This new national hot topic of "bullying"

[Blackwidow]

Hey ya'll, so what do you guys think of this new hot topic thats all over the news and media about bullying?

Personally, I think its a load of crap, everyone gets bullied, its the way of life, whether its at school, or at work or by your older/younger silblings...personally I think it helps people develop thick skin and stop being so freaking sensitive. I got beat up in school, and I got beat up by my sister...I have even been ridiculed at school, and in my personal life. Yes, it hurts...but its helped me cope with things in life, its made me who i am today, and by god, i think i'm awesome!

[Flashmonkey]

Originally Posted by Blackwidow

and by god, i think i'm awesome!

That's because you are awesome.

And I agree. The only thing that's changed in the 20+ years since I was a young boy is that kids aren't as tough as they used to be hahaha.

[scotty]

Its just an excuse for the parents. Most parents are not able to be around their children due to work or what ever. So who is teaching them rite to wrong? Games, t.v, ect. Its no wonder kids are being mean to each other. Though there has always been bullying, but I do belive it has gotten worse over time. What ever happen to the good old fashion fights. You win some, you lose some. Now days, kids bring guns to school, start horrid rummors on facebook/myspace, and those rumors follow them all though school.

[backinthesaddleagain]

My wife has been an elem teacher for 24 years and she isn't seeing anything different at her school over the years. My daughter never encountered it in 12 yrs of school and my son is in 8th grade and other than false rumors of bullying at his school nothing concrete. Maybe it varies more by location?

[Blackwidow]

totally agree. kids today are all a bunch of sissies.

20 years ago, we all got beat up...it helped us know that if we messed up, we'll be eating dirt.

Now when my boss tells me "PAULETTE, WHY THE PHUCK DID YOU AGREE TO THAT DEAL, ARE YOU STUPID?" I don't ball up and start crying, I stand up to him and tell him to go screw himself cuz I know what i'm doing! The events that took place when we were young, good or bad, has made us all competitive and fearless. Now, kids think its ok to lose a softball game...phuck that, you play to win.

[Flashmonkey]

I think a lot of it is media hype coupled with outspoken, hypochondriac parents who have nothing better to do. Not that bullying isn't a real issue...I believe there have been a number of documented cases where bullying in the past has led to serious mental issues for the victim...but a lot of this new crap is just hype. Like the evils of preservatives, and high fructose corn syrup.

[backinthesaddleagain]

so why the phuck did you do that deal?

[Blackwidow]

go screw yourself, i know what i'm doing. lol

[Flashmonkey]

Originally Posted by backinthesaddleagain

so why the phuck did you do that deal?

The voices made her do it

[Blackwidow]

you give an inch but you end up taking a meter!

[Flashmonkey]

Originally Posted by Blackwidow

you give an inch but you end up taking a meter!

pics!!

[backinthesaddleagain]

Originally Posted by Blackwidow

go screw yourself, i know what i'm doing. lol

Hahaha, glad you didn't roll up in a ball and cry. Now excuse me while I go roll up in a ball and cry cuz you told me to screw myself.

[CThunder-blue]

It's just the "evolution" of things. Society has slowly become a flacid jellyfish. Back in the 80's, we had nuns in our schools who would paddle you with a real paddle if you stepped out of line. They got their paddles taken away and now we force people to go thru sensitivity training if they utter some non-pc phrase.

The 90's gave us grunge rock and began the whiner movement. Just listen to all the "pop" songs we have today. 90% of the males singing are just whining about something. It's a far cry from "Welcome to the Jungle" or "Janie's Got a Gun."

Now we have "Emo" movies, songs, and kids who cry just about any time you tell them no. We have movies who now target pg-13 crowds because they spend the most for movies. R movies have slowly died out with the exception of grossly violent films.

I blame liberalism.

[sombo]

lib·er·al·ism
   /ˈlɪbərəˌlɪzəm, ˈlɪbrə-/ Show Spelled[lib-er-uh-liz-uhm, lib-ruh-] Show IPA
–noun
1.
the quality or state of being liberal, as in behavior or attitude.
2.
a political or social philosophy advocating the freedom of the individual, parliamentary systems of government, nonviolent modification of political, social, or economic institutions to assure unrestricted development in all spheres of human endeavor, and governmental guarantees of individual rights and civil liberties.

