Keaton Jones "Why do they bully?" POWERFUL MESSAGE

[Sky High]

ah, mine just started trying to rile me up from further away. then they learned that I have nasty aim with relatively small rocks. then it stopped.

just had an extra step.

/shrug
I guess it helped that I was never a "scrawny" kid.

[Ghostpanther]

I really don't understand why American schools ignore this shit. Catch the bully in the act and throw them out of school for a few weeks. Repeat offenders get expelled.

That is really the issue. The authorities, in this case being the school, are failing to control bullying. The kid, needs to fight back too. Learn some self defense techniques and fight dirty as hell. I had to.

[Zython]

But then the sportball team loses their star player.

This kind of hits the big issue. Ultimately, bullies do what they do because they are powerful. Whether physically, financially, or politically. They coast through life based on being born on the correct side of existing power dynamics. Then when they're old enough, they enter the halls of power themselves, and the cycle repeats.

Ultimately, bullying and how we deal with it is a reflection of our society as a whole. Hell, all you have to do is take a look at what happened last November.

[Zeta333]

Untill schools step away from thier bullshit current policys these things will keep happening, but as long as they operate under the "i dont have to think or make a decision" zero tollerance that has let shit like this thrive, its never going to get fixed. We also have people who dont deserve to be parents, and mentally cannot handle raising a child due to there being nothing stopping people that are unfit from having children.

[Sky High]

Yes, it will work and people will label you a fucking psycho and you will have a whole other reputation to deal with, and no it isn't just middle school kids, this nonsense will exist all the way to adulthood, but it's too bad as a kid it can't be held off a bit longer.

what? I wish most of the 14-15 year old's thought I was a psycho, THAT way they would leave me the fuck alone. reputations never bothered me since even in my home town of Bumfuck Wyoming they had enough schools for that to never be a problem, hell I looked forward to moving schools for that reason alone.

[lockedout]

I really don't understand why American schools ignore this shit. Catch the bully in the act and throw them out of school for a few weeks. Repeat offenders get expelled.

Or you know kids could grow a pair and stand up to the bully.

[Sky High]

That is really the issue. The authorities, in this case being the school, are failing to control bullying. The kid, needs to fight back too. Learn some self defense techniques and fight dirty as hell. I had to.

my parents solution was to tell me: "Don't start fights, end them".

[Stelio Kontos]

my parents solution was to tell me: "Don't start fights, end them".

That's sort of the solution I came to on my own. We were immigrants in the US. My mom didn't want me to hurt anyone. She wanted me to focus on my studies, you know, the typical school-before-all immigrant mother. But I finally just came to accept, and I told her this, it's just how American teenagers are. If you show any weakness or blood in the water, they use it as a pretext to come after you. So I had to take the whole "don't start fights, but always finish them" mentality.

[Celista]

Maybe, but again with this being the internet and people being able to manipulate and manufacture things, it's hard to KNOW all the things that happened before she flip the Camera on or turned it off, but yes I would like to believe as you suggest.

Honestly I just like the fact more than likely this kid made more friends afterwards that didn't even know he existed probably going through or been through the same thing.

I didn't get that vibe at all, if you listen to the kid you can tell why he's being picked on and her emotional response seems genuine.

[Doctor Amadeus]

what? I wish most of the 14-15 year old's thought I was a psycho, THAT way they would leave me the fuck alone. reputations never bothered me since even in my home town of Bumfuck Wyoming had enough schools for that to never be a problem, hell I looked forward to moving schools for that reason alone.

No you don't you just think that way because the grass is always greener, trust me there are other ways to deal with people who seem like they have anger issues, I get what you are saying, but that kind of indifference and not dealing with people has it's own drawbacks.

The best thing would have been for those who bullied to see the damage they are doing, they might not ultimately care and if done the wrong way could just be more trouble for you later.

Bullies aren't always bad kids, kids with behavior issues aren't always bad kids, they are typically dealing with what society has to give them and when adults and parents can't get their act together, what chance would a 14- 15 year old have.

Standing up for yourself if you are being physically assaulted is one thing but bullying can take on much more than physical. This kid is mentally going through some shit, that is much harder to witness than his physical stuff.

[Sky High]

That's sort of the solution I came to on my own. We were immigrants in the US. My mom didn't want me to hurt anyone. She wanted me to focus on my studies, you know, the typical school-before-all immigrant mother. But I finally just came to accept, and I told her this, it's just how American teenagers are. If you show any weakness or blood in the water, they use it as a pretext to come after you. So I had to take the whole "don't start fights, but always finish them" mentality.

mhm, my parents are the sort of people who never go out of their way to be assholes but NEVER for a second put up with other people's bullshit. hell this mentality even applied to other family members, especially my pill head sister (who is much more agreeable these days but my god does she know how to push my buttons).

[Doctor Amadeus]

I didn't get that vibe at all, if you listen to the kid you can tell why he's being picked on and her emotional response seems genuine.

