I hate the news

[Arpeggio]

The one time I decide to watch it, and I find out that all the schools around here are overcrowded (some are 300 or 400 students over capacity), and since the six days school has been open, there has been eight arrests. And a little six grader was pushed down a flight of bleachers by a bully and nothing serious happened to the bully. I'm just in WOW.

 

The bully story

 

Gun at school

 

I'm still debating on the perfect emotion for this.

 

Any thoughts?

[Nephylim]

Sadness.

[MikeL]

The bullies should be arrested and charged with assault and battery at the very least. There's no indication in the story of a hate crime.

[Deadbolt715]

It's just disgusting what this world is coming to. But at the same time it's so very sad, pathetic even.

[FairyTaleSkies]

The bullies should be expelled, at the very least.

 

And the gun, I'm just...speechless.

[KJames]

As a victim of school bullying for 9 years, 4th grade through 12th...no schools are doing enough to stem this problem--they never have--and they never will.

Edited August 21, 2009 by kjames

[Krista]

Bullying should be addressed pretty thoroughly as it leads to a lot of other problems.. and anyway, I don't like when I read/hear about schools seemingly out of control, its supposed to be safe to go to school...

[David McLeod]

Regarding endemic bullying, guns, and other instances of violence in schools:

 

B.F. Skinner and his students showed that laboratory mice and rats, when confined in crowded conditions, became exceptionally aggressive and demonstrated antisocial behavior. At one time, the phrase "lock down" applied only to prisons; now, it is routinely applied to schools. I read that schools are banning recess, because of fears that children will hurt themselves on the playground. I read that schools are eliminating physical education programs in order to cut costs. I read that class sizes are getting larger. The schools in the suburban and upper-middle-class area in which I live all have one or more "resource officers" on duty at all times. "Resource officer" is a euphemism for "police officer." The grammar and high schools which I attended were small enough that every one of my teachers knew my parents, and the parents of virtually all of the students. We knew that misbehavior of any kind would be dealt with both at school and later at home. That is not true, today.

 

I find it easy to put the preceding together and reach the conclusion, "Well, do we really expect otherwise?"

[Rilbur]

At one time, the phrase "lock down" applied only to prisons; now, it is routinely applied to schools.

 

Similar idea, opposing reasons. Lock down in a prison is used to control the inmates; lock downs in a school are used to secure the student population while an emergency (for example, bomb threat) is dealt with. You do not want the student population moving from class to class when something like that is going on... so lock down. They stay where they are, and they do not move unless ordered to do so. Not for the safety and security of the guards, but for their own.

[Nephylim]

Both of my children were subject to bullying and, as a mother, it is horrifying to see someone you love more than yourself go through that and not be able to do anything about it. My daughter was lucky that she had a strong group of friend who helped her through and a strong school who grasped the issue and dealt with it well.

 

My son is a different kettle of fish. He is very big for his age, over 5ft and only 8 years old. He is built like a prop forward (rugby term) and he will not fight back, not because he can't but because he knows he will hurt the bully and will not do that. I have signed him up for karate but he is mildly dyspraxic and doesn't have the co ordination for it. He is gentle and intelligent, intuitive and magical but that does not go down well in school. I can only do my best to make his home life as good as it can be and to increase his confidence in every way I can but it is still heartbreaking to see him cry every Sunday night because he does not want to go to school the next day.

 

I don't think it is safe any more to assume that when we send our children to school they will be safe and cared for. It's a sad fact. On the other hand it is a hard world out there and if they can't survive in school where there is at least someone watching out for them they are never going to make it in the real world.

[Mark Arbour]

I think the worst, absolute worst time for bullying is "Middle School," which in our part of the world is grades 6-8. My son had a different problem. He is a big kid, more than capable of holding his own against any of the guys. So instead, they'd taunt him verbally, then push or shove him until that elicited a response. Then he'd end up suspended for fighting, at least until my attorney made the facts more clear to the principal. In the end, the kids didn't care about that, they just thought it was cool to create commotion, and such an extreme reaction.