So you blame the idea of more civil liberties for the degradation of society? The founding fathers who created and fought for independence were liberals tyvm.

I blame the social media who have twisted everything we 'know and believe' in over the years. Them and those so called psych majors who aren't parents yet know exactly how to parent the proper way have been destroying the US.

You can't discipline your kids anymore, you have to give them a "timeout" to have them think about what they did wrong. Ummmm hello? Doesn't any of these people remember when they were that young? Your attention span and thought processes aren't advanced enough at that young age for that work. You go sit in the corner and like 2mins later (that's being extremely generous btw) you're mind is off in lala land thinking about pixies or spaceships or something lol.

Then they started infecting the military with this soft gushy crap. I've been told that in US Army basic training they now have "stress" cards for when the training gets too tough. They then get taken to the side to talk about their feelings and what's wrong and such. Makes me sick to my stomach honestly.

[Blackwidow]

Originally Posted by sombo

I blame the social media who have twisted everything we 'know and believe' in over the years. Them and those so called psych majors who aren't parents yet know exactly how to parent the proper way have been destroying the US.

You forgot the parents that don't know the fine line between spanking vrs beating the shyt ouf of their kids. I'm all about tough love and spanking the kid so they know their wrong actions have consequences, but i do not and will not accept a parent that bruises their child cuz they broke a 2$ vase! Thanks to those people, any type of physical punishment is looked down on, thanks to the psych majors you mention, have stuck their nose so far up our personal lives we can't even talk to our kids without the fear of getting arrested. And thanks to those idiots in the media, they just think they do know it all...someone needs to tell them to phuck off and mind their own bizwax!

[sombo]

Hey, I never said anything about hitting. I know there are other ways to discipline a child other then hitting and such. But I will say that a quick slap on the back of the hand will get their attention and associate the bad behavior with the painful stinging. That will stick in the mind and actually cause them to pause when they go to do it again.

But I do agree, there are plenty that have taken it way to far and ruined it for everyone else. But since we've done a 180 on discipline and can't even spank w/o child services being called, things have gotten worse. Teenage crime has gone through the roof, disrespect for the law in youth has greatly increased, and respect for others has dropped drastically in youth. This has all happened rapidly since the increase in the no spanking movement. Kids aren't taught proper discipline and therefore have no respect for law, law enforcement, or the consequences of breaking the law.

Now you have cases just the opposite. I read of a girl using her mom's divorce lawyer to sue her dad cause he grounded her when she disobeyed him. She was staying with him and was told to stay off his computer. He found her on the his computer using the internet after he told her to stay off it. He then grounded her saying she couldn't go on a class trip to the city that her mom had already ok'd. So she turned around and sued him. That happened in Canada.

Another case in the USA. Parents of one girl filed a suet against the school for putting their child in "timeout" for misbehaving in class. The girl had an anxiety attack from being disciplined from a simple timeout.

Is this really what our society is coming to? That we can't do anything to keep kids in line and teach them proper respect for the rules?

[ally99]

Well, I think it's one reason hubby and I turned off our cable a year and a half ago and haven't looked back. The media can spin anything to sway and manipulate public beliefs. It has been done since the very first newspaper was published, and seeing as how these days the major networks are all owned by corporations (who do NOT have our best interests at heart, mind you), you really can't believe anything the media tells you, but people do. Therein lies one of our problems in society today.
I'm a teacher, and yes, bullying happens. However, it's no worse than 20 years ago when I was in middle school. I'm also the victim of severe bullying in those awful years. At risk of sounding weak (as I was back then), I cried everyday and had suicidal thoughts during those crazy years, but like Paulette said, not only do they help me relate to bullying victims in my classroom, but those experiences MADE ME WHO I AM TODAY, and yes, I like who I am too. So the problem has always been around. People tend to look at it as a new or growing problem nowadays since the media needed a topic to center around.
Just my . Don't even get me started on the corporate elite who control everything from the media to healthcare...these who have more power than most people could imagine.

