Obviously I haven’t mastered the art of the reblog, as evidenced by my need to edit my post several times today. So, I will try again here, in the hopes that my meaning will be clear.
The first post I referred to is this http://acculturated.com/2012/08/23/the-regrettable-rise-of-omg/. I use OMG, a lot, to express shock at lame-ass, ridiculous, pathetic, hypocritical, stupid stuff all of the time. Am I a sinner? Uh yeah, that was pretty much drummed into my head my entire life until I decided just to roll with it. Am I taking the Lord’s Name in vain when I say omg? NO. I don’t believe I am, and if some smarty pants, goody-two shoes with a college degree in Metaphysical Theology believes I am, well, that’s their problem, not mine.
The post that everyone with a heartbeat needs to see is this http://swlothian.wordpress.com/2012/08/25/bully-trailer-this-is-sad-but-uplifting-at-the-same-time/.
My family has had some experience with this, and I believe with all my heart that we must do more to prevent these horrible tragedies. We should use our words, our actions, acronyms, emoticons, and guttural grunts, if that’s what it takes to get school boards to stop with the fake, half-ass attempts and REALLY do something about bullying. A parent should never have to worry that their child is going to be abused at school, after school, or on the way to and from school.
Feeling awkward, embarrassed and insecure is part of growing-up, we’ve all, and I do mean ALL, been there. Yeah, even the cool kids suffer anxiety about who they are and where they fit in. But OMG!!! A kid should not be physically assaulted or verbally bashed. Likewise, kids should not be told they are going to hell because they haven’t been baptized, like my son was told by some kids who were being raised by ignorant zealots. (teacher included) Kids should not believe that if they sit next to someone unpopular at lunch, they are going to get VD, like I was told by some stupid idiots. When a teacher hears that kind of stuff, and believe me they do, THAT is the teachable moment; not after a kid has killed themselves.
Piling everyone into the gym for a good old-fashioned “talkin’ to” is a worthless waste of 5th period. A no tolerance policy is just another rule begging to be broken, mocked or worse, misinterpreted to the point that it becomes useless. Wise words should be on the tip of every teacher’s tongue, every single moment of every single school day. The root cause of bullying is not something that can be explained by some “boys will be boys” bullshit. Girls do it too, and that isn’t something that just started. There were mean girls wearing designer pterodactyl teeth necklaces.
I’m sure of it.
Honie Briggs 
Indeed, women can be just as cruel as men. I’ve been chatting with another blogger about how women treat other women in business and the causes that might cause it. It’s bad enough how we sometimes treat strangers; turning on ones own just seems that much worse.
How right you are sir. How right you are. Thanks for the comments! 🙂
I was bullied starting in elementary school and it caused me to really dislike school. I stayed scared till I finally stood up to a bully at 17. I gave him a verbal smackdown that stopped him from bothering me. More than that it caused me to not take bullying from anyone else. It still took another13 years of learning, to repsect and love myself. Now I have the tools to deal with problems and bullies. I just got my certification to teach self defense. I will work with a lot of young girls. My goal is to give them strength and tools to stand up to bullies whether they use their words or their hands and knees and legs.
It is definitely time for the belief that bullies build character to stop being spread. They just cause fear and encourage violent behavior.
Leah, you should be very proud of your courage. It’s great that you are reaching for your goals and sharing your experience. 🙂
Thanks. I really feel like if I had the confidence to fight back I could have stood up for myself decades ago. My wish is to give that power to others.
We need to be a little honest about some patterns too. It’s not the athletic kids who are getting bullied. It is the “geeks” and the ones that people think are homosexuals (whether or not they are). When did being smart or not straight become so horrible? I don’t get it. It’s a worshipping of the superficial and a rejection of anything that doesn’t fit that. And a lack of respect. and just…it’s so many issues. And I’m not doubting that even the pretty or athletic kids feel insecure sometimes, but they aren’t the ones being picked on(even if they aren’t doing the picking themselves). That doesn’t mean the athletic kids should be brought down a peg or two. EVERYBODY needs respect.
I only say this because I don’t think you can solve the problem until you have it fully indentified and speaking politely about an ugly situation doesn’t fix it or make it prettier.
Hey Peaches – It is an ugly can of worms, for sure, and without adding too much to your comment, I’ll just agree that the problem won’t be solved with a broad brush mandate approach. Respect, you hit the nail right on the head (so to speak) :).
I watched the trailer – no words. Thanks for posting this.