The problem is that when I reported it, the school administration do little to fix the problem, mainly because of my nationality... After graduating, of course the burden went away and I don't remember it much which made myself able to perform better in college than high school.

The problem with US schools is that they don't enforce their anti-bulling policy... which in the end causes problems for the victim of bulling...

[Vexx]

K-12 anti-bullying policy is, for the most part, an unmitigated disaster. It punishes the victim, it encourages people to *report* victims (since they might shoot up the school, so the thinking goes), it teaches fanciful responses to bullies (e.g. "just walk away" ... and when you turn around, they smack you in the back of the head -- brilliant).

It is a rare day when I see a policy that attempts to make the bully responsible for their antics or to eliminate the conditions that encourage such nonsense. Gods forbid that we hold a student *responsible* for being a bully.... :P

[TooPurePureBoy]

Hmm bullying eh? Ya that stuff really got to me in junior high, when high school started I said no more and some kids that had bothered me before started ganging up on me during gym class I kind of lost it. I started talking back to them, one of them ( I guess he'd be the so called 'ringleader') got in my face and I grabbed him by the back of the head with both hands, pulled him towards me, and proceeded to shatter his nose as I headbutted him with everything I had. One of the others grabbed me but he was kind of a little fella and I was raging so I shoved him and wouldn't you know (wtf ) there was a small 3 foot or so embankment that led to the soccer field behind him...down he went. The last guy came running and for some reason ( I think i was watching to much wrestling or something) i choke slammed him onto the ground and started shoving pine needles in his mouth.

That's pretty much when the Gym teacher showed up, the end. I got suspended for a week, came back to school and for the next 4 years I never had another problem with anyone verbally or physically. In fact I actually developed pretty cordial relations with most of the delinquents. I don't condone hurting other people.....but sometimes it can get results.

I lived in a pretty small town though, so it might be a little different in big cities where there are gangs and some seriously dangerous individuals.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Shadow Minato

A very interesting story..

I am slightly curious. Why did the Korean boy's father taught him to fight back using only his left-hand? Leftist counterstrike?

Self-defense is justified but the appropriate action for that matter would be to tell a nearby teacher and explain it rather than fighting back because it will only develop into a more serious matter. More over, there is a reason for why the people in that area are acting the way they are, unless people are going to ignore the entire story. There is two-sides on a coin.

In Canada, from what I heard.. Ever since the Olympics.. The Liberals and the NDP motivated by local Chinese propaganda groups are going to force the Conservative government to step down and apologize for not being friendly to China because the Conservative valued human rights over business ties. And for that matter, the Conservatives are being bullied everyday by the Chinese alliance to the point that it is almost seen as if Canada is a soon-to-be Chinese colony. And thus, it explains why the white Canadians students aren't very happy.. Nonetheless, his actions are not justified because racism is bad and also that punching another is also highly inappropriate.

Once the Conservatives are forced to step down, the other political parties have the very intention to ignore the United States and NATO, then build strong bilateral ties with China and make Canada into a Chinese colony rather than being an American ally.

This is the first I've heard of any of this.

Here's what's realyl going on in Canada right now with regard to politics. The Liberal party leader Michael Ignatieff has made his acceptance speech and the Liberal's are currently gaining popularity in the polls. Enough to pull ahead of the conservatives, but not for Ignatieff to beat out Harper in the leadership question polls.

As for the Olympics, all I've heard is that Harper hopes that enough Euphoria and Canadian pride will be channelled through them to reflect back on the Conservatives and allow them to slide through to the next election.

Originally Posted by Vexx

Gods forbid that we hold a student *responsible* for being a bully.... :P

You're a Battlestar Galactica watcher aren't you?

Originally Posted by james0246

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to place this information, but:

Justice Souter To Retire From Supreme Court.



Now, this is not 100% confirmed yet, but several blogs, websites, and even news channels are reporting that Souter is getting ready to step down. It would be a shame if he did step down currently, if, for no other reason, than he was one of the few bastions of non-partisianship found in all of D.C., but if he feels it is his time to retire, then my best wishes go out to him (...I hope he writes a autobiography or a memoir about his time in D.C.).

That's sad to hear. I've agreed with pretty much every decision Souter has ever made, but I can understand why he would want to pick now to retire. Hopefully Obama will be able to find another good moderate candidate to replace him.

[Zippicus]

Did I just hear 2 people call Souter a moderate ? That's a joke right ? He hasn't been anywhere near moderate for like 15 years

[Shadow Kira01]

China's propaganda 'carriers' go global

Old news..