[tjkamper]

Well, I was a bully at one point in my life. I think I would have snapped out of it a lot faster, if someone had put a stop to it. I think I'm a great person now, but it took a major/life changing injury to make me change.

When I was in Grade School I was bullied, and I became a bully when I became stonger than those who had bullied me. It could have been stopped if they had never bullied me in the first place. So I think that bullies should be diciplined appropriately to correct their behavior.

Shoot, some of the other guys I knew growing up who were bullies are now in prison. Well, think about it. A thug comes up to an adult with a gun/knife and steels his wallet, is the same as an 8 year old takes another 8 year old's lunch money. The thug is a bully. He goes to jail when caught. No one complains about that. Let the 8 year old, be diciplined. Kick highschool bullies out of school. Let them learn how hard life is without a highschool diploma.

If we stop it earlier, maybe we will have less thugs in prison.

[addy126]

Originally Posted by Blackwidow

Yes, it hurts...but its helped me cope with things in life, its made me who i am today,

A serial killer???

[CThunder-blue]

Originally Posted by sombo

lib·er·al·ism
   /ˈlɪbərəˌlɪzəm, ˈlɪbrə-/ Show Spelled[lib-er-uh-liz-uhm, lib-ruh-] Show IPA
–noun
1.
the quality or state of being liberal, as in behavior or attitude.
2.
a political or social philosophy advocating the freedom of the individual, parliamentary systems of government, nonviolent modification of political, social, or economic institutions to assure unrestricted development in all spheres of human endeavor, and governmental guarantees of individual rights and civil liberties.

So you blame the idea of more civil liberties for the degradation of society? The founding fathers who created and fought for independence were liberals tyvm.

See the bolded print. The founding fathers who created and fought for independence were not liberals. Where did you get this idea? Thomas Jefferson owned slaves. That's about as far away from liberal as they come. They were just tired of the tyranny of the British and wanted a system that was completely different. Why do you think slavery still existed until the civil war?

[Daeldren]

Its the same way this generation is going to have a hard time when they fail in their lives, kids nowadays are given silver spoons and sheltered their entire lives. They don't learn that life involves risks and yes you will fall on your ass many times, suck it up and tie your boots.

Bullying, it happens and as long as there are no lethal weapons involved its a natural order of life, the bruises will heal and so will their ego.

[RhinoJC]

Bullying is a very serious issue that needs to be addressed, but the reasons behind it are skewed.

When we were younger (speaking collectively) we were bullied at school or the playground. If we wanted to get away from it, we simply walked away. With the world pushing closer and closer to being connected 24/7, simply walking away isn't an option anymore. Kids who are severely bullied don't have an escape. Bullying and rumors aren't just at the playground or school anymore. It's on Facebook, in emails, text messages, phone calls, everywhere. Once it's on the internet, it's permanent, it will never go away. Arguments can be made that children shouldn't have access to this type of technology, but the same argument can be made that they should.

Someone stalking someone else is illegal, whether it be in real life or online. Yet a bully constantly hounding someone in real life or online is acceptable? Care to explain the convoluted logic behind that one?

Are parents at fault? Hell yes. Parents are the ones allowing it to happen and continue. If these parents taught their children the very simple concept of treating others as you wish to be treated, it wouldn't be an issue.

Is the politically correct crowd at fault? Partially. While acceptance is a big factor for tolerance, understanding that change to please the minority only serves to piss off the majority is a pretty simple concept that many of the PC crowd just can't seem to get through their thick skulls.

When kids off themselves as a means of escape there is obviously a problem. The parents of the bullies should be held responsible for allowing it to happen as well as the children who did it. Pushing someone to commit suicide is no different than putting a gun to someones head and pulling the trigger. The bully is the weapon, the parents are the accomplice. And the parents who claim to be too busy to know what was going on are either so self involved they shouldn't have kids, or are so ****ing ignorant that not only should they not have been breeding in the first place, they should be prevented from further breeding. Society is steadily declining and it isn't due to movies, music or games, it due to parents.

