This is doing the rounds of late. I am impressed.

What is it? I don't have facebook.

It's a kid standing up for himself and getting suspended for it. But he does it with style.

Well, the Sophie foundation in the UK is attempting to get crimes against goths etc. classified as hate crimes. This would mean far stricter penalties for anyone bullying someone because of their subculture. We all need to support this foundation as much as possible.

Meanwhile, the school I teach at in South Africa has a simple policy: No bullying whatsoever. And because a large part of the staff is gay and I myself am openly Goth, the kids seem to realise that some people are just different, and that's the way life is. There are a couple of gay/trans kids at the school and while they get teased a little, it's never mean. I wish I could pass this on to other schools.

Peruda, if I am forced to go back in time and be a school kid again, can I come to your school? Pweease? *_*

Video condemning bullying in schools:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoUIHIjB ... re=related

Nobody should have to fear going to school.

Hate crimes are already ridiculous as it is. The last thing we need is to add more reasons to give people bigger sentences for equal crimes as some one else. South park already had an episode about this that explains it perfectly.

The thing is, if some things aren't classified as a 'crime' people won't get it through their heads that it's wrong. Labelling something a 'hate' crime brings to light the fact that not only is the person doing it wrong, but their reasons for it are as well. Some people purposely seek out others that look a certain way and target them for violence. It's not just a random attack against a random person. It's been happening in the UK.

Hitting someone for no reason isn't the same as targetting someone for the way they dress, their sexuality, skin color, sex, gender..etc. Hate crimes are done soley to intimidate and inspire fear, the same way that terrorism is used. It's not the same as a normal crime.

Very interesting.. Although, I am curious as too how they would possibly be able to do that when half the time the teachers are the ones doing most of the hate crimes.

-- Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:34 am --


Bullying sounds so childish why don't we just call it for what it actually is... Hate Crimes.

-- Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:39 am --


To be honest I think its just a constant chain of people thieving after other peoples pride and dignity to cope and try to regain their own... If anything its a major problem that needs to stop but I guess that's easier to be said then done since this is a quite a major flaw of humanity.

Agreed Valaryia, it is a hate crime. I am re-posting the video because it deals with something often missed in discussions of bullying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoUIHIjB0Io

and that is that the modern American public school system is based on an outdated factory system that rests on a foundation of conformity. So as the speaker points out, if you stand out in some way, the very institution does not recognize you as one of its own and in a way the bullies are acting like some sort of antibodies zeroing in on those that are perceived as different. The administrators in many schools have a duel task, to maintain the cookie-cutter environment that is expected by the society and to protect the kids. Sad part is, the latter function does not often translate in the minds of administrators who, perhaps in their world view, see the picked on kids as outsiders as well.

The problem with this is that hate crimes will be come even more ridiculously broad than they are now. People going to jail for 25 years because they didn't like the color of someones shirt/shoes/pants could be labeled as a hate crime by that definition.

Hate crimes by their definition are flawed. You say it is because of their sexuality/gender skin color etc. How do you know unless the person committing the crime makes it obviously clear why they attacked the person?

So someone beats up a goth, you cannot just say "well it must have been because he hated goths". That is flawed logic.

Hate crimes are hard to prove and can be manipulated. Also, why should a white male kid who is picked on be seen as less a priority than a Hispanic kid who is picked on? Also, I suppose the white kid could always claim that his attacker accused him of being gay so the principal, afraid of bad PR for his school, would take action.

Some times one has to speak to bullies in a language they understand. However, it could be unwise to do such a thing if one is unable to win the fight with the bully.

Perhaps making a habit of standing up to bullies for others could inoculate one from becoming a target.

I wasn't bullied by other kids when I was younger, I was bullied by adult women who were trying to "save me from myself". *grrr*

Well, things do get a bit complicated if it's adults bullying kids. That's a tough situation to be in and not nearly as easy to solve as punching a school bully in the nose... I'm not even sure how one would get out of that situation.

Best method to teach our kids about standing up to bullies is to call their bluffs, and teach them how to defend themselves. Laws against bullying are great and all, but the bullies aren't gonna take it seriously. The only thing that bullies comprehend is force.

With this being said let me present a scenario: A kid goes about his business while in the classroom, and the teacher steps out for a minute. Meanwhile the bully sees this as an opportunity to be a douche and picks on the kid; the kid does nothing, all the kids laugh. Is the law going to undo the damage that the bully has wrought on you? No. The kid is forever branded as a pussy, and whenever that bully gets punished, another will take his or her place.

I don't see a conventional solution other than early indoctrination of the kids that bullying is wrong, and good parenting. Since neither of these are realistic solutions, the best thing we can do is teach our kids how to handle bullying, and use force whenever needed. Because if you do not stand up for yourself whenever a bully comes around, eventually everyone will see you as weak and pick on you.

As for adults picking on you, It is important to utilize the school system in order to attack them. Have your kids write down what is happening, and provide evidence of the deed (which is easier in the digital age). Present it to the principal or the superintendent of the school/district. Action will be taken. If not; potential lawsuit.