[ZephyrLeanne]

Originally Posted by Vexx

K-12 anti-bullying policy is, for the most part, an unmitigated disaster. It punishes the victim, it encourages people to *report* victims (since they might shoot up the school, so the thinking goes), it teaches fanciful responses to bullies (e.g. "just walk away" ... and when you turn around, they smack you in the back of the head -- brilliant).

It is a rare day when I see a policy that attempts to make the bully responsible for their antics or to eliminate the conditions that encourage such nonsense. Gods forbid that we hold a student *responsible* for being a bully.... :P

You know, the whole idea is great, really. It forces the weaklings to train up[ and fight back. Less softies. What a perfect Darwinian idea

My foot it's going to work. Seriously, wtf is up with the world?

[chikorita157]

Originally Posted by Vexx

K-12 anti-bullying policy is, for the most part, an unmitigated disaster. It punishes the victim, it encourages people to *report* victims (since they might shoot up the school, so the thinking goes), it teaches fanciful responses to bullies (e.g. "just walk away" ... and when you turn around, they smack you in the back of the head -- brilliant).

It is a rare day when I see a policy that attempts to make the bully responsible for their antics or to eliminate the conditions that encourage such nonsense. Gods forbid that we hold a student *responsible* for being a bully.... :P

That is probably a result of past school shootings like the Columbine Schooting, which is a famous example which the victim of bullying go out on a schooting rampage as a result of bullying... that is why most of the K-12 anti-bullying policy is a absolute disaster and needs to be reformed... so it doesn't punish the victim, but instead punish the person responsible... but we know that will not happen because of social darwinism...

but then again... if the victim were to fight against the bully, the victim will still get punished...

[ZephyrLeanne]

Originally Posted by chikorita157

That is probably a result of past school shootings like the Columbine Schooting,...

but then again... if the victim were to fight against the bully, the victim will still get punished...

好人没好报，恶人得好报。
In other words, the good never get their just rewards, but it is always the evil that gets away with it.

On one hand, i've recently been given a job at a small university (it's not even on Honshu for the record) as a part-time lecturer on Modern Visual Culture, targeted at foreign students. It's an all-English course. LOLZ

Meanwhile, I'm letting go of my social worker position to pursue such a post. Given that lodging is provided with my new job, I think that's not such a worry. I think it's understandable that the church had to let me go due to the crisis. On the other hand, since I'm moving southwards to an off-shore island, it means I get more sun!

So thus, I can't give any much more on this topic regarding my views... but still...

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Zippicus

Did I just hear 2 people call Souter a moderate ? That's a joke right ? He hasn't been anywhere near moderate for like 15 years

He was appointed by people who thought he was going to be a "big government conservative"... he turned out to actually read the constitution a lot of the time (unlike a few other justices ). There's more than one kind of conservative... just as there's more than one kind of liberal. The two terms (and the political linear graph) are really inadequate to describe anyone.

[Nosauz]

Originally Posted by Reckoner

Sometimes bullies will back down if you tell an adult, but many times there is no alternative solution except to fight back.

This isn't just an either or, there are many possible outcomes of bullying, if only it was black and white but it isn't. Fighting back, could get you killed, telling your parents could get you killed, the human factor and intimidation play a big role to how we react to situations of real stress. With all these suicides and mass shootings I think we really don't address the problem of bullying at all, and its psychological detriments. It isn't just the bully and the bullied, its also those inactive bystanders who either laugh or don't say anything when this behavior is seen. Really I think this is a failure in our school system, the media, and parents, everybody shares blame, the media for not helping raise awareness of the issue but instead vilifying everyone or canonizing others while not really delving into the real problems, schools that promote or turn the blind eye to bullying, parents who don't teach their kids to cope with the real world, coddling their children, telling them that their special and that everyone will accept them. Unfortunately the world is filled with bigotry, just look at the vitriol on the internet and you can see the malice of people, and the anonymity of the internet or authority can bring out the worst in people, its great to tell your kids that their special, but don't fill their heads with delusions that everybody will like them, and the world is a big board game because these ideas are what breed this complacency for bullying, this willing to sacrifice justice in the name of the status quo. Bullying isn't just about the people involved, society needs to take a role in curbing this "epidemic."

All these anecdotal situations used as evidence as methods to solve bullying do not help people being bullied, making aware the adverse affects of bullying and its harm to those who suffer from it is the only way to really find a possible solution. Just posting a sob story on the tele or the internet does nothing but raise out cry at that moment, but once that moment passes, we seem to forget the pain that bullying causes, we don't need suicides and mass murder to galvanize a movement of treating people with respect, respect doesn't mean you have to like someone, but treating them like a human just seems to be too much to ask for these days.