Granted, a little bullying can build character, but the level it has reached goes way beyond any positive aspects it may have once held. Children are impressionable, the more you tell them something, the more they believe it to be true, regardless of how untrue it may be.

[vet415]

The face to face bullying hasn't increased. Most kids are so p*$$ified they won't act like that any more than they did when I was in school. The issue today is in the cyber world. Kids have a clouded line between REAL life and virtual life. It runs together or parallel at best. The problem with that is when someone is sitting behind a keyboard in the safety of their own home, or their mommy and daddys home in most of these cases, you suddenly become 10 foot tall and bulletproof. It's real easy to be tough sitting at a desk. It's that way it is on most motorcycle forums I am on, not this one however.

As an adult, I can handle it, I could care less what someone says or thinks about me whom I don't know, have never met or just adds nothing meaningful to my life. Kids on the other hand take what they read on Myspace or Facebook WAY to seriously. Look at the issues on the news, majority are due to internet/cyber disputes.

Now with that said, yes, I do believe kids need to toughen up. A good arse kicking does wonders. I have two teens, a 17 yr old son and a 18 yr old daughter. I have told him and her both when they are online, DO NOT say anything you wouldn't say to someones face. Do they take that advice? Not always but I don't hesitate to call them out on it, but at the same time, they don't put much stock into what folks say that aren't an intregal part of their lives.

[sombo]

Originally Posted by CThunder-blue

See the bolded print. The founding fathers who created and fought for independence were not liberals. Where did you get this idea? Thomas Jefferson owned slaves. That's about as far away from liberal as they come. They were just tired of the tyranny of the British and wanted a system that was completely different. Why do you think slavery still existed until the civil war?

Yes they were liberals. They fought for a society that wanted civil liberties for it's people. They fought to make a country with a small government ruled by the people, not the elite. They fought to make a country for freedom from the old ways for those the people.

First, Jefferson freed his slaves because of what he believed in. So there goes your argument on that one. Second, you have to remember that back then the slaves weren't even considered people. Therefore they were not included in what many of the founding fathers were trying to build. Those that did view slaves as people freed the slaves they had and worked to try and convince others of the same. They didn't abolish slavery at that time because too many of the south wouldn't have it since they refused to see blacks as people instead of just property.

If they were conservatives as you are trying to suggest then they would have listened to those in congress who wanted things to remain as they were. There were those who wanted to remain part of England. To want to hold on to the traditional system and refuse a change of the system is conservative thinking. The founding fathers were liberals trying to create a country based on the civil rights and liberties of the people. Stop listening to social media and being twisted to their warped ideas of what liberalism is because they are dead wrong.

conservative (kənˈsɜːvətɪv) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]

— adj
1. favouring the preservation of established customs, values, etc, and opposing innovation

— n
7. a person who is reluctant to change or consider new ideas; conformist

Is that what our founding fathers sound like? Men who wanted to stay as just colonies under the tyranny of England?

What our founding fathers did was liberalism at it's truest. What the government is doing now is no where near what liberalism stands for. They continue to take away civil liberties while not protecting the people from those that would do us harm. That includes corporations that want to take advantage of and abuse the masses for self gain. Not sure what political system they are functioning as, but it's not a true democracy, it's not socialism, it's not communism, and it's not liberalism. In fact the closest there is would be fascism.

[Blackwidow]

wait...there is a difference between stalking someone vrs posting on facebook that "so and so is a wh0re that slept with everyone on the football team". This so called So and So should go up to the person that posted that and beat the crap out of her, then she will be sent to the principles office along with the person posting and both parents will be called in. the issue is then solved while parents are sitting there hearing why this so and so beat the shyt out of this idiot girl that thought it was funny to post crap on the net. My point is that people need to grow some balls and learn to defend themselves, because life isn't going to be pretty with buttlerflies and daisy's all the time, life is going to kick you in the ass so many times that cops, parents, or even the government can't help you...when the kids now a days think that calling the cops cuz they got a spanking is the way to go...what the hell are they going to do when their boss fires them when they are 35 years old? Go POSTAL? cuz they don't know any other way of survival, they lose their minds and think the world is over. Screw that, stand up, brush yourself off, and continue to be strong.

