Another example of why the education system in the U.S. is FUBAR'd
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I'm going with the school on this one. Articles like this always leave out the other side, mostly because they know they can't respond.
My guess is the kid was being a super annoying little shit, being told to not be an annoying little [sh**], with a mother who can't possibly believe that her precious little snowflake is being an annoying little [sh**] So they run to the media and it becomes a story where someone was told to not wear a backpack because he was "bullied" because of it, not because of his non-stop yammering about any and all things ponies throughout the day.
Have you ever met a hard core brony in real life? Annoying shit doesn't even describe it. Think the crappy prose of erotic fan fiction mixed with A.J. levels of enthusiasm with a healthy dose of Comic Book Guy.
I'm all about letting that freak flag fly, but damn, some folks need to know when to fly it. Do it at Brony-con, not in the perfume department of Macy's. There's a reason why hippies live on compounds.
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While I have to somewhat agree with @psx_defector on this (I can't believe I just admitted that one), there are two sides to the story. There is also an overwhelming theory that if they change the environment than they can stop the bullying. Umm, well if you do not punish the kid doing the bullying then well it's going to continue, having to walk around a track is not punishment. Kids that think they can get away with whatever they want are running the schools.
Though on the other side of that if the backpack is getting the kid beat up as his parent wouldn't you want to protect him? The whole entire things is just messed up. Hence the reason homeschooling is growing everyday.
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The bullying thing in general just annoys me. I truly wonder how much is real bullying vs children just learning the pecking order?
We, in American society, have change our approach with our children in general to one where we believe our children are all special. But this certainly can't be the case. If everyone is special - then in reality no one is. We are raising our children today to feel entitled.
I see bullying today like I see child abduction or rape. It's probably not really any worse today than it was 20 years ago, they just have media attention today they didn't have 20 years ago. It's the in thing, what sells airtime and newspapers.
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Very true @dashrender but again another difference is the lack of discipline in schools and at home for that matter. Children who learn early that their consequences are not painful (not necessarily physical) learn that can do what they want. That carries over in every aspect as well, learning they can do whatever they want and should get whatever they want cause they are special has just created a society they thinks they are owed something and do not have to do anything to get it.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@slazer2au said:
wow... just wow.
Pretty sure the people I went to school with would buy that bag and use it at school just to mess with the staff.
LOL, me too. That would have been me.
You would have been expelled from PBS for wearing a Satanic representation of a horse. -
Actually, I completely disagree with that theory @dashrender . Bullying is worse, because children can't get away from it. Cyber-bullying makes it so that bullies are able to publicly attack a kid on facebook pages, via school email and message boards, etc. Instead of it being a "well, school sucks, but at least I don't have to deal with bullies at home", there is no escape.
Also, check this out: http://www.michaelmorones.org/
An 11 year old boy attempted suicide because he was bullied for liking My Little Pony. For that to even occur to a kid that age is astonishing to me.
Anytime I get discouraged or overwhelmed at the thought of homeschooling, I read stuff like this and it reinforces the decision for me. It may be true that forcing the "different" kids to conform to reduce the bullying target on their back actually reduces the amount that they are bullied, that's not an acceptable solution to the problem. It's just like in Jurassic Park, where the people stopped moving so that the T-rex didn't see them and eat them, and instead went to look for someone else to eat: the T-rex was still there, and was still hunting for prey, nothing was solved. The real problem here is that bullying is socially acceptable, so bullies feel safe in carrying out their desire to hurt other people.
Also, even if what @psx_defector said was true of this kid, if you don't have anything in common with someone, ignore them. The choices aren't either someone is a friend, or a person to bully, there are lots of positions in between.
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@Dominica said:
Actually, I completely disagree with that theory @dashrender . Bullying is worse, because children can't get away from it. Cyber-bullying makes it so that bullies are able to publicly attack a kid on facebook pages, via school email and message boards, etc. Instead of it being a "well, school sucks, but at least I don't have to deal with bullies at home", there is no escape.
