Serious Boy bullied over MLP bag, then the school bans him from bringing it

[_Tonks_]

Shit like this is stupid. We need to drop the whole " bullying " Bull crap. I was bullied because I'm in a wheel chair, nothing ever got done about that. Yet shit kid makes the choice to make himself a potential target, even if that wasn't his intention, all he had to do was not bring it to school . This stuff bothers me >.>

 

[Crux]

Maybe you should have just stopped being disabled, made you an unnecessary target IMO

 

[_Tonks_]

Maybe you should have just stopped being disabled, made you an unnecessary target IMO

If I could, I would have. Like how this kid had the option to stop being a Target. Which is why this shit is retarded.

 

[blarajan]

i bet if he was wearing a pink shirt and you weren't a cripple you'd have kicked his ass

victim blaming a nine year old? really?

 

[_Tonks_]

i bet if he was wearing a pink shirt and you weren't a cripple you'd have kicked his ass

victim blaming a nine year old? really?

Why would I kick his ass? Because he's wearing a pink shirt? That's stupid. And if someone did kick his ass when he did, I doubt he'd do it again. Once again, making yourself a target does not make you a victim.

 

[Celever]

Why would I kick his ass? Because he's wearing a pink shirt? That's stupid. And if someone did kick his ass when he did, I doubt he'd do it again. Once again, making yourself a target does not make you a victim.

It does if you're all 9...

 

[_Tonks_]

They're kids, We'e not teaching them that this is bad, we're instead teaching them that what he did was not acceptable. It should matter if he wears pony clothes or pink shirts every day, because no one has the right to give a fuck about his choices that only effect himself. But If he KNEW he would be bullied and he KNEW he shouldn't do it and STILL did it, He's a fool, not a victim. His age shouldn't matter.

 

[DestinyGallade]

when your nine you want to bring your favourite tv shows lunchbox and such. Maybe the kid didn't know that mlp was "girly" and/or "gay" (air quotes for a reason

 

[_Tonks_]

when your nine you want to bring your favourite tv shows lunchbox and such. Maybe the kid didn't know that mlp was "girly" and/or "gay" (air quotes for a reason

AND If the kids make fun of him for it and he keeps bringing it, he's a Level 99 Dingus.

 

[Litmus]

AND If the kids make fun of him for it and he is keeps bringing it, he's a Level 99 Dingus.

I totally agree. If you're bullied for months on end for one non-essential object, then there is an obvious and immediate solution. Yes he could have told a teacher but everyone knows primary school teachers are thick and useless as shit. Sorting a situation like that out seems very simple.

 

[nitrox116]

I think that mandating him to not bring the bag to school isn't the right move here, but I would recommend suggesting that since the bag is causing problems, it might be a good idea to not bring it. If he wants to bring a non-offensive bag into school, knowing that he'll be bullied, then he should be able to. But he should definitely be told that the smarter move is sometimes to back down.

 

[Deck Knight]

Quick notes:

Laws are notoriously ineffective at preventing children from being immature.

Schools are usually bigger bullies than the bullies themselves.

There's no good administrative answer for this. The bullies will keep bullying until they get their desired result (or go too far and get tossed themselves), and then they might still be punk kids and pick on him for something else.

 

[Deaga]

I totally agree. If you're bullied for months on end for one non-essential object, then there is an obvious and immediate solution.

I agree. The obvious solution is to FUCKING STOP BULLYING HIM. The amount of victim blaming in this thread is disgusting, really.

 

[His Eminence Lord Poppington II]

Why would I kick his ass? Because he's wearing a pink shirt? That's stupid. And if someone did kick his ass when he did, I doubt he'd do it again. Once again, making yourself a target does not make you a victim.

like the above poster pointed out, yes it does. from a moral standpoint he is absolutely the victim. you do have a point in that it's the most practical solution (if you were trying to make that point at all...), but 'making yourself a target does not make you a victim' is some crazy stupid shit and makes you sound like a defending rapist.

 

[Aldaron]

as school administrators, I assume they have to consider the moral and practical benefits of any solution

if for example, this bullying escalated and the kid started get beat on, and there was no way to pin it on specific individuals (victim says they did it, they say they didn't and there is no witness / proof to argue otherwise), and the school administrators fear for the kid's physical safety, I can totally see them banning the bag

however, I'd sincerely hope they did a few things first, namely:

1.) went after the potential bullies as much as possible; I've said this in another thread about bullying, but I sincerely believe the greatest deterrent to bullying is getting the support of the other people, and realizing "the other people" always outnumber the bullies. This also includes the obvious requisite investigation / punishment, but as others have stated, administrative efforts to curb bullying only go so far. It's really a cultural thing and you have to get the bystanders involved in preventing it.

2.) talked to the kid's parents from the perspective of trying to help the child, not demanding he not do something he doesn't want to do

the point of "bullying getting so bad and being unable to stop it and using a practical solution" is concerning because it opens the issues of "at what point does mental / emotion bullying cross the threshold that physical bullying already crosses" and then the obvious magnitude arguments of each

it basically boils down to what the school's administrators prioritize, namely a student's right to express himself or a student's safety and well being

that's why I really really really hope this was a last resort solution after trying 1 and 2 and failing at both

if this was a case of the school administrators being lazy and using "practical solution" as a cop out, then that's just sad and they're just contributing to the self feeding loop of misery this kid is probably going go through as he grows up

 

[_Tonks_]

like the above poster pointed out, yes it does. from a moral standpoint he is absolutely the victim. you do have a point in that it's the most practical solution (if you were trying to make that point at all...), but 'making yourself a target does not make you a victim' is some crazy stupid shit and makes you sound like a defending rapist.