sorry- i'm pretty passionate about this...In high school some of our special ed kids would always get picked on by the a-hole jocks...one day I was hanging with my peeps (lol) and I see one of the jocks dump hot cup-o-noodles on the special ed kid and start laughing. I got so pissed my adrelenin got the best of me. I don't know how I did it, but i grabed the jerk by his stupid jersey and pinned him to the wall and told him if he ever did that, i'd personally shove a stick up his ass. From that day forth, none of the jocks messed with any of them. Just goes to show you show some roughness, no matter who it is, they learn their lesson and back off.

[sombo]

Woot woot, you go paulette. Show them who's the alpha.

I totally agree with you on that, you have to learn how to stand up for yourself. Sometimes the only way to get through to some people is with a calculated measure of violence. I'm not advocating violence here, just saying that in some cases a measure of it in some form (like what blackwidow did) is needed to get through the mental and emotional blocks humans put up within themselves.

[austexjg]

Thank you Mike (sombo) - well said.

[ally99]

Originally Posted by Blackwidow

I don't know how I did it, but i grabed the jerk by his stupid jersey and pinned him to the wall and told him if he ever did that, i'd personally shove a stick up his ass. From that day forth, none of the jocks messed with any of them. Just goes to show you show some roughness, no matter who it is, they learn their lesson and back off.

Nice! You GO girl!
Taekwondo or other martial arts are GREAT for this. If I had kids of my own, I'd have them involved. I'm a brown belt myself, and I'll say, it did more for my confidence in my abilities and myself than anything I've ever done before.

[backinthesaddleagain]

way to stand up for others Paulette

[onetruevibe]

[Flashmonkey]

Originally Posted by RhinoJC

When we were younger (speaking collectively) we were bullied at school or the playground. If we wanted to get away from it, we simply walked away. With the world pushing closer and closer to being connected 24/7, simply walking away isn't an option anymore. Kids who are severely bullied don't have an escape. Bullying and rumors aren't just at the playground or school anymore. It's on Facebook, in emails, text messages, phone calls, everywhere. Once it's on the internet, it's permanent, it will never go away. Arguments can be made that children shouldn't have access to this type of technology, but the same argument can be made that they should.

Walking away was almost never an option. When you're bullied, you're bullied. There is no walking away. Being a victim is a mentality, not a circumstance. And to be perfectly honest, all of this e-bullying nonsense is just highlighting this fact. Back in my day being bullied was a physical issue. It usually meant that I was getting punched in the face, pushed in the snow, or backed into walls with a knife being pulled on me. Real, tangible, physical danger. But the underlying issue isn't so much the bullies as it is the victims and the mentality that they adopt. They strip themselves of their own power and give it to their oppressor...but at least old school bullying involved an instantaneous threat.

If I came home and started sobbing about some idiot bad mouthing me and ruining my life on the internet, I'd get slapped in the head and told to man-the-hell-up. My dad's response to me getting hit at school was "hit them back harder". This is how I was raised...and it doesn't just build character...it helps you define who you are. Standing up for yourself; standing up to your fears, is a key element...a KEY element in growing up. If you fail to push back at life, you will get trampled on. There are a lot of people out there walking around who have failed to grow up.

Originally Posted by RhinoJC

Pushing someone to commit suicide is no different than putting a gun to someones head and pulling the trigger.

I disagree with this. It's one of those "it's everybody else's fault that my life sucks" kinda things. Legitimate mental issues aside, we all have decisions to make and the only true freedom we have in this universe is picking which one we go with. If suicide is your choice...so be it. I just hope you gave it some thought first.