[Nephylim]

I think the worst, absolute worst time for bullying is "Middle School," which in our part of the world is grades 6-8. My son had a different problem. He is a big kid, more than capable of holding his own against any of the guys. So instead, they'd taunt him verbally, then push or shove him until that elicited a response. Then he'd end up suspended for fighting, at least until my attorney made the facts more clear to the principal. In the end, the kids didn't care about that, they just thought it was cool to create commotion, and such an extreme reaction.

 

 

That could so easily happen to Efan. He is very much the gentle giant but if he snaps then heads will roll. Part of me hopes he will and part of me hopes he won't. At the end of the day it is his life so I will support him either way. The taunts and teasing is cruel. It is far worse than the physical stuff which usually amounts to a few bruises. He is too big and they are too small to really hurt him or put him in fear of physical violence. It's a hard world out there

[KJames]

That could so easily happen to Efan. He is very much the gentle giant but if he snaps then heads will roll. Part of me hopes he will and part of me hopes he won't. At the end of the day it is his life so I will support him either way. The taunts and teasing is cruel. It is far worse than the physical stuff which usually amounts to a few bruises. He is too big and they are too small to really hurt him or put him in fear of physical violence. It's a hard world out there

 

I can sympathize with your son. I was also bullied through school, and while not over or under average height, felt pretty much the same. The only time people did stop was when I finally snapped, and ended up bloodying someone else's nose, which he didn't expect. I was never physically bullied by him or anyone else after that, the verbal taunting was still there but I could deal with it.

 

While he may not have the coordination for Karate, it will teach him to block physical attacks by other kids, so don't stop. You may want to ask him about boxing (or just plain fist-fighting--since fights are never planned or fair)...if he ever gets angry enough to throw a punch, he's probably going to need to pull it a bit...remember, he wants to hurt them, but not knock them out--he'll need to know how to do one in order to know how to do the other.

 

Whatever you both decide, good luck to you both, and my best wishes to him--his patience with the ignorance of others is very much a testament to his good character.

[Nephylim]

I can sympathize with your son. I was also bullied through school, and while not over or under average height, felt pretty much the same. The only time people did stop was when I finally snapped, and ended up bloodying someone else's nose, which he didn't expect. I was never physically bullied by him or anyone else after that, the verbal taunting was still there but I could deal with it.

 

While he may not have the coordination for Karate, it will teach him to block physical attacks by other kids, so don't stop. You may want to ask him about boxing (or just plain fist-fighting--since fights are never planned or fair)...if he ever gets angry enough to throw a punch, he's probably going to need to pull it a bit...remember, he wants to hurt them, but not knock them out--he'll need to know how to do one in order to know how to do the other.

 

Whatever you both decide, good luck to you both, and my best wishes to him--his patience with the ignorance of others is very much a testament to his good character.

 

 

Thank you

[Arpeggio]

I had a bully problem in the beginning. I was one of the smallest in my freshman class, a year younger, and kinda..... an easy target, but I always fought back, even if I knew I was going to lose. I was really stupid sometimes, but the bullying stopped shortly after my sophomore year, but it bothers me that its still such a big problem in school.

[FairyTaleSkies]

I was bullied really badly at school so I have no time for bullies now. People used to say it was to be expected at an all girls school, but I still fail to see how that mattered.

 

At one point I was jumped by 20+ girls outside the school gate, just because the ring leader didn't like me and ended up taking the last 3 months off of school.

[old bob]

....While he may not have the coordination for Karate, it will teach him to block physical attacks by other kids, so don't stop. You may want to ask him about boxing (or just plain fist-fighting--since fights are never planned or fair)...

It's really the best solution : to be teached in Karate, boxing or any other "defense skill".

Just a memory of my own experiences in Middle school :

It was during WWII, I was 13, a lot of parents of the other children in school were in favour of the Nazis and as Jew, to be bullied was almost normal. I was rather small for my age and my father brought me to learn French boxing and Jujutsu, a former, softer form of Karate. I had to use only once, and the bullying stopped.

