[Rytwyng]

As a high-IQ "nerd" who was ruthlessly tormented throughout my grade-school years, I used to long to see some kind of a solution to this horrible schoolyard bullying problem. When, in the wake of the Columbine massacre, we finally had a national discussion about the issue, I at first rejoiced -- it was 20 years too late to help me,but I thought some good would come out of it.

Oops. The "cure" that these liberal psychotherapy types are proposing, is FAR WORSE than the disease. This part really scares me: "She teaches them to act when they see kids playing by themselves. "It is not normal to have a child that doesn't want to join in activities" Who the hell is she to make that judgement? What if a smart kid finds the activities of their "normal" peers to be boring? What if there's nothing wrong with him -- he just has different interests? This type of "teacher persecution" has the potential to be far more damaging, than anything peers could do. If teachers BECOME the bullies, how is that an improvement?

I'd rather go through the bullying all over again, than be subject to this totalitarianism. It's beginning to look as though the best possible response to bullying really is the one that I came up with on my own -- lift weights and start hitting back. After all, it worked.

[Marie]

The thing that alarms me is that they are short-circuting kids' natural "alarms". "Something is 'off' about this person. I need to stay away." Teaching kids that they have to play with everyone tells them that their inner danger signals are wrong.

Bullies should be punnished and their behavior should not be tollerated, but children should not be forced into relationships that they don't want. I know that my "radar" has saved me more times than I can count and I've regretted ignoring it every time.