However, it is hard to draw a line with this kinda stuff. A lot of people don't have parents that will slap them in the head to keep them honest and put things into perspective...and I think that's where a lot of parents are failing. We all need perspective from time to time; kids especially need this growing up because they lack their own life experience. Beating kids or giving them time outs or whatever....thats reactional stuff. How much attention are they getting...and I mean actual attention complete with interactions with their parents? Or are these poor kids just getting screamed at, talked at or ignored all day long? Kids will fall back to what they know, and the only thing they'll know at that point is instinctual. Some kids will turn inwards, becoming introverted, and anti-social. Others will lash outwards, becoming problematic, vying for attention anyway they can, from anybody that will give it. It depends on their nature....and we all differ slightly in that aspect. That's why we get such a wide range of responses. That's my theory, anyway.

Holy crap it's late.....

[Cab305]

The internet can make it infinitely worse nowadays.

[Flow]

Originally Posted by sombo

Hey, I never said anything about hitting. I know there are other ways to discipline a child other then hitting and such. But I will say that a quick slap on the back of the hand will get their attention and associate the bad behavior with the painful stinging. That will stick in the mind and actually cause them to pause when they go to do it again.

They'll do more than pause next time.

[Havok]

Emo kids, the root of all that is evil. ****ing emo kids.

[GeneJunkie]

Originally Posted by RhinoJC

Bullying is a very serious issue that needs to be addressed, but the reasons behind it are skewed.

When we were younger (speaking collectively) we were bullied at school or the playground. If we wanted to get away from it, we simply walked away. With the world pushing closer and closer to being connected 24/7, simply walking away isn't an option anymore. Kids who are severely bullied don't have an escape. Bullying and rumors aren't just at the playground or school anymore. It's on Facebook, in emails, text messages, phone calls, everywhere. Once it's on the internet, it's permanent, it will never go away. Arguments can be made that children shouldn't have access to this type of technology, but the same argument can be made that they should.

Someone stalking someone else is illegal, whether it be in real life or online. Yet a bully constantly hounding someone in real life or online is acceptable? Care to explain the convoluted logic behind that one?

Are parents at fault? Hell yes. Parents are the ones allowing it to happen and continue. If these parents taught their children the very simple concept of treating others as you wish to be treated, it wouldn't be an issue.

Is the politically correct crowd at fault? Partially. While acceptance is a big factor for tolerance, understanding that change to please the minority only serves to piss off the majority is a pretty simple concept that many of the PC crowd just can't seem to get through their thick skulls.

When kids off themselves as a means of escape there is obviously a problem. The parents of the bullies should be held responsible for allowing it to happen as well as the children who did it. Pushing someone to commit suicide is no different than putting a gun to someones head and pulling the trigger. The bully is the weapon, the parents are the accomplice. And the parents who claim to be too busy to know what was going on are either so self involved they shouldn't have kids, or are so ****ing ignorant that not only should they not have been breeding in the first place, they should be prevented from further breeding. Society is steadily declining and it isn't due to movies, music or games, it due to parents.

Granted, a little bullying can build character, but the level it has reached goes way beyond any positive aspects it may have once held. Children are impressionable, the more you tell them something, the more they believe it to be true, regardless of how untrue it may be.

+1 on this

I was heavily bullied until I went to college and actually was still bullied until I moved to an apartment.

To this day I have issues with meeting people and trusting people, so don't give me the load of BS that bullying builds character.

I can't imagine what it would have been like if Facebook/Myspace/cell phones etc existed when I was in school. The instant anyone get's a FB account... who do they add... their school mates, co-workers etc. If someone wants to bully, it's as easy as posting pictures, a status, etc and it's there instantly, will never be taken down and shown to an entire network of people.

What happened to that music major at Rutgers was appalling. If FB didn't exist would it have still happened... probably not to that extreme. I'm sure pre-FB days maybe the kid would have set up a camcorder and showed the video to a few friends. Instead, a public webcam broadcast across thousands of people occurred... I have no idea what I would have done if that happened to me.

Think twice when you say people are becoming soft. Everyone's lives are open books now. We can be criticized and analyzed through a microscope much easier now than ever before. The world is much different now than when we grew up.