BTW, exercising such a sport is the best way to strengthen the character.

[JamesSavik]

I am going to take a different tack on this thread- knowing me, of course I would see things differently.

 

Rather the raw news, education or bullying, the issue that I see is the way the media sensationalizes the stories.

 

You know they are going to lead the local news with the most shocking headline that they can like:

 

Gruesome murder...

 

Local man Arrested for Molesting Gerbils...

 

Area Bridges: Are They All Falling Down?

 

The Media, be it national or local, is a business. For their business model to work, they have to keep you in a state of fear and anxiety so you'll tune in and watch to see where the next threat is coming from. In recent years we've blamed a particular political party for fear-mongering (and they deserve it to some extent) but the real fear mongering is done by the media to keep you watching.

 

I challenge you to watch the news over the next few weeks with a different attitude: watch and see where they are fear-mongering and grandstanding. Pay particular attention to crime reporting and sex crimes/sex offenders. You'll be surprised at how much of their time they use on just those two points.

[Zeoanne]

My youngest twin son, now 28, was also bullied in his firth grade BY GIRLS! He used to cry every day and suffered horrendous headaches. I talked to his teacher and asked her to stop the bullying. Two weeks later nothing was being done so I decided to take matters into my own hands. It worked. I went back to the teacher, who was this snob who boasted of having study psychology in Paris and told her that either the bullying stopped right then and there or she and I were going to meet at the parking lot. Next day it stopped. The ring leader happened to be the Art Teachers daughter!! I had always taught my boys to, no matter what, they were to never ever raise a hand toward a girl. There was also another girl, older by a couple of years who would mercilessly pull on his 'rat tail' (back in the 80's it was the fashion) and she would pull a handful of hair almost daily. I got fed up and told him that next time she did that he was to close his hand into a fist and punch her as hard as he could on the chest. He did that and the hair pulling stopped that day. Sometimes you have to go with the drastic to achieve something.

 

The school where D goes to has a program called 21st Century where they teach several things after school, one being Karate. She does not want to continue with it but I insist. I believe every girl nowadays needs to know some sort of defense, prepare them for what might happen. She, like Nephylim's son, is quite big for her age and I swear, she looks like a quarter back from behind, she would be a great candidate for football!!! She's 9 and also 5 ft. tall and although she doesn't see the bullying, she spends her 'outside' time alone on the swings just because her so called friends refuse to let her play with them. I wonder if the other girls are in a way intimated by her height although there are plenty just as tall as she is.

Do NOT allow it to happen, take action. Talk to the principal. If he/she won't listen, go to the school board, but don't stay silent!! Hell, get the media involved!!! Someone will listen eventually! Plus, the principal/school board would not want their school as being categorized as a bully sheltering school!

 

As far as watching the news? I gave up on that a few months ago. I feel like every time you turn on the tube you can see blood coming out of it! It's like there are no good things to talk about so I'm not interested in it.

 

Ask your children's school if they have programs similar to what we have here.

[Nephylim]

My youngest twin son, now 28, was also bullied in his firth grade BY GIRLS! He used to cry every day and suffered horrendous headaches. I talked to his teacher and asked her to stop the bullying. Two weeks later nothing was being done so I decided to take matters into my own hands. It worked. I went back to the teacher, who was this snob who boasted of having study psychology in Paris and told her that either the bullying stopped right then and there or she and I were going to meet at the parking lot. Next day it stopped. The ring leader happened to be the Art Teachers daughter!! I had always taught my boys to, no matter what, they were to never ever raise a hand toward a girl. There was also another girl, older by a couple of years who would mercilessly pull on his 'rat tail' (back in the 80's it was the fashion) and she would pull a handful of hair almost daily. I got fed up and told him that next time she did that he was to close his hand into a fist and punch her as hard as he could on the chest. He did that and the hair pulling stopped that day. Sometimes you have to go with the drastic to achieve something.