LOL . GG. Because this situation is totally comparable to a rape.

 

[His Eminence Lord Poppington II]

lol a mature response that correctly identifies a point and argues it in a coherent and relevant fashion

 

[KM]

LOL . GG. Because this situation is totally comparable to a rape.

So, please tell me, when does an object, trait, or characteristic become non-essential? I would argue that an MLP bag is a means of self-expression, and that if someone is bullied on the way they're expressing themselves, you really can't be arguing that the correct solution is to stifle their self-expression.

We're talking preferences here. Whether it's clothing and accessory preference, sexual preference, friend preference, or fucking pencil preference, the wishes of the student to express him or herself should always be placed over the band-aid solution of removing the offending article. You know as well as I do that that won't fucking stop the bullying or solve anything. "OK EVERYONE I'M NOT SAYING THAT BRINGING AN MLP BAG IS A BAD THING OR A GOOD THING BUT WE WILL NOW ALL FORGET THAT LITTLE JIMMY EVER BROUGHT IT TO SCHOOL THANK YOU GOODBYE". If the school forbids him from bringing it, he's still going to be "that one (BAN ME PLEASE) who likes ponies and girly shit", and if they stand behind his decision and attempt to reprimand and educate the people who aren't understanding, it might actually bring about some positive change.

 

[_Tonks_]

If he purposely expresses himself in a way where he knows people will negatively judge him for it, then I hate to say it but he had it coming. If they made fun of him and he kept doing it, he's an idiot. All he had to do was not wear it, and he kept doing it. He's not fighting for freedom of expression, he's just an idiot.

 

[Crux]

Fkn Jews should have known better that to act all Jewish up in my face

 

[youngjake93]

Usually I don't post on these sort of threads, but this...this is just awful.

I'm not here to declare who is victim or not; rather, to just show how f***ed up this scenario is. This generation is nothing more than a brute mentality that will do whatever they want, whenever they want, and society has unfortunately caught on (no offense).

This school, instead of actually doing something about it like a school should, instead looked upon how society nowadays would do it...to get rid of anything that is different from them, to abolish the oddballs from the group, and almost even FORCE the "mainstream trends" onto the kid.

This is society everybody: a bunch of idiots who will bring even the hardest working down, will ridicule those who don't deserve it, and if you do not follow these rules or "guidelines?" Extreme punishment and a shallow future. Thanks...makes me feel real happy as a human fucking being. (no offense intended)

Lol "this generation" "nowadays"
People always take for granted that our society is a thousand times more accepting than before. I still think it was wrong to ban the bag, but saying this happens more often in this generation than the past is absolutely retarded

Also

If he purposely expresses himself in a way where he knows people will negatively judge him for it, then I hate to say it but he had it coming. If they made fun of him and he kept doing it, he's an idiot. All he had to do was not wear it, and he kept doing it. He's not fighting for freedom of expression, he's just an idiot.

Lol no he is an idiot if he gives a shit what a few douche bags think. If I was at this school I would wear full MLP gear just to LOL at these dumb asses and I don't even like anything about MLP.

 

[Cresselia~~]

If he purposely expresses himself in a way where he knows people will negatively judge him for it, then I hate to say it but he had it coming. If they made fun of him and he kept doing it, he's an idiot. All he had to do was not wear it, and he kept doing it. He's not fighting for freedom of expression, he's just an idiot.

But isn't gender stereotyping on toys/ cartoons even more stupid?

 

[_Tonks_]

But isn't gender stereotyping on toys/ cartoons even more stupid?

Honestly, I don't really believe so. I don't believe the show was specifically made for little girls, from what I read they know who their fanbase is, and they target their fans through merchandise. I Think Companies make toys with an idea of who they're trying to sell it to. It's why we have brands like Hot Wheels and Barbie. Yet, Crowing up I was heavily interested in cars, never owned a barbie but used to be super interested in car toys. But I don't think this has to do with the situation we're discussing. The way I see it, is this kid was being bullied, he knew why they were doing it, but he didn't understand. So he kept doing what bought on the bullying. It's like the Amanda Todd situation. She did something that made her an easy Target, but no one blamed her for what she did? This kid knew they were targeting him, he knew why, and he did nothing to stop them. He's just as much to blame as the bullies.

 

[_Tonks_]

Lol "this generation" "nowadays"
People always take for granted that our society is a thousand times more accepting than before. I still think it was wrong to ban the bag, but saying this happens more often in this generation than the past is absolutely retarded

Also

Lol no he is an idiot if he gives a shit what a few douche bags think. If I was at this school I would wear full MLP gear just to LOL at these dumb asses and I don't even like anything about MLP.

^^^ That too.

 

[Cresselia~~]

Honestly, I don't really believe so. I don't believe the show was specifically made for little girls, from what I read they know who their fanbase is, and they target their fans through merchandise. I Think Companies make toys with an idea of who they're trying to sell it to. It's why we have brands like Hot Wheels and Barbie. Yet, Crowing up I was heavily interested in cars, never owned a barbie but used to be super interested in car toys. But I don't think this has to do with the situation we're discussing. The way I see it, is this kid was being bullied, he knew why they were doing it, but he didn't understand. So he kept doing what bought on the bullying. It's like the Amanda Todd situation. She did something that made her an easy Target, but no one blamed her for what she did? This kid knew they were targeting him, he knew why, and he did nothing to stop them. He's just as much to blame as the bullies.

But there's nothing morally wrong with bringing an MLP bag, whilst it is morally wrong to bully.

If I were him, I would have stood on my ground-- bring the MLP bag and ignore the bullies, because the bullies probably won't stop even after I stop bringing the bag.
So why not bring my beloved bag?