"I was laying down screaming, crying for help and nobody would come,"Apparently, young Theo didn't know his attackers as his mother is pleading for someone to come forward with information about the two boys.
This raises the question of how is it that incidences of bullying are continuing to escalate at a time when bullying, itself, has national and worldwide attention? Within the answer lies the problem: We're seeing this issue continue, and even escalate, because it still isn't being taken seriously. The "boys will be boys" mentality still breathes within our society. Reports of bullying are still being swept under the carpet. Worse, too many people are seemingly waiting for somebody else to step up and do something about it. No one wants to get involved. In some cases, school administrators at the teaching level are threatening with termination if they report bullying incidences. Get the picture? The problem is so pervasive, so entwined in who we are as a society, the people who can make a difference are steering clear of it. Hence, the constant blank party-line response, especially in the cases of teen suicides, of "our investigation has shown that no bullying has occurred."
So, where do we go from here? How do we rid ourselves, our society of the menacing "boys will be boys" mentality as it pertains to bullying? When we see in the media where people who are held responsible for bullying, and bullying that have led to suicides!, criminally charged only to get their wrists slapped by the justice system, we see how this issue perpetuates. The clear-cut message that sends is that bullying others is alright. And, guess what? The young people who do the bullying are definitely watching. They are getting the message loud and clear. And, the beat goes on.
Theo is mending well and will be just fine, no thanks to the boys who attacked him. Our focus has to be on finding a way to prevent this from continuing to happen. The next "Theo" may not be as lucky.
I think it is time to help LGBT organizations get some funding for self-defense training. The objective is to prevent bullying (or at least reduce it drammatically). However, if people can defend themselves a bit better, this will also reduce the amount of bullying.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid, I was bullied constantly. My parents made me take up martial arts. At first, I was against it, but ended up liking it and, eventually, it proved useful with minimal damage.
A sleezy drunk man was forcing himself on me after I kept rejecting his advances. He shouted, "What? Are you a f*ing Lesbian?!" and then he put his arm around my neck and grouped me. Without even having to think, I used my foot and my arm and then he was on his butt with a wounded ego while I was walking away (he wasn't injured, but stopped messing with me).
It may not solve the problem, but it would help.
Of course it will! The world is demonizing bullies instead of loving them. To label someone is bullying - because no person is only that label - so calling a bully a bully is bullying. We must see beyond what they are doing, to the help they need. At the same time - you cannot eradicate bullying as long as schooling exists because schooling IS institutionalized bullying and it sets the example that teaches children how to rise up the pyramid of power. children need to be nurtured, respected, guided NOT schooled. Schooling means using force; punishments, rewards, accolades, and competition to get data into brilliant developing minds who need only the love, care, freedom, experiences, of family and community in order to grow, evolve and learn. Schooling is a very new concept in the history of humanity and it is bringing us to the brink of disaster. No other creature requires schooling in order to become what it is meant to be - why do we doubt the ability of young humans to grow and develop naturally; are they dumber than every animal and plant on the planet? No - but treating them as such wreaks this havoc with their spirit, their humanity! "We can no longer school without room for our humanity, otherwise we are led to lose touch with it. And that is exactly where we have been led; all the bullying, taxing, drop-outs, burn-out, diagnoses and at the extremes of desperation the suicides and shootings are all cries for help from a population being confined and treated inhumanely." Marilyn Rowe for Education Evolution (.org)
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