off topic, my thoughts on the anti-bully movement in schools

[Arborigine]

The Grand-brat showed up at school Monday with her first pair of glasses. No one said a thing. That was much easier than when I did the same years ago. While the idea of "no bullying" is a nice sentiment, the Bully teaches us the harsh truth of life. We learn to use subterfuge, how to build allies, and how to strike back at those stronger than ourselves. Not necessarily with violence, but with all the other weapons at a child's disposal: public humiliation, fear, the scorn of one's peers, social isolation, and everything that cracks a bully and pushes him to tears. By removing the Bully from school we may be removing a vital part of a child's education.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[kb2wji]

Bully's are good because eventually, karma comes around and slams them into the pavement. It's just WAY funnier when a bully gets taken down.

I've watched this video several times, and its still great. Bully Gets Slammed By Fat Kid - YouTube

[BigJon10125]

Much like the gun argument it is the person. Some bullying goes to far, some can not handle it, and that is where natural selection comes in to an extent. It can get too extreme, but that is where parents and adults need to step in. Kids killing themselves because of what a bunch of stupid kids think is ridiculous and too far. Shooting the bullies is also not a viable option.

[Betty]

I think anti-bully movements will only be truly effective if the schools drop their zero tolerance policy. When the victim defends himself and gets suspended along with the bully, the message is that self-defense is not tolerated, and then the next kid resists defending himself, which encourages further bullying. There are some thing kids need to sort out amongst themselves, and sometimes it includes a good sock in the eye. Extreme cases of bullying need adult intervention.

[Caertaker]

I basically agree with the OP. I don't think having schools trying to pick up the slack from families is the way to go. Sometimes life stinks. It isn't fair and the earlier you realize it, the longer you have to come to terms with the fact. To your list I would also add that it gives one the opportunity of how to comfort a friend and stand-up for what one believes is right.

[Cold Shot]

Bully's are good because eventually, karma comes around and slams them into the pavement. It's just WAY funnier when a bully gets taken down.

I've watched this video several times, and its still great. Bully Gets Slammed By Fat Kid - YouTube

It's not great. Obviously I'm all for self defense, and the kid had a right to stop the other kid from hitting him, but it's pretty extreme. The little kid could have easily died from that. Died. I'm not blaming the big kid either, because after all, he is just a kid.

Any adult who says that's great is immature in my opinion. It is what it is. If you mess with somebody they might smash your brains in, but it isn't great.

[OldVet]

I'm a redhead. Everyone knows that redheads get bullied. The method I found most effective in stopping it was to finally lose my temper and beat the snot out of them. If failing to do that, at least I made sure they didn't want seconds.

I never relied on school or parents to deal with them. I wore big boy undies early in life. Most of those adversaries becames friends after that. I guess it was easier to join me than beat me.

[Jeanlouise]

I can't stand bullies. They're spineless, mean, little creeps that cause enormous emotional pain to other kids.
If only those other kids knew that if they just stand up to the bully he almost always backs down.

[ccw9mm]

The wolf helps cull the sick/weak from the herd, providing incentive for the strong to survive.

Works in the natural world. Works on the playground. Works on the street.

But once the lessons have been learned, I'm all for removal of the "bullies" (murderers, robbers, rapists, etc) from our midst once they cross the line from mere bullying to daring to come after everything we've got up to and including our very lives. Erasure, under those circumstances. Culling the herd of the sick and weak ... absolutely.

[Betty]

My husband was a big boy in school and got picked on for it. He finally had it and sat on one of his tormentors and just pinned him there.

I was a little bony, scraggly-haired, buck-toothed girl with really thick glasses. Prime target. Big fat bully picked on me on the school bus and knocked my coke bottle glasses off my face. I picked them up, put them back on, and proceeded to pound his head in. The next day at the bus stop, he came up behind me and started punching me and I wheeled around and went at it again. We both got suspended. I don't regret it one bit. He left me alone after that.

When our family moved from NJ to TN, both my brother and I were subjected to a number of tormentors - they didn't like Yankees, especially ones who had natural tans. One boy on the bus loved to sit behind us and pound the back of our seat in, and he would always yell FREAK! in the hallways at me. I ignored him, because I knew him for what he was. Finally one day on the bus my brother had enough and turned around and said, "STOP IT OR MY SISTER WILL TURN AROUND AND BEAT YOU UP."



It startled him so badly that my brother threatened me instead of himself that the tormenting stopped for a long while. I remember this punk at our high school reunion. There he was, alone and chugging beer in a corner.

The kid in the video could've seriously been injured. But he had it coming. The victim was extremely patient taking those hits.

[kapnketel]

When I was in the sixth grade we had a big kid, kind of a bully but more of jerk, if you know what I mean. One day in line from recess he kept poking me in the back. Finally, in what is one of the luckiest hits in history, I whirl around and catch him with a right upper cut which lays him out. Off to the principles office, my mom is called and we are sent home for the day. My mom is mortified, "wait till your Dad gets home". Dad come home, comes in my room and asks "did you hit him as hard as you could?" I answer "yes". He leaves and it was never spoken of again.

BTW, the big kid and I got along great after that.

The code of the schoolyard. However I think social media has taken this stuff too far.

[1MoreGoodGuy]

The Grand-brat showed up at school Monday with her first pair of glasses. No one said a thing. That was much easier than when I did the same years ago. While the idea of "no bullying" is a nice sentiment, the Bully teaches us the harsh truth of life. We learn to use subterfuge, how to build allies, and how to strike back at those stronger than ourselves. Not necessarily with violence, but with all the other weapons at a child's disposal: public humiliation, fear, the scorn of one's peers, social isolation, and everything that cracks a bully and pushes him to tears. By removing the Bully from school we may be removing a vital part of a child's education.

The reason your "Grand-brat" didn't get bullied is because there are more children with glasses than without.

[Rock and Glock]

My son, small as a K-6 student, stood up for a friend (against a bully), whipped the bullies behind good and got suspended. Mom took him to a movie the first day, helped him stay up in class, and the bully left our son and his friends alone, and as far as I know, steered clear of our son after that.

Lesson: Stand up for what is "right", no apologies, and protect those unable to protect themselves.

[wdbailey]

Just from personal experience I can say that 40+ years ago laying the smackdown on a bully would result in an unpleasant visit with the principal.

There's nothing positive about allowing bullies to run over people to "cull the herd"....what sort of sick crap is that anyway?

[Betty]

Off to the principles office, my mom is called and we are sent home for the day. My mom is mortified, "wait till your Dad gets home". Dad come home, comes in my room and asks "did you hit him as hard as you could?" I answer "yes". He leaves and it was never spoken of again.]

Ha! Almost the same thing here. My mother was shaking her head and was sure I was going to grow up with a life of violence and crime. Dinner time, everybody sitting at the table, mom shaking her head: Dad was quiet, taking it all in and then looks at me and says, "So, who won?"

"I did." Dad's face was almost deadpan. Took the wind right out of mom.