Oprah did a show on the bullying epidemic that is going on in shcools.
I think they did a good job.
They said that the community and the schools needs to take responsibility to stop bullying in schools.

They just need to kick the asses of the bullies - and their parents.

annastesia1 said:

That's great they think the community and the schools should take responsibility for the bullying...but what about the parents??? I feel it starts there! I have seen to many mean kids copy what their parents do! It angers me! My youngest daughter was picked on in school, to the point of wanting to kill herself!!! NO child should have to deal with things like that!!!

Great resource link on bullying http://www.b-free.ca/default.html

MoniGram said:

Holy crap

I couldnt watch it all,,,very disturbing. kids are so friggin CRUEL

MoniGram said:

A 10 year old killed himself last week in one of our schools in the Atlanta metro due to bullying. So sad. Little fuckers. I know if I had kids and that was happening to them, it would take everything in my power not to strangle the little fuckers.

KatSkrizzle said:

My son lost two friends due to bullying in school, one hung himself, the other shot herself in the head! They were in 6th, and 8th grade!!! My son was only 12 when it happened, and both suicides were 3 months apart! It is awful to think children can be so cruel!

MoniGram said:

Yeah, they are. Problem is with adults that minimize it by saying, "everyone gets picked on." or "It's a part of growing up." Not everyone goes through this, and it's not supposed to be a part of growing up... there's a difference between the occasional teasing, and the daily consistent torture that some kids have to go through. Most adults really have no clue because they didn't go through it.

coolcat said:

Exactly!!!!

Genesia said:

Interesting.

Well, I'd say the bullies and the parents are the way they are because they've had their asses kicked.

I saw that last night. Wow. It is sad that this stuff happens, but as a teacher, I see it all the time. And what pisses me off more, is that we allow it to continue. I don't allow bullying or teasing in my classroom or if I catch students teasing or bullying in the hallways, I call their parents and we get that matter stopped as quick as possible. Most of the parents think that I am over reacting, but at least we get this matter addressed.



Some of my teachers just over look the bullying, unless it is their own kid being bullied, then they jump in. My beef is, that all of the students are our kids and we should look out for them as well, not just or own.

I agree that the community should become more proactive with this matter, but then I think back to a fight a year ago between two middle school females. They were fighting over some boy, go figure. But the thing that really hit me was, I was the only adult trying to break up the fight. The rest of the adults were yelling "Fight! Fight! Kick that B*&$#es A$%"....I was pissed and shocked.

We gotta do more people.

JustErin said:

There has to be a reasonable medium that can be reached with preventing damaged kids and their no-no-better parents from inflicting their abuse and bile on others though. They sould not be excused for the damage they are all to happily, gleefully and readily to heap on other kids.

I can think of some bullies and their sick twisted parents from my own childhood and am just grateful I made it out alive through grade school

Can't stand teachers that turn their backs on kids getting bullied.

JellyBean said:

good for you. You're not overreacting at all. It is a matter of life and death in my opinion.

JustErin said:

I think that yes, some bullies have been bullied themselves. But from my experience a lot of bullies really don't have any such problems... A lot of times they're confident, looked up to by peers... They're just selfish assholes though.

Ottensen said:

I'm not saying it as an excuse. I'm simply saying that violence is never an answer.

coolcat said:

I've never known a bully that grew up in a loving, non abusive (in some way) home.

And from my experience, most over confident, selfish assholes are far from what they appear to be to their peers.

My nephew is a bully. He picks on his younger brother constantly and is always being punished for it.
He's also been known to bully a few kids at school as well. He's wildly popular cause he's the kid that owns everything, been everywhere, etc. etc. etc.
At 10 years old, he's become the kid I would have avoided in school.

The strange thing is that he's very sweet, very caring, and very sensative too. He seeks my approval even today. When I was vacationing at their place last month he was constantly trying to seek my approval on everything. We would fall to pieces if I said I didn't want to walk in the woods to their "fort" which they created underneath a large tree, etc. etc.

With him, I think it's a phase. In his defense I'll also add he doesn't pick on kids "without" (poor kids, kids who don't own the things he owns, etc.), nor disabled, fat, or 'ugly' kids,---what it seems like he's doing is picking on kids who he perceives as competition towards some goal. He's a classic alphamale.

I love him dearly, and will always love him. I just don't currently like him. So my interactions with him have been forced. I've had to put on a 'good face' and use as much positive reinforcement as I could while thinking to myself the whole time "you brat!!!!"

I think it's just a constant process of having to stay vigilant. Men will be men, boys will be boys, but people shouldn't have to be hurt in the process. And that requires the ever present, watchful, eye of adults who unfortunately sometimes can't be bothered.

One school principal used a creative approach to help bullies.
He gave counseling to the bullies and helped them to be happier.
He also got the whole school involved to stop the bullying.
This is interesting.
I have heard that there is also counseling for men who abuse women.
The focus is on the person doing the abusing not just the victim.

Adults get bullied as well on the net and in real life.

Its horrible but at the same time we have to prepare our kids for bullying. Teach them how to defend themselves verbally and physically. Nobody should make a child want to end their life. We have to teach our kids that the bullies are the weak ones. Bullying is not so much the problem to me as the whole mob mentality. When kids get that fever and come together in groups and pick on one kid...that's when you know things are out of control and something terrible is looming.

I think the schools don't do anything because they are afraid of these kids. I couldn't be a teacher...I would so be whooping on some brat's ass!!!

JustErin said:

Yeah, you're right. Let's be nice to the assholes. That'll solve everything.

JustErin said:

I agree it's not the answer.

But sometimes a quick-fix feels pretty good.

annastesia1 said:

This sounds nice and all but frankly, I'm not falling for it.

While I agree there is some sort of counseling needed for these kids, I also think in some cases it's so intense, so heavy,a little kumbabya speech simply doesn't work with these little Chuckie-Manson brats; there has to be some form of discipline required that can instill in them some cognizance of action and consequence.

Hummm.....kids need 2 learn how 2 protect themselves.

Graycap23 said:

I agree. In 2 of the 3 cases in my childhood where I was most severely, relentlessly bullied, it pretty much halted when I decided to fight back. It suddenly became very clear to the other parties that they were no longer going to derive their sense of power through literally and metaphorically stomping me into the ground.

I beat this bitche's ass once in front of her bully friends. Then they became my friends. Sloppy seconds but oh well.

DesireeNevermind said:

I had to do that in 7th grade to a 9th grader. By that time I was so fed up with being the common whipping post, the Good Lord sincerely had to protect me and her from my own rage...it was not pretty. It's a wonder I didn't end up like "Tyrone" in your siggy...(his name was Tyrone, wasn't it?):

Kill my landlord. Kill my landlord.

C-I-L-L.

My landlord

Ottensen said: