Bullying

[William]

The boy woke up, just 14 years old.
He brushed his teeth just like he'd been told.
He rushed to the door & grabbed his books & around he then looks.
From the second he reaches the bus the names start to be called.
They made fun of his clothes & the book-bag he hauled.
The boy never really fit in school.
Being smart just didn't make you cool.
I remember one day i saw him drentched in mustard.
kids were throwing pizza & school custard.
Then one girl poored milk over his head.
he walked to the office wishing to be dead
& the girl he liked had no heart at all.
He gave her a flower & told her to call.
She took the flower & through it in the trash can.
& told him she'd never date such an ugly man.
so that night he said good night to his mother.
kissed his dad & tucked in his little brother.
He put on his shoes & walked through the night.
until his middle school crept into sight.
as he grabbed onto the rope he said his goodbye.
for then he decided he wanted to die.
so he took a step & down he fell.
he hung there right infront of his own hell.


"Jon Gettle hung himself in front of his middle school in Illinois at midnight."
He left a note. it stated: "Bullying is a problem"

[Lindarabett]

A bit of a sad and creepy poem/ode, but becoming such a common problem with such sad consequences. Dealing with bullies should be the top priority for all areas of society, not just schools, as it happens frequently in the workplace etc too. Zero tolerance!

[The Pepsi Challenge]

The only people I knew in school who weren't bullied (to some degree, albeit physical or verbal) were the bullies themselves. Then again, they were probably being bullied at home.

[Setanta]

Strange verse its all over the place.
Ok whats your point, just something you liked and wanted up??
Is it a cry for help??
Is it a reference to the work place or school??
Would that be Wick or Thurso??

[greeneyes]

It is so sad to imagine a child is going through something like that and that they think to end the pain they must take their own life,they say to commit suicide is the cowards way but i think they must be the bravest.What hell the kids that are being bullied are going through to even think of doing that.No one can imagine unless they have been their themselves.

[Lindarabett]

Hi all.
Thought I'd enlighten Setanta; this is one of those 'week' things. Can't remember if it's National/International, but it's the (eg) Natinal Suicide Awareness Week. Perhaps this is what prompted the verse. I heard it on local radio this morning (about it being the suicide week, not the verse!), and apparently statistics indicate that one person dies every 40 seconds. (Must be worldwide, sorry I'm vague, but I was concetrating on driving at the time!).

To echo greeneyes' comments, suicide (real attempts, not cries for help) does require a substantial amount of courage. It's not the cowards way out, unless it is to avoid punishment for a horrendous crime/act, such as the case of Fred West. (Very strong comment, and I know it will probably cause outrage to some).

However, it must be remembered that acts of suicide were commonplace once upon a time, as highlighted to us by Emile Durkhiem. This was a religious thing, whereas today, it seems the main reason is to escape unhappiness, mainly in the form of bullying of some kind.

Rather than making unhelpful comments about the verse, perhaps society would be better served if we became united at preventing bullying, and offering real support when it does happen. (And that includes both the bully and the parents/family of the bully). It sounds as if most people have at some time in their life been the victim of some form or another of bullying.

[Gus]

Hm.

Bullying has always been a "problem" and likely always will be. It's part of Life and even sometimes part of Death.

It's Human Nature, I think, to feel that urge to put others down to bring yourself up.

Perhaps the key would be to teach children the meaning of Self-Respect.

Self-respect would facilitate the bullies in knowing where to draw the line and it was a godsend for me when the periodic outbursts of name-calling, punching, gossip and pranks started at school. Reaction always fuelled their fire, but wading through the days with my head held up high and my eyes straight ahead made them lose interest within a week or two and made me feel powerful.

Why do we as a nation always try to quash what Society deems wrong, rather than look at the bigger picture (where bullying has certainly been going on since books have been written) and equip our children to deal with what Life throws at them?

It's a big 'ole world out there and Protection and Outrage just aren't enough in the long run.

[greeneyes]

Most people who bully have at some time been bullied themselves or have problems at home not that this is an excuse,it is all part of that persons insecurites about themselves.They sometimes envy they person they bully as they are maybe better liked etc the list is endless for each individual.

It is a fact of life and i do not think it will ever be eradicated maybe better understood and publicised but never completely gone.

[garycs]

I reckon that poem is one of the most harrowing things I've ever read, there are many terrible things going on in the world but for a child to be tormented to point that they cannot see any point in living is as low as it gets :(

Is bullying an inevitable part of life? No! The majority of people will go through their entire lives without feeling the need to physically or mentally abuse a fellow student or work colleague; why should we tolerate those that do :mad:

Consider this.......if a person is attacked in the street we call it ASSAULT and the culprit has every chance of a custodial sentence; if it happens in a school it's bullying and more than likely the school will deny there's any problem