Posted on 09/07/2009 4:29:13 AM PDT by Kaslin
Millions of Americans who shop at Costco receive the retail giant’s monthly magazine The Costco Connection. I have to confess however that my copy of the publication usually never makes it past the garage. Not so the recent August issue, which promotes on the cover a “Back to School” series of essays for parents and children. Since one of the essays promised to take on the issue of bullying, I decided to take a closer look.
Bullies seem to be everywhere these days. From the schoolyard to the political arena thugs young and old have been learning that threats and intimidation are tried and true tactics in the face of frail opposition. The tragic kidnapping, repeated rape, and eighteen-year-long nightmare of young Jaycee Lee Dugard highlights the importance of effectively resisting those whose identities are fashioned by crushing the weak.
Imagine my utter disbelief then when my eyes landed on the advice offered by the two nationally recognized bullying “experts” interviewed for Costco’s story “Stop Hassling Me: Breaking the Cycle of Bullying.” After getting past a rather offensively staged photograph showing two young white girls taunting an African-American schoolmate, the reader is treated to a series of tips for kids by New York City school psychologist and psychotherapist Izzy Kalman. For kids who find themselves on the wrong end of a bully for example Kalman offers the following suggestion:
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
BRILLIANT ARTICLE — a keeper.
When I visited the Cincinnati Costco on I275, I was surprised that their prices were no better to worse than those of the local WalMart, Krogers, Meiers, etc.
And at the regular stores you don’t have to join and go through Costco’s silly membership payments. They should be paying ME.....
> I have found that the only thing that stops a bully is a bloody nose.
I found the same thing when I was a kid. You and I were lucky: we obviously had the skills and/or the fury necessary to give the bully a bloody nose (or broken teeth, in my case).
“Christianizing” bullies is great fun if you can do it. There are alot of kids who can’t, and if they ever tried the bully would thump them even harder, for longer. For kids in that unfortunate situation some alternative strategy needs to be figured out.
I used to think I knew what that strategy should be. Now I’m not so sure.
I think everybody is different.
In my case, being short, I was on the “bullied” side of the equation.
But I have never hit a person before, and I’ve never been hit more than one time.
I’ve even intervened between bullies or simply angry people and people they were trying to beat up, and never been hit more than once.
Maybe just lucky, maybe really good at analyzing people and saying the right thing (I go with lucky).
For example, one time at a bus stop, a bully and his friends got around me, I presume because he needed a quick “pick-up” of “esteem” by beating up someone. So as he threatened to beat the crap out of me, I looked him in the eye, and told him that of course he could beat me up, he was bigger and stronger and had all his friends. But I said it wouldn’t be any fun because I wouldn’t hit back or defend myself.
Then I pointed out that his girlfriend was watching, and she probably wouldn’t find it very impressive watching him beat up a kid who wasn’t interested in hitting him.
Sure enough, she came over and told him to leave me alone, and I was off the hook.
Like I said, probably lucky, not sure it would work at all in today’s world where kids are not taught right and wrong.
“After getting past a rather offensively staged photograph showing two young white girls taunting an African-American schoolmate” The problem with this in my opinion is that the Vast Majority of Blacks and Mexicans I come in contact with are the TRUE RACISTS. Go By any High School in So-Cal and you will see the true Bullies and Racists, most are Black or Brown
Mr. RightField taught in a very upscale SoCal school district for 37 years. You are correct ... nearly all of the racists were Black, and the bullies were Brown. No profiling, just fact.
My 7yr old is in his third year of Karate lessons. When he is old enough to be out on his own, he’ll know how to take care of himself.
I was at a neighborhood party of some 30-somethings (much younger than me.) One of the little kids came up to me crying saying, "Tyrone hit me!"
I said, "Well hit him back!."
The kids face lit up and he ran off looking to administer an ass-whooping to Tyrone.
The mother was aghast.
Needless to say, I was never invited back, but the kid doesn't get bullied, either.
School is like prison. There are people who will enjoy beating you.So fight. even if you migh lose. One bloody nose on a enemy might discourage him in the future and move on to a more pliabe person even if you lose.
On the other hand, you might win. In that case, beat the bully every chance you get. Make him/her your bitch.
“If the bully starts it, my kids will finish it.”
Excellent.
I choose to shop where I can get the highest quality product at the best price. On this part of the Oregon Coast, Costco is hands down the best place to shop.
