General Discussion

Eleanors38

(18,318 posts) Mon Oct 15, 2012, 06:51 PM Oct 2012

School Anti-bullying days called off. Due to bullying?

This is from an Austin American-Statesman article for today, October 15, 2012.

www.statesman.com And good luck with that.

My transcription from Nation/World Digest in the A section:

"ALABAMA
Schools call off anti-bullying days.

"At least 200 schools around the nation have canceled their participation in Mix It Up at Lunch Day, an annual anti-bullying program in which children are encouraged to hang out with classmates they might not normally speak to. The cancellations come after the American Family Association, a conservative (sic) evangelical group, labeled the Oct. 30 event 'a nation-wide push to promote the homosexual lifestyle in public schools' and urged parents to keep their children home from that day. The program was started 11 years ago by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which says the events makes (sic) no specific reference to gays or lesbians. But the Montgomery, Ala.-based center has been at odds with the American Family Association since designating it a 'hate group' for its opposition to gay rights."

(1) First sic: This is an extreme right-wing organization.
(2) Grammar/punctuation.
____________________

It would seem that the AFA has more...ahem...juice, and hustled in front of the SPLC folks putting on this event. The appropriate response, it seems, was to cow-down. And they did.

What a bullying lesson for kids.

10 replies

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Highlight:

School Anti-bullying days called off. Due to bullying? (Original Post) Eleanors38 Oct 2012 OP

The AFA is a hate group that masquerades as a church. They are the bully pulpit. Initech Oct 2012 #1

Bullying works if you let it. Eleanors38 Oct 2012 #2

True. If you were to look up the world's biggest bullies Bryan Fischer would be way up there. Initech Oct 2012 #4

You are Blaming the Victim AndyTiedye Oct 2012 #5

I don' t see it that way. Certainly, in a one-on-one situation discretion is Eleanors38 Oct 2012 #7

It becomes very hard to distinguish the political arena from the schoolyard nowadays AndyTiedye Oct 2012 #9

We're not very far apart. Resistance is necessary. Choose a way.nt Eleanors38 Oct 2012 #10

This message was self-deleted by its author AndyTiedye Oct 2012 #5

What absolute cowardice on the schools' part. Ugh. (nt) Posteritatis Oct 2012 #3

School administration is the most EASILY rolled thing for bullies.nt Eleanors38 Oct 2012 #8

Initech

(100,079 posts)

1. The AFA is a hate group that masquerades as a church. They are the bully pulpit.

Reply to Eleanors38 (Original post)

Mon Oct 15, 2012, 06:56 PM

Oct 2012

Eleanors38

(18,318 posts)

2. Bullying works if you let it.

Reply to Initech (Reply #1)

Mon Oct 15, 2012, 07:12 PM

Oct 2012

Can you imagine someone bullying LBJ or FDR?

Initech

(100,079 posts)

4. True. If you were to look up the world's biggest bullies Bryan Fischer would be way up there.

Reply to Eleanors38 (Reply #2)

Mon Oct 15, 2012, 07:48 PM

Oct 2012

AndyTiedye

(23,500 posts)

5. You are Blaming the Victim

Reply to Eleanors38 (Reply #2)

Tue Oct 16, 2012, 04:06 AM

Oct 2012

Last edited Tue Oct 16, 2012, 01:32 PM - Edit history (1)

Bullying works if you let it.

That implies an element of choice that usually does not exist.
Not everybody can fight back effectively.
The only remaining possibility is to have such a high tolerance for pain that they give up on you.

Can you imagine someone bullying LBJ or FDR?

Nope. Size does matter.

Eleanors38

(18,318 posts)

7. I don' t see it that way. Certainly, in a one-on-one situation discretion is

Reply to AndyTiedye (Reply #5)

Tue Oct 16, 2012, 06:39 AM

Oct 2012

the better part of valor. But the dynamic should be resisted at every level, esp. at the political. Americans don't like bullies, but they like even less those who are repeatedly subjected to being bullied without that victim changing his or her response. While public outcries/actions have their limited place, the constant clamor for someone to do something about it beomes tedious for many Americans, and a marker of "success" for the bully, wbo is likely to continue. My contention is the far right (quite apart from the schoolyard thug wannabe) knows the political art of the bully quite well. This was evident in Obama's first debate, and in the demonstration in the O.P. The right has in large measure painted libs as soft and easily rolled. This can (and has) bred contempt at the social level.

Incidentally, one needn't win a fight with a bully. But please do try to bloody a nose, and most esp. rip some clothing. Their's.

AndyTiedye

(23,500 posts)

9. It becomes very hard to distinguish the political arena from the schoolyard nowadays

Reply to Eleanors38 (Reply #7)

Sat Oct 20, 2012, 04:39 AM

Oct 2012

the dynamic should be resisted at every level, esp. at the political

Of course. But implying that the victims of bullying are responsible for their predicament because they "let" themselves be bullied is hurtful, not helpful.

It becomes very hard to distinguish the political arena from the schoolyard nowadays.

Americans don't like bullies

Republicans sure do.

and they nominated another one this year.

My contention is the far right (quite apart from the schoolyard thug wannabe) knows the political art of the bully quite well.

Not very much apart at all. The schoolyard thugs grow up into:

And they will be at the polls intimidating voters and poll workers.

The right has in large measure painted libs as soft and easily rolled. This can (and has) bred contempt at the social level.

They do this with a lot of help from their friends in the media, who always declare this behavior as "bold" and "strong" and the like.
When the shoe is on the other foot, then the media screams at us for bullying the poor Republicans. They are quite reminiscent of the teachers who side with the bullies and punish the victims for fighting back.

Incidentally, one needn't win a fight with a bully. But please do try to bloody a nose, and most esp. rip some clothing. Their's.

Not a chance. They were always twice as fast as me. Like the Senate filibuster, they could block me 100% of the time, I could block them 0% of the time. I could wrestle after a fashion, if I could get close enough.

Fortunately, it has been several decades since I had to deal with anything like this. Hanging with the freaks and geeks, who pretty much don't do that sort of thing.