Really? Cyber-bullying? That's the largest crock of [sh] I've ever heard.
One of the first things kids should have learned on the internet is to NEVER USE YOUR REAL NAME. I take it to a pretty high extreme, Facebook being the only place where I use my real name because I converse with real people in real life. My name as far as anyone on the internet is concerned is PSX_Defector, a long standing name of close to 20 years. I've used it in forums, emails, various chat medium, etc. etc. I never use my internet name in real life, save for the place that shall not be mentioned's convention, but that's because no one there knows me by my real name. I'm careful on revealing where I live, where I work, even my mannerisms. The internet is the internet and real life is real life and never the twain shall meet.
Kids get cyber-bullied because they don't know the technology. They hang out their [moderated] to allow people to find them, friend everyone and anyone on Facebook, never knowing that there is that little button called "Ignore" that easily gets rid of it. Kids are just not that sophisticated to know how to smurf it, nor do they know how to formulate a convincing alter ego. People may say stuff about you behind your back in some way, but that's no different than in any other situation. And if it's a real problem, libel is still a tort in this country. If some mean girls write you are a slut who [moderated] every boy in school and a service won't take it down, any law talking guy worth his salt would be able to screw them over six ways from Sunday.
You don't go screaming at the top of your lungs in real life all the minute details of your day, you shouldn't be doing it on the internet.
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@PSX_Defector Okay, first of all, I love how Addie is moderating you. She's doing a good job of keeping the gist of what you're saying, and it actually looks like you intended for it to be edited that way, lol.
Second, I agree with what you're saying about FB, and about kids not understanding the internet, and I think these things happen because parents don't understand the internet either. Many people still don't get that once you put something out on the internet, it's out there forever. Scott actually uses his full name everywhere online so that he controls the majority of information available about him online. Kind of the equal and opposite of what you do with never using your own name.
There has been at least one case, I believe in FL, where the police have used bullying comments made on FB as evidence against a bully.
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It mostly comes down to irresponsible parents. If they educated their children correctly on the use of the internet. If they taught them to be responsible and disciplined them they the issues that the public schools and kids deal with wouldn't even be there.
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@Dominica said:
Scott actually uses his full name everywhere online so that he controls the majority of information available about him online.
Except that one cannot control what others say online. For example, Scott Allen Miller has a proclivity towards wearing fur suits while running around the back yard.
You can say the same thing about me, but ultimately this is just a persona, a unknown avatar who can disappear tomorrow. Yeah, it would probably suck if I had to change my name, but it's something that can be done. Once you release that vaulted name, you are screwed and have to conform and keep things on the down-lo.
Do you think this kid ever used his name again after posting this desktop shot?
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@PSX_Defector
There must be an inside joke I'm not getting. What's in this screenshot that's a problem? Also, you spelled Scott's name wrong.ETA: Oh! I see it now.
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@psx_defector I was happily lurking until that came up.... once you see it. (Isn't that a thing now? WYSIYSB?)
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@PackMatt73 said:
@Dashrender said:
Nice, can you share the paper?
I think you mean ***papyrus ***not paper
Har har
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@PSX_Defector said:
Do you think this kid ever used his name again after posting this desktop shot?
For using WinXP, IE6, or the folder of shemale vids?
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Ha ha... WHEEL CHOPS
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My two cents ... primarily aim at correcting the problem (meaning the people creating the wrong behavior) and not the person getting picked on or bullied. If the person getting picked on needs a little help correcting annoying behavior, then do that as well. But the primary "adjustment" should be on those displaying or threatening wrong behavior.
This reminds me of that recent story where students were prohibited from wearing clothing with American Flag insignia on a special day (Cinco de Mayo celebration at school) because some other students threatened violence if they did. How about dealing with those threatening violence than those exercising their American right to proudly display the American flag. We are still in America, aren't we?
**Judge: School Can Ban American Flag Shirts **
http://bit.ly/1kYFdt0 -
Ban the kid because of his backpack because it could cause bullying? Thats so messed up beyond belief.
