Oh, I *definitely* agree schools should stop bullying to the extent they're able. Kids can be horrible and this whole online harassment just makes it worse. I get frustrated when I hear about schools who just throw up their hands and say "kids will be kids"--no, as a school, they have the responsibility to provide a safe, nurturing environment where kids can learn and not feel threatened. And yes, I agree there's a real problem with some of these games--I think they teach kids how to shoot, how to sight (although--a 4 year old? WTF is a 4 year-old doing playing GTA? Bad Parenting 101), how to see human beings as targets. But I have nothing but contempt for someone who goes to these extremes, no matter their psychological problems. Everyone, no matter how paranoid they are, knows killing is wrong. Unless they're actually psychotic and don't know who they're shooting (i.e., they think the victims are Adolf Hitler or something), they know what they're doing is wrong, which is why they hide it.
And I can't spare any sympathy for upper middle-class white boys--with every advantage in the world, with stable families--who game the courts (the Columbine killers underwent court-mandated counseling and snickered about how they lied to the therapists and said with a straight face how they'd learned their lesson, all to get out of it), make videos bragging about what they're about to do, and rig the school with bombs to maximize the number of killings. Bullied? If they actually *targeted* those whom they claim bullied them (and I've heard those claims were exaggerated), I might have some understanding. But no. They stuck their guns under desks, yelled boo and then shot those kids cold-bloodedly. They asked a girl if she believed in God, and then shot her. That has nothing to do with bullying. No, it's just an excuse in their case.
I can't say I went through what you went through but I got my share of shit. 7th grade was not pretty. But most of us go through this to some extent. Schools can't ignore physical or sexual/racial harassment, but you also can't force kids to like you, or not to ignore you. I loved how in Welcome to the Dollhouse they show Dawn turning around and dumping on her little friend toward the end of the movie. Shit flows downward. And most of us don't pull this crap. Most of us find a way to deal.
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Date: 2007-04-19 03:30 pm (UTC)And I can't spare any sympathy for upper middle-class white boys--with every advantage in the world, with stable families--who game the courts (the Columbine killers underwent court-mandated counseling and snickered about how they lied to the therapists and said with a straight face how they'd learned their lesson, all to get out of it), make videos bragging about what they're about to do, and rig the school with bombs to maximize the number of killings. Bullied? If they actually *targeted* those whom they claim bullied them (and I've heard those claims were exaggerated), I might have some understanding. But no. They stuck their guns under desks, yelled boo and then shot those kids cold-bloodedly. They asked a girl if she believed in God, and then shot her. That has nothing to do with bullying. No, it's just an excuse in their case.
I can't say I went through what you went through but I got my share of shit. 7th grade was not pretty. But most of us go through this to some extent. Schools can't ignore physical or sexual/racial harassment, but you also can't force kids to like you, or not to ignore you. I loved how in Welcome to the Dollhouse they show Dawn turning around and dumping on her little friend toward the end of the movie. Shit flows downward. And most of us don't pull this crap. Most of us find a way to deal.