What happens when you stand up to bullies

[Pix]

I wish I could say I was surprised:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/28...lp00000008

Stormy Rich, an 18-year-old Florida student, says she was punished after reporting bullying of a special needs student on a school bus, and standing up to those bullies when the school didn't take action

The teen, fed up with their behavior, complained to the bus driver -- but nothing changed. She then complained to a high school official, who told her he would contact the middle school, but like before, the bullying continued.

So Rich decided to take the matter into her own hands by telling the bullies to stop aggravating the girl. The harassment stopped for a little while, but then the bullying students began threatening her, despite her regular complaints to school officials.

In response, the district revoked Rich's bus-riding privileges, saying Rich exhibited bully behavior.

"[The district official] said what I did made me the bully, with me telling the kids that if they didn't stop, and if the school didn't do anything, that I would have to handle it," Rich told the Daily Commercial. "To me, it was just going too far."

District officials are standing behind its response, telling WOFL-TV that two wrongs don't make a right. Rich says she's being punished for adhering to school policy, which calls on students to report any bullying they witness.

Btw, if anyone has an idea on what's going on the heads of the authorities on why they'd go after the girl who stood up to bullies for bullying while not going after the bullies themselves for bullying I'd love to read it.

[Genersis]

Makes me wonder what Rich did to be classed as a bully by the school.
Unfortunately there's no way to tell if she did herself cross a line and become a bully.

I have no idea why action wasn't taken against the other bullies though.
The only reason i can think of is that Rich made that up.
Which doesn't seem likely to me.

But then these stories always end up a "They said that, She said this, he Said that ETC" and not really many solid facts to base a conclusion on.

I just hope those who should be punished, are.:frown:

[Pix]

Given how many schools sweep a problem under the rug and ignore the bullies while giving press releases that they are vigilant against bullies I find her story all too believable.

It's not just schools, but people who stand up to wrong doing everywhere are actually the ones who get in trouble (so maybe doing this really prepares kids for the adult world...), often for the problem they're standing up against. Kathryn Bolkovac is a good example.

One possibility is that whistleblowers aren't seen as team players. Most everyone accepts a certain flexibility in their ethics to get by (as being honorable often doesn't put a roof over one's head) so a whistleblower puts everyone at risk, not only those at the top of the heap (who tend to control--and crush--reports of wrong doing, as could be expected) but everyone else who had gone along with it. Thus "snitches get stitches" is metaphorically applied if not literally because everyone feels threatened by it (that is, if allowed to get away with it then too many people would feel "damned if I do, damned if I don't").

The other possibility is that it's much easier to ignore a problem and pretend it doesn't exist AS LONG AS no one makes an issue of it. Therefore when someone makes an issue of a problem (though they're free to carry out some meaningless, symbolic action like making a report that goes in the trash while the one who reports it can feel good about doing nothing, so everyone wins, more or less) it makes a lot more work for everyone, so therefore those who actually make action necessary are the ones who are punished to discourage others from making waves which would only make lives of those above them more complicated (who don't care about some little people getting trampled on).

Thoughts? :confused:

[dfiant]

Entirely believable. The education departments and the law enforcememnt are NOT taking this issue seriously.

Sometimes I wish I had the desire to go into politics, a lot of things would change, especially when it comes to education issues like bullying, discipline and accountabilty...none of this wishy washy bullshit that 'my child is a good child, they just lashed out because I forced them to brush their teeth against their will.'

Draft the little shits in the army. That will make moron mummy and deadbeat daddy just as happy as the child bully

[East]

You have alot of ex bullies who are now making decisions....

If you want them to confront bullying they have to look at their own behavior in the past...how many bullies want to own their own behavior?

The biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves

We just saw what Mitt Romney and his sickening wife thought about their own bullying..."just in fun"..."he was a prankster" BARF

Therein lies the problem.

Similarly...If you want homophobes to address their behavior they have to address their own homosexual feelings....

[jaxc]

wouldn't be surprised,many schools these days simply don't care about their students( god forbid they did anything to actually solve a problem that doesn't involve just throwing money at it) the only surprising thing is that bullying and school violence and bullying are "apparently" decreasing.

[dfiant]

You have alot of ex bullies who are now making decisions....

If you want them to confront bullying they have to look at their own behavior in the past...how many bullies want to own their own behavior?

The biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves

We just saw what Mitt Romney and his sickening wife thought about their own bullying..."just in fun"..."he was a prankster" BARF

Therein lies the problem.

Similarly...If you want homophobes to address their behavior they have to address their own homosexual feelings....

Never really thought of it that way, but that really does make sense. People thinking that they were bullied because someone called them a 'rich kid' or a 'Princess' and played the occasional practical joke and then making mind numbingly stupid comments like that make me want to take to them up the side of their head with a baseball bat...then stand over them as they lay in a crumpled heap on the ground and shout 'Now imagine that every day through school years...THAT'S BULLYING ya dumb C'

But then thats just me

[Sylph]

Never really thought of it that way, but that really does make sense. People thinking that they were bullied because someone called them a 'rich kid' or a 'Princess' and played the occasional practical joke and then making mind numbingly stupid comments like that make me want to take to them up the side of their head with a baseball bat...then stand over them as they lay in a crumpled heap on the ground and shout 'Now imagine that every day through school years...THAT'S BULLYING ya dumb C'

But then thats just me

Daddy, that sounds so... deep.

Repressed issues are never good.

I, like most kids, gay and not, have been bullied from Primary School, up to this day, but have never once wanted to bully someone back or harm them [not referring to you Dad ].

Sure I was mad at them and cried, but it's not in my nature to go out of my way to hurt someone. I certainly have the means to, but it's not something I find any interest in...

I think it's a shame that bullies, even in the judicial/educational/political and any other arena of influence, can get away or seemingly get away with hurting other people, for whatever reason.

But I don't think bullying them back will accomplish anything.

Just my opinion :biggrin:

[dfiant]

I would never act on those feelings, it's kind of like saying 'I'll kill you.'

My comments come more from frustration than vengence and wanting pay back. When you hear someone that was 'called bad names' claiming they were bullied and there is no harm in bullying it kind of empowers the bully and invalidates the victim, you know what I mean?

And that hurts me because it tears me apart knowing there are still kids suffering at the hands of bullying while idiots stand up and say things like 'Bullying is normal, it's part of the growing up experience.'

[malexander]

Thats crazy...What's this world coming to?