 

The school where D goes to has a program called 21st Century where they teach several things after school, one being Karate. She does not want to continue with it but I insist. I believe every girl nowadays needs to know some sort of defense, prepare them for what might happen. She, like Nephylim's son, is quite big for her age and I swear, she looks like a quarter back from behind, she would be a great candidate for football!!! She's 9 and also 5 ft. tall and although she doesn't see the bullying, she spends her 'outside' time alone on the swings just because her so called friends refuse to let her play with them. I wonder if the other girls are in a way intimated by her height although there are plenty just as tall as she is.

Do NOT allow it to happen, take action. Talk to the principal. If he/she won't listen, go to the school board, but don't stay silent!! Hell, get the media involved!!! Someone will listen eventually! Plus, the principal/school board would not want their school as being categorized as a bully sheltering school!

 

As far as watching the news? I gave up on that a few months ago. I feel like every time you turn on the tube you can see blood coming out of it! It's like there are no good things to talk about so I'm not interested in it.

 

Ask your children's school if they have programs similar to what we have here.

 

 

I don't watch the news for much the same reason.

 

My daughter's school has a programme whereby they send some sixth form on counselling courses to act as a buffer between the teachers and the kids for bullying victing who for whatever reason don't want to go to the teachers. It worked really well.... apart from the fact that the counselling course convinced my daughter that she had 'abandonment issues' not that she had ever been abandoned but she decided that she must have because otherwise she wouldn't have had the issues. Made me grind my teeth a bit for a couple of years. Fortunately we are best friends now

[Tiger]

I watch the news just for the weather. There was a time that I was addicted to news networks, but that changed a while back. Now I may watch the local news, but that's mainly for weather. I hate hearing about all the murders and other horrible actions. There is too much evil in the world.

[JamesSavik]

In television the journalist is a thing of the past. Now all we have are pretty people that read press releases and couldn't find their own ass with both hands.

 

The few times that I have had anything to do with the press, they were inaccurate, took a press release at face value and did no further investigation.

 

They did nothing more than repeat what the government had told them and I find that very disturbing.

[David McLeod]

Similar idea, opposing reasons. Lock down in a prison is used to control the inmates; lock downs in a school are used to secure the student population while an emergency (for example, bomb threat) is dealt with. You do not want the student population moving from class to class when something like that is going on... so lock down. They stay where they are, and they do not move unless ordered to do so. Not for the safety and security of the guards, but for their own.

 

Yeah, I understand the difference, it's the application of prison terminology to the schools to which I object.

[Tiger]

Yeah, I understand the difference, it's the application of prison terminology to the schools to which I object.

Well, I don't see a problem with it. But what terminology would you suggest? Lock down seems to fit well enough.

[David McLeod]

In television the journalist is a thing of the past. Now all we have are pretty people that read press releases and couldn't find their own ass with both hands.

 

The few times that I have had anything to do with the press, they were inaccurate, took a press release at face value and did no further investigation.

 

They did nothing more than repeat what the government had told them and I find that very disturbing.

 

The forum title is "I hate the news," although it seems to have drifted to goings on in our schools. James has brought us back to center, I think.

 

Regarding "television journalists": I understand that in the UK they're honest enough to call them "news readers," and there's no pretense that the talking heads are journalists. I've taken to using that terminology in the USA, and people seem to find it both amusing and enlightening. They universally agree with the appellation.

 

If there is a journalist on television, I'd like to hear about him/her.

 

I've worked in radio and television (behind the mike and behind the camera, respectively), and have nothing but contempt for what I see now. With over 120 channels coming in over the cable system, I'm usually at a loss to find anything...news, especially...to watch.

 

The most irritating thing about the news, especially on the major cable channels (CNN, Fox, CNN Headline) is that the talking heads seem obligated to add some cute, inane, personal remark at the end of each story, and banter among themselves consantly. There's one guy on the weekends who is especially banal.

 

On the other hand, PBS this afternoon ("Talk of the Nation") had the Secretary of Labor on. I heard bits and pieces between errands. She sounded like nothing more than a political flack, reading her talking points and pointing fingers at the previous administration. I could not believe PBS had sunk to the depths of the television news channels.

 

Thank you for listening. Film at eleven.