Can you, yes and without any reason not to I am accept what the kid saying as valid, that doesn't mean that it is though, I also have no reason to suspect the mother, I am just keeping in mind this is the interweb.

[Sky High]

No you don't you just think that way because the grass is always greener, trust me there are other ways to deal with people who seem like they have anger issues, I get what you are saying, but that kind of indifference and not dealing with people has it's own drawbacks.

The best thing would have been for those who bullied to see the damage they are doing, they might not ultimately care and if done the wrong way could just be more trouble for you later.

Bullies aren't always bad kids, kids with behavior issues aren't always bad kids, they are typically dealing with what society has to give them and when adults and parents can't get their act together, what chance would a 14- 15 year old have.

Standing up for yourself if you are being physically assaulted is one thing but bullying can take on much more than physical. This kid is mentally going through some shit, that is much harder to witness than his physical stuff.

kids for the most part have no idea what their actions mean to other people, it needs to be pointed out by other people, mainly adults. I would NEVER act the way I did in middle school as I do as an adult, ok? I don't have all those raging hormones and naivete that I did back then.

if I had any sort of advice for this kid it would be "swing on anyone who gives you trouble and deal with the myopic consequences later".

also don't even pretend like you know my life story, mmmmmkay!?

[Mormolyce]

I really don't understand why American schools ignore this shit. Catch the bully in the act and throw them out of school for a few weeks. Repeat offenders get expelled.

Bullies are wily little shits and in my experience are generally clever enough to skate under the rules, play the victim if caught, and try to provoke others into actions that get THEM disciplined instead.

School administration is generally too removed from the situation and/or incompetent to discipline the real culprits appropriately.

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my parents solution was to tell me: "Don't start fights, end them".

Fights don't end, if you beat your bullies they just get their friends to ambush you later. They don't forget a humiliation like that, it just escalates the situation. And they don't play fair.

[Illusions]

Out of curiosity does bullying like this happen in Europe much? Or is this an American phenomenon

I suppose it depends with countries, as it does with US states? I'm quite sure bullying is present everywhere, you can never be rid of it (and never should, it helps to grow a thicker skin, really). But the magnitude differs, I suppose.

Physical and strong mental bullying should be moderated and more schools in my country - Estonia - are trying to pick up on it, but kids will just find another way. Social media is an easy one. Reading some stories here how teachers encourage it and whatnot is so absurd and abhorrent I cannot even believe those. Even though bullying in Estonia used to be a very big problem, I think now it's been better, and even in the darker times the teachers still did something.

Though I read here of someone being bigger and not being able to hit back - something I can relate to, in a way. I also saw some ppl pick on taller people, because they couldn't really hit back, whichever year you were in. I remember some younger years picking on a boy two-three years above them, and he was helpless, so he ended up looking like a wimp. If he'd hit back, there'd be big trouble. Looking back at it now, it was really horrible. Kids are such nefarious creatures.

[moveth]

I really don't understand why American schools ignore this shit. Catch the bully in the act and throw them out of school for a few weeks. Repeat offenders get expelled.

When you have a student out of school, they cannot generate revenue for the district via test scores. Children are a marketable good in the American school system. And it only gets worse every time they cut funding more.

[Magnagarde]

Out of curiosity does bullying like this happen in Europe much? Or is this an American phenomenon

It does, but never at the level and frequency as it does in the US. At least I haven't seen it.

Here it is more about "busting balls" and being verbal, but I've literally never seen people get physical/as physical or get their drink spilled over them as the kid in the video says.

One report usually lands them a visit at the administration and from that point on, the bullies' parents take things into their hands.

[Sky High]

Fights don't end, if you beat your bullies they just get their friends to ambush you later. They don't forget a humiliation like that, it just escalates the situation. And they don't play fair.

I've... never run into this problem in my life. all of the "bullies" I've had to deal with thought they could walk all over me since I kept to myself and the second I put up any resistance they never bothered me again. though I gotta say I wasn't the easiest target thanks to my size and strength. I'm not afraid to scrap if it comes down to it since the ultimate authority in my life (muh parents) would always be in my corner.

[Celista]

I suppose it depends with countries, as it does with US states? I'm quite sure bullying is present everywhere, you can never be rid of it (and never should, it helps to grow a thicker skin, really). But the magnitude differs, I suppose.

I never saw or heard about bullying when I was growing up in Alaska. We also didn't really have "cliques" where people hung out with one group of people and that was it, most people were friendly with one another.

I think region matters. A friend of mine grew up in New Mexico and said bullying was really bad there.

YMMV.

[Ghostpanther]

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Fights don't end, if you beat your bullies they just get their friends to ambush you later. They don't forget a humiliation like that, it just escalates the situation. And they don't play fair.

Bull. I ended some at times when I was in school. I had a reputation of being a Tasmanian Devil. You should be able to relate to that. being a Aussie. lol! Which you guys are suppose to have some tough bar fighters reputation.