Cyber bullying
 

In one of my laughable liberal arts classes we discussed today cyber bulling.

See, in middle school when someone was being an ass to me I would be an ass back you know thick skinned. These kids in this PBS special are complete whimps and the parents solutions were laughable at best.

"Block, walk, and talk about cyberbulling?"

Oh come on. These mothers are nuts. When I came home in middle school saying these kids said I was ugly and stupid my mom said back," Get a thick skin and rip 'em back." Same thing online.

Finally, there was this kid who comitted suicide after he was made fun of on AIM. Seriously, do these kids not know to say back, "you're an idiot" and block them?

I must be old or was raised differently. AIM in middle school was always dark, but I would block the skummy bastard kids.

Am I really getting out of touch?

You were reaised differently all right. I can recall in second grade, we had a new kid in the school. He was a bit bigger than others and he was something of a bully. I remember once in the playground when he was roughing up some of my friends I grabbed a hold of his left ear and pulled it rather hard. I'm not a fighter at all and that was the only time I've ever done anything remotely like that in school. He never bullied I or any of my friends again. My cousin who was in the same group thought it was "brave" haha and my parents were amused. That was the end of the incident.

Today, in the schools where I work you have the social police perpetuating the mantra "hands and feet to youselves", If one kid so much as touches another it's a huge problem.

Just last week in my wifes 7th grade class, theres a new kid in the class. She's causing trouble all day, antagonizing one of the boys in the class. During recess it escelates and he pushes her. She falls down. Drama queen starts sceaming her lungs out. The frigggin POLICE and PARAMEDICS are called over absolutely nothing! The damm parents have to come in for conferences. Pathetic. What a nation of histrionic, wusses we have degenerated into.

- Peter.

Girls are particularly vicious in middle school. I had one girl tear me apart in 7th grade with insults. I just ignored her until one day I just had it and said she was ugly and fat. Never had an issue again.

Going to a teacher 8/10 times doesn't illicit an appropriate response most of the time other than a stop it.

In the early 2000s I remember in my script kiddy days I would boot the people bullying me off of aim using these bot spamming programs I found. Being interested in computers at a young age really was a fun thing.

A lot of this ****e was taken care of on the playground at recess and after school. Now days, kids are arrested for fighting at school, even first graders. It is a regretable situation.

The invisible pimp hand of Darwin at work. Probably did the rest of us a favor.

The thing is there were warning signs for this kid. He went to his dad and asked him to teach him how to fight. So his dad did that after dinner every night in the basement (fightclub right?). He became a recluse and didn't talk to his parents and finally his grades dropped. He also stopped talking to his friends at school and spent an inordinate amount of time online.

My mom was all over me when my grades started going down in middle school. She watched my brother and myself well.

The flip side of that coin is what happened a columbine (and others), those kids were (apparently) picked on for years before they decided to kill a bunch of people. I don't know exactly where the "reasonable" middle ground between "playground justice" and "zero tolerance" is.

schools today are just ridiculous. Even when there are fights no one plays by the rules of fisticuffs anymore.

someone gets dropped, kick them while they are down and defenseless.

I must have missed the memo when 'recess justice' and fighting became legitimate forms of negotiation, especially for children.

I have managed 44 years of life with out so much as a push. I either talked my way out of a mess or walked away. I have never encountered anything that has been worth trowing a punch over.

Bullies prey on weakness. They rely on the fact that the victim has low self worth/esteem and needs their acceptance. My parents taught me early on that my self worth came from me and no one else. Never had 'lots' of friends but those that I did have were good friends.

As for there being no rules. How can anyone expect there to be any rules when we live in a society that seems to live by the mantra of 'win at all costs' and 'do what ever it takes to win'?

In my opinion, we as a society are far to willing to use violence as a first resort rather than a last one. The idea seems to be it satisfies our need for a quick resolution with out the use of our brains and not realizing that the results are usually short term and only escalate the problem when it resurfaces.

Judging from some of the responses here, it seems this mindset s fostered at a very young age. I am glad my parents were of a different mind set. One more thing to be greatull for.

But that's what I've been trying to say. The momster always said to me, "Grow up and get a thick skin. You know that you don't feel that way so why let it bother you?"

Middle school just sucked all around though. I wouldn't want to repeat it ever.

I did not care for it all that much either. I was jewish, tall and awkward, funny last name and a sever speech impediment (stuttered) so there were plenty of targets available for ridicule.

In hind sight, I would not trade the experience since it gave me a strong sense of self worth and confidence. The confidence allowed be to better cope and overcome my speech impediment and do things that people who stutter normally shy away from.

All that and not a single fight. I am very proud of that fact.

I think it takes far more courage and intelligence to avoid fights that to get in to one.

But now you've evolved into a short, but dexterous non-Jewish adult?

Joking aside, those of us who were different in one or many ways, but incapable of putting up a valiant fight when taunted, wind up still wearing the scars after all those years.

Nowadays, the same individuals simply go home and arrive to school the next day with a weapon and randomly inflict mortal damage to those guilty and innocent...

Still tall, not as awkward (I hope) and agnostic (but aware of my families history).

Not sure if I was incapable of putting up a fight and I do not know if I have scars or not.

I guess it depends on how one defines the scars and how they manifest them selves. I know that my past is part of who I am. I am sure it has had a substantial effect on who I am and how I view things so I guess in that regard they are still with me. I guess the term 'scar' has a more negative connotation to me. The Columbine kids were scared. For me it's just one more small part of who I am.

Cyber bullying? Seriously? Block them, although I have known for years even adults have very thin skins online.

One of my wife's coworkers was a student at columbine that day. She still has issues as a result.