Posted on 03/23/2008 11:35:01 PM PDT by balch3
All lank and bone, the boy stands at the corner with his younger sister, waiting for the yellow bus that takes them to their respective schools. He is Billy Wolfe, high school sophomore, struggling.
Moments earlier he left the sanctuary that is his home, passing those framed photographs of himself as a carefree child, back when he was 5. And now he is at the bus stop, wearing a baseball cap, vulnerable at 15.
A car the color of a school bus pulls up with a boy who tells his brother beside him that he’s going to beat up Billy Wolfe. While one records the assault with a cellphone camera, the other walks up to the oblivious Billy and punches him hard enough to leave a fist-size welt on his forehead.
The video shows Billy staggering, then dropping his book bag to fight back, lanky arms flailing. But the screams of his sister stop things cold.
The aggressor heads to school, to show friends the video of his Billy moment, while Billy heads home, again. It’s not yet 8 in the morning.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
In case anyone was wondering, I never had to use the bat technique, though I helped someone who did; and the statute of limitations on all of this ran out a long time ago.
Besides, again - under 18, nobody cares any more.
Sounds like we had the same kind of experiences, growing up.
It’ll grow you quick, won’t it?
I put a stop to being bullied in the 5th grade. I was a small kid, a late bloomer, and thus appeared to be an easy target.
It wasn’t long before they found out that I had no intention to fight fair when attacked. I would bite, scream directly in ears, kick groins, gouge eyes.
Didn’t take more than two or three of these before I got a reputation as being a not-worthwhile target. Never got more than a few bruises, myself - they don’t expect the small kids to fight like cornered wolverines.
why am I not surprised at this? The bully is lead vocalist in a ‘death metal band.’ you can leave comments if you care to register with the website.
http://www.reverbnation.com/fromdarktilldawn
That’s why bullies now usually run in packs of 5 or more; four hold you down while the rest do the beating. Then it doesn’t matter that you can fight like an angry badger one on one. Some even *expect* you to hurt them a little as everyone’s had some martial arts class or other as a kid (in some places).
That’s one of the big things that changed - as someone who went to school in the 80s, it was interesting to note the teachers discussing the fact that unlike when they were kids the bullies ran in gangs (at that point in time.)
In my case, in my last year in junior high, before I started to fill in, I was a somewhat tall but skeletally thin kid - stereotypical nerd type. After some bullying incidents resulted in about 15 kids taking a header off balconies and stairs and suffering other random mishaps, that stopped rather abruptly. I got a reputation as a good guy to be friends with, but who had a deep psychotic streak if angered and whose attackers and enemies suffered mysterious accidents and disabling falls.
I was left alone by bullies and jocks all through high school, thanks to that reputation - especially after I filled out a bit.
> Putting them in honest to God fear for their lives because you’re one crazy psychotic killer and they need to leave you the hell alone or you will kill them and their entire world? Yeah, that gets them to stop damn quick.
>
> Remember - under 18, won’t be doing any time.
Actually, you can *certainly* do time if you are under 18 and carry out some of the things you mention. In real Gaol.
It would be most unwise for any kid to do what you have advised.
After a few unsatisfactory encounters -— it was decided to escalate to get parental attention on the a$$hole.
A logging chain was wrapped around the chrome bumper of the family car - and secured to a nearby tree with about 25 foot of slack coiled under the car and covered with the autumn leaves..
A note was left - tapped to the bumper, advising of further problems if his Georgie Boy didn’t learn to leave folks at school alone.... The note was found only after Georgie’s dad pull away to go to the dairy and reached the end of the chain’s slack and the car was pulled to a VERY sudden stop and the bumper was pulled back about a foot and did some additional damage to the rear of the car......
This technique worked well on this occasion, as it did with a rude and pushy school bus driver - on the school bus.
Did I mention.....we were all between 11 and 13 at the time.
Kids grow up fast in small towns!
Billy should get a lot more.... creative.
> IMO, we need a zero tolerance policy to bullying and fighting in schools. School should be for learning academics and not for learning how to survive.
I agree. And any school that allows any student to assault anyone else should feel the full weight of a Vicarious Liability lawsuit. To be defended by the school Board of Trustees, the Principal, and the parents of the offender.
It wouldn’t take many of those to smarten people up.
fighting doesnt solve everything, but sometimes its the only choice you have.
I can think of a few ways to put a stop to it, but nothing that I would admit to on the record. Suffice it to say that “sit there and take it” and living in fear is not in my nature. Bernard Goetz had the right idea.
well, this internet thingy works both ways. These lowers have used it to facilitate picking on some innocent kid. Now they-and their parents, plus the school administrators who’ve let this happen-get to experience the shoe on the other foot. This story is going viral—I’ve already seen it on a bunch of websites. A WHOLE lot of people know what’s going on in Fayetteville Arkansas, now, to include actual names in some cases. They’re about to find out that the spotlight can be an uncomfortable place to be.
lowers=losers.
Yes, yes, it does. Check your FRmail in a sec.
In Los Angeles, at the time (and to this day), you can literally commit murder if you are under 18 and you will be out on bail/own recognizance in 24 hours. No kidding.
Yep. Sheds a whole new light on Columbine, doesn’t it?
Was what those freaks did at Columbine right? No.
But I certainly understood where they were coming from. And I had little sympathy for those administrators and students that caused Harris and Klebold to plan and go on their rampage.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.