[Samer]

To the OP. I don't doubt that you feel strengthened in some way due to overcoming bullying. Good for you. But please think a bit outside yourself. The reason this topic is hot right now is the fate of some other people was much worse than yours due to bullying. To think that everyone should go through bullying to get tougher is not a reasonable argument IMO. Bullying shouldn't be tolerated more than any other forms of abuse.

For some reason, I'm reminded of something I heard from a 50-something year old. She was criticizing vaccinations for chicken pox. She said, we all had chicken pox and we were fine, now kids are getting all of these vaccinations and the reported rates of Autism are growing rapidly. Well, it turns out Autism is unrelated to vaccinations. Parents who don't vaccinate their kids are putting lives at risk, and to argue that kids should suffer from chicken pox because their parents did is not really a reasonable argument. People will believe whatever they want, but there is only one version of the truth. I just wish more people put in some effort and kept an open mind to try to uncover it.

[JMcDonald]

I didn't read any of the thread except the title, so I apologize if this is going the complete opposite direction of the thread. But, I thought I'd add my 2c.

I used to get bullied. I started highschool at I think under 100lbs and about 5'3" . Then I went up to about 5'10" after a year and got a little older looking, but still got picked on because other guys saw me as "new competition" or something.

Then my dad took me to the boxing gym and taught me how to fight. never actually had to fight, but I had the confidence to stand up for myself, and they all always backed down and then I was good to go from then on.



What ever happened to the old American way of fixing your problems your damned self? Everyone just wines and stamps their feet about every little problem they have until somebody does something to help them.

Hell, after that point in my life, I stood up for several other kids during my time in highschool. Are there no "good" kids anymore who will do this?

[Cali619]

I like to bully the bullies....

[FrugalNinja250]

Yeah, I got bullied pretty hard as a kid. Everyone kept telling me to fight back, etc. The one time I tried I was knocked unconscious by having my head slammed against a steel light pole and left lying in a yard where I was found some time later. The gr'ups I kept going to seemed to think it was all some kind of joke, that I just needed to toughen up. Well, when you're 100 lbs facing three kids older than you who are at least 150lbs each what the hell are you supposed to do?

What I did was start designing bombs and boobytraps based on what I saw on TV (this was during the Vietnam war and the news was always going on about the new ideas the VC were coming up with to kill us) and sketching them out in very clear drawings (hence my career as a designer/drafter), then leaving the sketches around where the bullies could find them. It worked. They became fairly scared of me and left me alone because they thought that I could come get them in the dark with something they never would see coming. And I would have, too.

Bullying is serious business, it's basically animalistic dominant/aggressive behavior, and it causes serious damage to children every day that it's allowed to continue. There is no good from it that can justify allowing it to continue. If those bullies had decided (incorrectly) that I was bluffing it's likely I'd still be in prison today, if I was even alive. It's only through what I think of as sheer luck that that path didn't suck me down it; Is sheer luck how we want our children to develop into adults of one fashion or another? I look back on my past and am horrified that I had to go through what I did, and that I almost went down the path I did, pushed all the way by bullies.

[GeneJunkie]

Man, that is awful I'm sorry that you had to go through that.

I'm a little hesitant to open up my childhood but here it goes... One of the worst experiences I had with bullying was a group of girls trying to drown me in the deep end of the pool at summer camp. The lifeguards did nothing and ended up staying in the 3ft area literally under a lifeguard because I was scared for my life. I would come home with bruises from the same girls punching me, throwing me into picnic benches, etc. Yes the camp was contacted, they had meetings with the supervisors and claimed that I was lying when I had bruises that don't simply occur from being a clumsy kid. It escalated so bad that my parents pulled me out of that camp midsummer. That really is only one of the many bad bullying situations I went through.

If you just had name calling, had a rumor started about you, honestly it really isn't as bad as what many children have dealt with. My parents tried everything to keep me safe by having meetings with teachers to talking to the bully's parents... nothing worked. I'm honestly happy that bullying has been in the news. Even now thinking about what I went through is bringing tears to my eyes. No one should ever, ever have to live through what happened to me. If having this topic in the lime light now saves just even 1 child from being bullied as hard as I was, it's worth having people think that the American public has gone soft.