[npcomplete]

Originally Posted by Ricky Controversy

Again, this is a dangerous approach to take, because this only works in environments where a little beating is the worst it can get. In harsher environments violence can and will escalate beyond that level very quickly if that's the path you take, and then some kid(s) end up lying dead on the basketball court with a bullet wound.

Yeah I realize that escalation is very possible which was why I mentioned wouldn't be accepted. I do have some thoughts about how to actually deal with that, which to be honest is probably too radical for most, so I won't get into that here. The problem is that bullying is sometimes simply just accepted here. And most approaches only deal with the effects and not the causes, which really can only be addressed at home with the parents. These approaches still leave bullies as bullies, with perhaps even more resentment just lower incidences of bullying, or switching from physical harassment to verbal taunting.

I think most of us can understand the victim, but I don't think most consider that from the bully's point of view, he/she actually feels fully justified in his/her actions. Since most fear-based punishment approaches that is typically used here won't work in changing that mindset, and if the authorities ignore the situation, then an approach where victims would not be punished in turn for defending themselves would be no worse. It can potentially be better by at least removing the satisfaction of bullying from the bullies.

No offense, but it sounds like both you and Neat came from neighborhoods on the more peaceful side of the spectrum. I'd strongly encourage anyone that fortunate to preserve the peace as best as they can and find some way other than 'an eye for an eye'.

Lol, no offense taken, I guess I do have to be grateful for it being relatively peaceful

Spoiler for could've been better; could've been worse:

Growing up my own home was tagged. I've encountered way too many wannabe, or perhaps aspiring, gangbangers. Fortunately no shootings on my own block at least.

As for my own high school environment (cheap parochial all-boys urban school), well, let's just say: I didn't have much problem other than being attacked with eggs once and stuff occasionally stolen from me, mostly because I stayed out of the way, but fights were not uncommon, suspensions occurred over severe attacks, a friend brought a gun to school, another friend died in another incident (don't want to get into details but he was actually a really good guy who made a bad decision to join a gang; I found out when I asked about his black eye one day, which resulted from his initiation);

school closed during the Rodney King riots with one friend nearby walking around with a shotgun ( seriously )

funny part is that most of us were able to joke and be flippant about our environment in general (except for my friend's death) albeit with some friction at times, where most of the talk, I hate to say would sound absolutely racist to outsiders

But yes I certainly do think it wiser to try to deter bullying. I'm not advocating an immediate retaliatory approach, but a sort of right to defend oneself, where victims won't end up the ones punished by using actions that may appear to be instigated by them (from those who have ignored the situation), as a last resort.

(BTW interestingly researchers now say that Hammurabi created the eye-for-an-eye law in order to prevent any escalation of violence actually)