anybody ever heard of anything like this? bullying

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

The whole packing on muscle and self-defense thing is a stupid idea. He's not being picked-on by one, but several kids, all the time. Even if he started winning against one, it is almost sure that more would jump in. It won't get him anywhere. For whatever reason they've decided to single him out for frequent beatings and they don't show any intent of stopping. I would have to think that the types of kids that would take a car and go out of their way to video themselves beating up a defenseless kid are particularly vicious.

Even if by some miracle he got really big and then beat the **** out of the next guy that attacked him, who's to say the one after him won't have a knife or a gun? Or who's to say that that guy won't come back with a knife or a gun because he was humiliated? It's too easy for something like this to escalate.

When it's just an isolated incident I'm not in favour of involving the school/police. When one kid regularly attacked by lots of different people, the cops need to be involved to send a signal.

The parents should also think about moving, cause he'll never have a normal life, even if all the bullies do go to jail.

Maybe, maybe not. If he goes a bit insane and the kids start to think he might be a loose cannon, he might be able to scare them away enough to leave him alone. I wonder if the kid has ever stood up to any of the bullies...

Jon.

 

[haganah]

Originally Posted by GQgeek

The whole packing on muscle and self-defense thing is a stupid idea. He's not being picked-on by one, but several kids, all the time. Even if he started winning against one, it is almost sure that more would jump in. It won't get him anywhere. For whatever reason they've decided to single him out for frequent beatings and they don't show any intent of stopping. I would have to think that the types of kids that would take a car and go out of their way to video themselves beating up a defenseless kid are particularly vicious. Even if by some miracle he got really big and then beat the **** out of the next guy that attacked him, who's to say the one after him won't have a knife or a gun? Or who's to say that that guy won't come back with a knife or a gun because he was humiliated? It's too easy for something like this to escalate. When it's just an isolated incident I'm not in favour of involving the school/police. When one kid regularly attacked by lots of different people, the cops need to be involved to send a signal. The parents should also think about moving, cause he'll never have a normal life, even if all the bullies do go to jail.
Pick the biggest kid in the group, lay an elbow into the side of his neck, and kick him when he's down. Then tell the other kids you're going after their little sisters next if they don't stop. That works. Trust me.

 

[philosophe]

Originally Posted by haganah

Pick the biggest kid in the group, lay an elbow into the side of his neck, and kick him when he's down. Then tell the other kids you're going after their little sisters next if they don't stop. That works. Trust me.

No way. GQ's clearly right. But the hell is going with the parents? Haven't they heard of private school or lawyers? Letting the kid suffer so much to prove a point is crazy.

 

[Dedalus]

Jesus Christ, I hope my son ends up having big MMA friends.

 

[haganah]

Originally Posted by philosophe

No way. GQ's clearly right. But the hell is going with the parents? Haven't they heard of private school or lawyers? Letting the kid suffer so much to prove a point is crazy.
I'd just punch some kid's sister in the face. How about you?

 

[rdawson808]

Originally Posted by haganah

Pick the biggest kid in the group, lay an elbow into the side of his neck, and kick him when he's down. Then tell the other kids you're going after their little sisters next if they don't stop. That works. Trust me.

My father was a white kid in a Hawaiian high scholl in the 40s. When the leader of one of the big gangs picked on him, my father proceeded to beat the tar out of him. From that day on, my dad was off limits. Taking out the big guy can work.

These days it's probably not a great idea to find that bully and beat him up, but if he comes at you, I just can't see not standing up for yourself. Let's remember, this kid in the story has tried to stand up for himself. He just doens't ahve the tools. Give him the tools. Most kids are still kids. They pick because it's easy. Once you stand up for yourself, then they move on. (Then you can talk about whether it's your duty to help out the next kid.)

b

 

[haganah]

Originally Posted by rdawson808

My father was a white kid in a Hawaiian high scholl in the 40s. When the leader of one of the big gangs picked on him, my father proceeded to beat the tar out of him. From that day on, my dad was off limits. Taking out the big guy can work. These days it's probably not a great idea to find that bully and beat him up, but if he comes at you, I just can't see not standing up for yourself. Let's remember, this kid in the story has tried to stand up for himself. He just doens't ahve the tools. Give him the tools. Most kids are still kids. They pick because it's easy. Once you stand up for yourself, then they move on. (Then you can talk about whether it's your duty to help out the next kid.) b
I did the same thing several times growing up. The problem is that I don't know how effective it is the older you are. Also, today is just plain different. I don't want my kids getting kicked out of school, with lawsuits against them, or even worse, stabbed because the other kid decided he also needed to notch it up. Just punch a little girl in the eye and get it over with. That's the best solution.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by haganah

I'd just punch some kid's sister in the face. How about you?

now I know where you got your name, dude.

 

[Matt]

SF meet Billy.... Photo essay at NYT (wonder if this link'll work)

 

[hi-val]

Kid needs to read Ender's Game.

Part of me feels like the kid should realize it's just school and he'll be out of it soon and work HARD to not make himself a target. Another part makes me think this kid needs to jump one of the bullies when they're alone and hurt them incredibly hard. Kid walks into the bathroom and sees the bully at the urinal, then walks up behind him, slams his head into the metal fixture a couple times, beats him to hamburger, etc. Gotta throw in some war screams too. It'd probably be incredibly unproductive because all the sudden, the school would pay attention and send this little Jeremy to juvenile detention.


But the most effective thing is not being a target. I had to learn this in high school when I was not able to fight back. You walk with people you know from class to class, you be nice to the popular kids, you don't be a showoff in class, etc. If you're being bullied on the bus, you sit in the first seat behind the driver. If you're being bullied at lunch or in class, you sit nearest to the teacher that you can.

 

[j]

Originally Posted by haganah

today is just plain different.

QFT.

I get the idea that parents and adults these days have absolutely no idea what kids are like any more. To tell your kid to fight back and beat up one of them and "they will leave you alone, they will respect you" is likely to get your kid killed. What happens is there is no respect, there is only losing face by being beaten by the picked-on kid. Then they gang up and shank him in the liver, or beat him until he's permanently disfigured/disabled, and get away with it because they obviously run the school. "Billy got what was coming to him." Great place.

Move away or transfer the kid to another school reasonably far away. The only other option seems to be serious Old Testament style retribution on everyone else involved, and that's hard to get away with in court.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by m@T

so who is this kid we are fretting over Zach?

no idea - just an article in them nytimes, but I've never heard of such an extreme case of bullying. and I am pretty astonished at the attitude of the school, if this is repoted accuratly.

honestly, I probrably would have moved. I don't know, really hard to say. but this kids has a whole basket of problems.

 

[Matt]

meh, move to new district, kid is same geek, meets different bullies. Rinse, repeat.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by m@T

meh, move to new district, kid is same geek, meets different bullies. Rinse, repeat.

+1. I mean, that's not to say the kid does anything to bring it on himself, but more than likely, if he gets beat up in new york, he's gonna get beat up in chicago, and in LA and etc.

 

[j]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

+1. I mean, that's not to say the kid does anything to bring it on himself, but more than likely, if he gets beat up in new york, he's gonna get beat up in chicago, and in LA and etc.
He lives in rural Arkansas. I think there might be a few better choices of place to live than that. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these bully kids' dads are cops who drink beers and go hunting with the vice principal.