Wholeheartedly agree about best price.
Here in Ohio, though, Costco isn’t it.
What’s the idea behind having to pay to shop at a store, anyway? (Sounds like a scam to me.)
Especially if that store costs the same or more than its competitors. That’s downright silly.
My guess is that a lot of folks pay membership fees and then don’t use the store, just like so many folks do with gym memberships.
In this area Costco prices are significantly lower than other stores and I save back my membership fees on gasoline alone in just a few months.
The bullying issue in schools has become a pc timebomb.
Two years ago, we knew a couple, whose daughter was bullied. The mother is Mexican American, and the Dad is African American. The girls, who bullied her were blacks and Hispanics. Her guilt, she was smart, did her homework and never caused problems at school.
I suggested to the parents they get some evidence of the bullying. They had relatives, and uncle and aunt in a separate vehicle video tape their daughter being bullied and basically assaulted after they dropped her off at the middles school.
The relatives were in a separate vehicle and got close to the action. The aunt taped the bullying. It got so bad, the aunt got out of their vehicle and hollered at the bullies that they were being video taped. Their response was the famous one finger salute. While they were saluting, their niece ran into the school.
When the parents of the poor girl talked to the principal, he refused to do anything even when shown the tapes. I suggested they tell him and the superintendent to do something or they would show the video to the cops, file charges and post a copy on You Tube. They met the superintendent and showed him the video.
The school administration’s response was to change her school and bus her to another school. That was an extra 15 minute ride each way for her, and she was the innocent one. The bullies remained in the school and continued to bully others.
A similiar incidence happened in an elementary school where the kids of younger relatives go. A girl being bullied was white, and she was being bullied by a mixed group. The girl’s parents had visiting grandparents tape the bullying from their vehicle.
This school administration’s response was the same. The girl being bullied was transferred to a school 30 minutes away versus her current school which was minutes away and could be walked to with good weather. Her family sold their home and moved back to a small midwest city.
Our younger relatives at this school have a son who is a jock like his dad, uncles and his mother. So he hangs around with other small jocks, sometimes they tackle each other or dare to kick a soccer ball at each other. Several times they have been supposedly called in for bullying when they tackled each other. The last time all of the parents went to the principle’s office told him bs. There was no bullying, these were just normal boys, who were young jocks playing. He said that he still had to write them up. One of Dads of the “bad” young jocks asked his lawyer brother about it. He was told the principle needed some paperwork showing that he was on top of any bullying.
..You can discuss the matter, apologize in appropriate, and they will also stop hitting you.”
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Say WHAT???
That didn’t work in the early 50’s and I doubt it would work today....
I was always the ‘new kid’, fairly smart and didn’t mind letting the ‘dummies’ know it, SMALL and even skipped a grade (3nd) so was at least a year younger than my ‘peers’.
I went through ‘HELL’ until I finally hit back and MORE IMPORTANTLY turned out to be a better athlete than most of them..and in essence most ‘bullies’ tend not to participate in team efforts (other than showing their ‘a$$’ trying to impress their so called pals)....Also when you succeed in athletics and are ‘small’, the jocks tend to put the word out if you are ‘screwing’ with him, you are screwing with US... you know, that TEAM WORK thing again...
When I went in the USN 10/56, I had stretched and beefed up to 5’8” 130 lbs.....
Really? Gas here is only about 4 cents cheaper than at Circle-K. I remember back in about ‘98 or so, gas was selling at about $1.25 and Costco would be 15 cents cheaper. 4 cents off $2.63 is a lot smaller incentive than 15 cents off $1.25.
FYI, the CEO of Costco is a BIG Obamanation supporter - this from WSJ during the election - need to vote with your feet as I have....Costco free zone at my house...
I think when the district’s solution was to inconvenience the victim/remove her from her friends, I would have threatened to take it to the DA and see if I couldn’t make it into a criminal matter. The bullies should have been the ones inconvenienced. If the bullies get thrown out of every school where they bully others, either they’ll stop or it’ll end up as a de facto expulsion.
Schools talk about bullying but they usually blame the victim. The only reason they talk about it is to keep the lawyers happy.
Short of that, I'm getting really tired of their puffed up self important BS about liberals greenie products - that are often inferior and more expensive...
I'm shopping for the "best" not the "politically correct"...
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