Marie Gryphon on bullying and legal protections against assault:
Children are told that it will be character building to “deal with their own problems” at school. I don’t know too many adults who have to make friends with bodybuilders so they don’t have their lunch stolen. Why do we think childhood should be like Lord of the Flies?
It’s hypocritical for adults to claim the protections of the rule of law, while consigning society’s weakest, non-voting members to the law of the jungle.
Like Marie mentions further in her post, I don't think we need special laws against bullying. What we do need is enforcement of existing laws against assault. Beating the hell out of some kid or throwing him into a locker and causing an injury that requires a medical appointment isn't a childhood rite of passage – it's assault. As someone who grew up on the receiving end of such behavior I've little patience for those who write it off as childhood drama.
It's not drama to those of who went through it and have the scars to prove it. It's assault and no different than Marie's example: "If one adult assaulted another in a public park, causing a gash requiring a hospital visit, I don’t think anyone would be surprised to see the police called." Yet when a kid gets assaulted in school, conservatives puff out their chests and say "boys will be boys." Nonsense. Assault is assault is assault. If someone beats up my kid, they will be held to answer for it. "Boys will be boys" is a cop-out to excuse the same behavior that would send an adult to jail or civil court.
Indulging this kind of thing is often a way of conveying, with a wink, our true views of how society ought to be organized.
Good on you for calling bullshit on this.
I’ve believed for many years that when the state makes schooling (as distinct from education; thank you, Mr. Clemens) compulsory, then one by one all the other characteristics of a prison follow naturally, due to the statist mentality which creates prisons in the first place.
2/13/2003 2:32:00
Well said!
2/13/2003 8:06:00 AM
My son will be starting Kindergarten next year and I have heard that bullying has occurred in the school he will be attending. I wondered how many states have laws against bullying and in doing initial research I read your article. If I am reading it correctly, you state that there doesn’t need to be a separate bullying law to prevent it. My question is bullying comes in all forms, not just assault. The child I know this happened to was made fun of constantly, humiliated, and harrassed. He is big for his age but would never hurt anyone and someone took advantage of this. My point is that I believe bullying is more that just physical contact, much more. At times it is intimidation with the threat of violence. The physical violence doesn’t have to occur for children to be scarred.
Thank you for allowing me to post my thoughts.
Rima
10/7/2003 8:21:00 AM
YOure right assault is assault and if a boy bullies another it is assault and should be punished
12/2/2003 10:25:00