Posted on 01/26/2010 11:55:01 AM PST by Sopater
While police in South Hadley, Mass., investigate whether cyber bullying was to blame for the suicide last week of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince, the teenager who had recently emigrated from Ireland suffered a final indignity – disparaging remarks believed to be posted by classmates to a Facebook page created in her memory.
Prince died on Jan. 14 after a rough freshman year. Friends and school officials told MyFoxBoston.com that Prince had been picked on and taunted since moving to Massachusetts last fall.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I am a lot stronger for having endured that kind of “socialization”, thank you. My strength came from knowing God and my family loved me. I’ve taught my sons not to worry about what others say, not to bully, and to actively make friends with kids who are taunted.
They are fine young men who don’t take crap from the bullies, because I HAVE TAUGHT THEM, without spending 24 hours a day with them (oh my!) that they should behave that way.
You will never be strong unless you are challenged.
_______________________________
Sarcasm duly noted.
But if a parent deliberatly places that child in an environment where they are likely to get beat up, raped or murdered, then what?
Bullies ALWAYS have ignorant, stupid “my child does no wrong” parents, or no parents at all.
“And for shame on this poor kid’s parents who didn’t pull the plug on her computer.”
IMO this is what you get when you break down a culture, the family and all non-govt support structures for people.
Certainly, all they need to do is come to this thread and learn that it was really the victim’s fault more than it was theirs. That should make them feel good.
The bullies are jerks. Bullies have always been jerks. You will run into jerks at school. Jerks at work. Jerks on the street.
You need to provide your children with the skills to deal with jerks. It's a life skill they'll need forever.
This girl may have had mental issues that prevented her from allocating the proper amount of concern that these bullies merited. The proper response would be about none.
“have they alwyas been mean enough to keep kicking the poor girl after she’s dead?”
Hell yes!!
Case in point. When I was in 3rd grade, this kid that lived a couple of blocks away made it a point to tease me at school, and even would wait afterwards. Now, he was much shorter than I, so I really didn’t let it bother me. He always seemed to do it when his bigger friend accompanied him, though I wasn’t really afraid of him either. The straw that broke the camel’s back, is that one day while walking home, he spat on me, and whatever it was he was chewing, stained my jacket. My mother was livid. My father urged me never to let that happen again. I assured them that after tomorrow, he will never, ever bother me again. Sure enough, he caught up to my friend and I as we walked home. This time I could tell he was getting ready to do something, so I preemptively struck him in the face with my metal lunchbox about ten times, dropped it, and switched to my fist. I then threw him head first into a tree, while my friend, and the other bully stood awe struck. After he whimpered away, I apparently gave the look of death to his friend, who quickly collected his fallen buddy, and got the hell out of Dodge. I was never bothered again by this pipsqueak, or his friend. I can only shudder to think about the type of trouble I’d be in, were that to happen today. If I’m lucky enough to have a son, I will instill the same values in him. When I got home, and told my Dad, I got a hug and a handshake, and a “Good job, son.”
Not me.I can see a student walking into a school with a machine gun to retaliate against these people.
I have seen it.Only it occurred in Colorodo and a lot of students died as a result.
Something has to be done to get these bullies under control.
This topic was posted yesterday and pulled for some reason while I was writing a response.
The girl that killed herself has a book report on “cutting” (cutting ones self for attention) on her blog...so I kind of question her mind frame to begin with.
I’m not blaming her, but I remember the talk, gossip and rumors of 25 years ago about freshman girls that slept with the seniors and other than it being on the internet, find it no different.
I went to a Catholic, all-boys High School and within the first 8-10 weeks of 9th grade, the teachers and priests identified the few bullies, vandals and thieves - and came down on them like a ton of bricks. A few were expelled, and those that remained became God-fearing lads.
I wasn’t a bully, nor was I bullied, but I saw that - and knew I was in the right place. What a friendly and respectful attitude among the students existed in that school.
How many kids have no fathers? How many kids have 2 parents that work all the time? How many kids are raised by T.V?
Kids have always been mean but if left to their own proclivities they will go Lord of the Flies...
What you said makes sense.
I think of the many suicides in our military these days.
I think we are taking kids whose parents have failed them. Certainly our schools and our culture have failed them.
Then we put them in a junior high school environment 1000 times worse?
Its a wonder we don’t have more suicidal cracks-ups every day.
“we see plenty of sexual activity among the young kids these days that we never did before. “
It just wasn’t publicized!
My high school football coach in the early 1950s on thursday before a friday game would say:
I want all of you in bed by 9:00 and home by 11:00.
“What is this world coming to..”
“Same as always.. they are kids and don’t yet have the skills of an adult to hide their glee over the death of someone they don’t like.”
It is in no way the same as always. Today, the life of an animal is given more statue than the life of a human being. How else can you explain over 44-million abortions. Society has cheapened human life in its beginning (embryos), at its end (the elderly) and in between.
It definitely was not this way when I was a teenager. I am one of the elderly (70 years old) and I have seen the changes. One of the changes Obama wanted in his Obamacare was “death panels” for us old folks. Trust Sarah Palin because she got it right.
Germany was a Christian nation when Hitler came to power. Change is not always good. For it to become evil, let good men do nothing.
LOL... good going there... :-)
Kids sent to schools by compulsory attendance laws have always been cruel and had more opportunities to be cruel. The society of schools is very much like the societies in prisons. In both casese, there is forced association.
What I will never understand is why we expect children to endure treatment that would not be tolerated by adults. If someone punched you in the face at work and took your (lunch) money or continually bullied and taunted you, they would be fired, if not arrested. Why do parents allow their children to be destroyed?
Wait.
Are you saying that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were the victims of bullies?
Have you been watching that Michael Moore movie?
WTH?
“But if a parent deliberately places that child in an environment where they are likely to get beat up, raped or murdered, then what? “
Sarcasm aside, IMO its not really the parents fault. Sure they bear some of the responsibility in they need to teach their children and support their children.
The reality is though both the parents and children in these situations have little control and are often out of their depth.
Bullies will pick a kid and hound them without pause. In the old days a kid being bullied could defend themselves. Today any action by the victim will only result in punishment by the school.
The bullies are jerks. Bullies have always been jerks. You will run into jerks at school. Jerks at work. Jerks on the street.
You need to provide your children with the skills to deal with jerks. It's a life skill they'll need forever.
Yes, indeed...
There was a big bully in my high school (he was "the big bully" too) and he decided to pick a fight with me. Well.... after that fight, he was taken to the hospital after he got the crap beat out of him, and after that, he never returned to school again (he apparently couldn't take it after that beating...).
So, bullies only last for a while and then someone gets to them.
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