An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Kids Will Be Kids?
Hogwash! Kids tend to emulate their parents, and if the parents are morons, odds are, the kids will be too!
Bullying is a very serious issue, but it’s not a new one. We hear more about the toll it takes on kids because of the 24/7 news and the internet, but for as long as kids have been on the planet, there have been schoolyard bullies. Why? What makes a bully?
Now, I don’t usually link to ANYTHING at Koz Kids, but this post by Goldni struck a nerve. First, the reference to “Tea Bag Land”? Seriously? *shakes head* When talking about the suicide of children, is it really necessary to use vulgar, gay, sexual terms to refer to those with whom opinions you disagree?
NO child should be bullied. Not gay, not straight, not geeks, NOT ANY KID! Period! Straight kids who get bullied commit suicide too. Here are lists from UK, Canada, and the U.S. Looking through the lists, which obviously are incomplete and just a sampling, I didn’t notice any mention of sexual orientation. If there is, I missed it.
It doesn’t matter if the kid is gay, or not! No child should ever feel their only escape is death. EVER! I don’t know of one person who was not bullied, in some way or another during their school years. In elementary school, I too, was bullied. I still have the physical, and perhaps a few emotional, scars to prove it! Did I often feel desperation through my growing up? Naturally. Doesn’t every teen feel so totally alone at some time or another? That doesn’t mean he or she really are, or that things will not improve over time.
Unfortunately, we have raised a generation of both wusses, and bullies. Why do some kids bully other kids (for any reason)? No doubt there is a bunch of psycho-babble that will TRY to explain the trend. In my opinion, we no longer have parenting, nor do we teach respect. One lesson we were taught early in life was The Golden Rule….Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Often misquoted as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Sadly, so many have forgotten this rule, and schools won’t post it in classrooms anymore.
One article I came across stated:
Psychologists used to believe that bullies have low self-esteem, and put down other people to feel better about themselves. While many bullies are themselves bullied at home or at school, new research shows that most bullies actually have excellent self-esteem. Bullies usually have a sense of entitlement and superiority over others, and lack compassion, impulse control and social skills. They enjoy being cruel to others and sometimes use bullying as an anger management tool, the way a normally angry person would punch a pillow.
Do people actually punch pillows? I’ve punched a concrete wall, I’ve thrown lamps, I’ve shattered mirrors…I’ve even decked an ex or two, but I don’t ever remember punching a pillow. As for that ‘sense of entitlement’, the only bullies I’ve seen with such have been liberals. 
When a kid has a parent who has major issues and abuses the child for reasons known only to themselves….sense of powerlessness, lack of control of their own lives, feelings of failure….(small weenie ?)….whatever, that kid turns around and finds someone to take his/her frustrations on someone smaller and weaker. Parents teach by example, and the examples we have these days? Don’t get me started.
I find it really hard to believe that anyone who picks on another human being has ‘excellent self-esteem’. If they did, they wouldn’t feel some primal need to abuse others. So, I’m not buying into that argument at all!
Here we have THE HIDDEN ELEMENTS, IN THE CULTURE OF VIOLENCE:
The culture of violence has at least six hidden elements that point toward the occurrence of more Columbine-type shootings:
1. A dominator value system that supports violence
2. An over-focus on negative behaviors
3. The pervasiveness of bullying behavior
4. Collective denial of the effects of bullying behavior
5. The role of post-tramatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the perpetration of violence
6. The effects of parental neglect and emotional abandonment on children.
I will admit, I tried to look up what was meant by “denominator value system’. Evidently, my assumption of numerals, algebra, libraries and the like, is also what Google had in mind as well. In our so called entertainment industry, too much emphasis has been placed on negative behaviors, instead of sending a strong positive, encouraging message. Parental neglect and abandonment has way too many negatives that impact children. Out of wed-lock births, generational welfare, no encouragement for education, just to name a few.
From the same article, bullies:
Have little regard for the rights, needs, or even the lives of others, particularly if they see these others as a threat.
Exploit the needs and rights of others when they perceive them as having less power, status or influence, including women, children, and minorities.
Are on the defensive and never admit mistakes. Blame others for causing their problems.
Believe that “might makes right.”
Honestly, I’m not trying to connect this with politics, as others have done, but it’s a little difficult when there is repeated indications of obvious liberalism. I can’t overlook these examples. Liberals don’t care about anyone else’s needs, or rights…only their needs or rights are important. Liberals have been exploiting sections of the population for decades! It’s always someone else’s fault! When they have no facts to back up their argument, they attack. SEIU bullies? On the contrary, being right gives you might.
One thing I’ve noticed is that bullies have a pack mentality. When all alone, without backup, they tend to behave quite differently. Stop giving them an audience, and odds are, they’ll find themselves another outlet, hopefully, more constructive. If not, then the “pack leader” should find him/herself on the outside.
In the long run, we will always have bullies. How we raise our children and how we behave as adults could go a long way to curb the trend. Teach your children well!