[Claies]

Originally Posted by chikorita157

That is probably a result of past school shootings like the Columbine Schooting, which is a famous example which the victim of bullying go out on a schooting rampage as a result of bullying... that is why most of the K-12 anti-bullying policy is a absolute disaster and needs to be reformed... so it doesn't punish the victim, but instead punish the person responsible... but we know that will not happen because of social darwinism...

but then again... if the victim were to fight against the bully, the victim will still get punished...

Except, in retrospect, the well-known "fact" that the shooters of Columbine were bullied has fallen under suspicion.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=colum...fp=OlAWEoQSgPM

It really all comes back to the school trying to protect its own image with little regard to what happens under the hood. As long as there's no shooting, they're fine. Since victimized people shoot, as long as there are no victimized people, they're fine. Since they can't be bothered to find out who the victims and victimizers are, as long as they deal with depressed people, it's close enough.

The message I'm really getting is this: "We don't care what's going on, as long as there's no violence." Everything harebrained is built upon this.

Ain't life grand? I'm glad I left the public school system.

[Zippicus]

Originally Posted by Vexx

He was appointed by people who thought he was going to be a "big government conservative"... he turned out to actually read the constitution a lot of the time (unlike a few other justices ). There's more than one kind of conservative... just as there's more than one kind of liberal. The two terms (and the political linear graph) are really inadequate to describe anyone.

Well overall his voting record leaves him leaning too far left to be considered a moderate. Hell I'd have a hard time calling any of the current judges moderates, most of them lean too far one way or the other. It's probably due to the nature of our (pseudo) two party system.

[Nosauz]

Originally Posted by Claies

Except, in retrospect, the well-known "fact" that the shooters of Columbine were bullied has fallen under suspicion.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=colum...fp=OlAWEoQSgPM

It really all comes back to the school trying to protect its own image with little regard to what happens under the hood. As long as there's no shooting, they're fine. Since victimized people shoot, as long as there are no victimized people, they're fine. Since they can't be bothered to find out who the victims and victimizers are, as long as they deal with depressed people, it's close enough.

The message I'm really getting is this: "We don't care what's going on, as long as there's no violence." Everything harebrained is built upon this.

Ain't life grand? I'm glad I left the public school system.

Private is much better hmmm?? Don't be asinine, private schools have had some serious cases of hazing associated with "private school" frats, its not just a private vs public, address the issue and don't strawman, because that doesn't solve anything.

[Nosauz]

Originally Posted by Zippicus

Well overall his voting record leaves him leaning too far left to be considered a moderate. Hell I'd have a hard time calling any of the current judges moderates, most of them lean too far one way or the other. It's probably due to the nature of our (pseudo) two party system.

again look at life appointments, I bet the "establishment" dropped their shits when brown v board struck down seperate but equal, really in our government its more like big business and big gov in bed with each other, and we the citizens having to bend over to constantly get raked over.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Claies

Except, in retrospect, the well-known "fact" that the shooters of Columbine were bullied has fallen under suspicion.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=colum...fp=OlAWEoQSgPM

It really all comes back to the school trying to protect its own image with little regard to what happens under the hood. As long as there's no shooting, they're fine. Since victimized people shoot, as long as there are no victimized people, they're fine. Since they can't be bothered to find out who the victims and victimizers are, as long as they deal with depressed people, it's close enough.

The message I'm really getting is this: "We don't care what's going on, as long as there's no violence." Everything harebrained is built upon this.

More like "We don't care what's going on, as long as there's no violence that involves the police". Some bullied kid getting slapped around? Boys will be boys. Some bullied kid defending himself and the bully's parents having the gall to sue? Zero tolerance! Think of the children!

[MrTerrorist]

Berlusconi's wife to divorce him.
Berlusconi 'pained' amid divorce reports.

Ha! Serves him right for being an egotistic playboy.

[chikorita157]

Originally Posted by Claies

Except, in retrospect, the well-known "fact" that the shooters of Columbine were bullied has fallen under suspicion.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=colum...fp=OlAWEoQSgPM

It really all comes back to the school trying to protect its own image with little regard to what happens under the hood. As long as there's no shooting, they're fine. Since victimized people shoot, as long as there are no victimized people, they're fine. Since they can't be bothered to find out who the victims and victimizers are, as long as they deal with depressed people, it's close enough.

The message I'm really getting is this: "We don't care what's going on, as long as there's no violence." Everything harebrained is built upon this.

Ain't life grand? I'm glad I left the public school system.

I think that schools need to reform their policy so something like this won't happen... You know that punishing the bully and/or victim would end up making the parents sue or fight the school...

But then again, in college, I never had to put up with this bullying crap because most of the bullies never get their foot in a good college in most cases.