My Little Pony and a young Flammer

[bluesoul]

The world is not fair. We all know that. But we pay schools, not only to teach, but to implement fair policies. For the school, the issue is, “What is a just reaction to this incident of bullying?” Your answer: Suppress the boy’s freedom of self-expression. Forbid him from bringing his favorite lunchbox, backpack, pencil box, whatever to school.
It’s not like pink ponies are violent, pornographic, gore or hazardous. We don’t allow all manner of self-expression, but with reason. That’s why we shouldn’t allow violence against or harassment of other students. There's no reason to ban pink ponies.

i think you have me misunderstood. i don't think pink ponies should be banned. in fact, there are a lot of things that are banned that i don't think should be banned. personally, i'd rather be arguing to unban books that are banned, because i know nothing about my little pony (or pink ponies) except their color and size

[thombergeron]

most bullies i knew bullied because power is intoxicating. to control another human being, means that that individual looks up to you- and who doesn't love when others agree with them? after all, what are most individuals here trying to do when arguing back and forth, than getting the other party to agree with them?

It sounds like you’re talking about psychopaths, not bullies. I would really suggest that you consider familiarizing yourself with the scientific literature on bullying rather relying on your own incomplete experience and understanding. Most bullies engage in bullying behaviors because they, themselves, have been bullied. Bullies show higher rates of depression, anxiety, and self-harm than the general population. There may be a power-seeking component, but only to the degree that the bully was previously disempowered.

Once again whether it is fair or not the kid will be picked on for bringing his "poofy" backpack to school. Even if you attempt to punish the other children who make fun of him, he is still going to be picked upon. Why I am unhappy with the Mother's parenting abilities because a good part of being a part in protecting children from their bad choices.

Preventing bullying behavior is not about “punishing” kids. Choosing between punishing the victim and punishing the bullies is already a societal failure. It’s about creating a developmental environment for all children in which bullying is recognized as antisocial and unacceptable. That’s where the grown-ups come in, to model good behavior.

mildcigar_2001 and blue soul are modeling very poor behavior, by insisting that the victimization of children for any reason is somehow “predictable” or “natural.” Children learn behaviors by trying things out and then evaluating the reactions of those around them, especially the adults. When antisocial grownups witness bullying behaviors and say, “Well, kids will be kids,” then the bullies see that their antisocial behavior is what these adults expect of them, and their antisocial behavior is validated and reinforced.

I know it is tempting to say isn't it cute that the kid in questions likes ponies, but the world is not going to change for this one kid (as unfair as that may be).

It’s kind of bizarre to hear someone say this, given the enormous cultural changes that have taken place in our society over the last 15 years or so. In 1998, Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay and “poofy” people were denied legal recognition of their domestic relationships. Today, hate crimes against gay people are vigorously prosecuted and gay marriage is on its way to legal recognition in every state in the U.S. In 2002, Gwen Araujo was murdered for being transgender. Today, Isis King is a regular contestant on one of the most popular reality shows on television.

In fact, the world is changing, for the better and pretty rapidly. You should consider joining the rest of us.

[dderek123]

Hopefully, when we get old, wrinkled and grey homophobia will be as taboo as racism.

Then people won't think:

Oh well they are just asking for it if you play with pink toys when you're the target of bullying.

Sounds similar to other civil issues regarding sex, race, religion and creed.

[trish]

again, i disagree. just become it comes from a young cub doesn't mean it's not a roar. it's like saying "a child doesn't cry it wails" just because it doesn't sound like a grown up crying

the cubs vocal cords haven't developed like it's parent so it's roar sounds different. humans have also chosen to interrupt the sound based on how they hear it i.e. it sounds cute so it's a pur. it sounds mean so it's a roar.

also, you said the clip shows a pride defending it's kill and territory. what do you think the defeated (and former pride leader) considers it's attacker if not a bully? do you think it thinks that was just a friend that came into it's family territory, killed it's children and ripped off it's balls? isn't that (literally) the defintion of a bully?

and like i said earlier, i think bullying is normal. it's just a part of social interaction. so it's difficult to address your other points when i disagree with the main crux

Once again, all this nature red in tooth and claw stuff is irrelevant (to the issue of bullying) as well as wrong (cubs don't bully). You really do need to look up a few things. In spite of what you "think," bullying is not normal. It is an antisocial aberration. As tombergon points out, it is a learned behavior. It is reinforced by peer audiences. No matter how many times you "disagree with the main crux" the fact of the matter will not change. Don't be afraid. Look it up.

[trish]

i think you have me misunderstood. i don't think pink ponies should be banned. in fact, there are a lot of things that are banned that i don't think should be banned. personally, i'd rather be arguing to unban books that are banned, because i know nothing about my little pony (or pink ponies) except their color and size

Good. But then I'm confused. Why argue in support of the School's action? Why argue that the mother should ban her son from to take his favorite napsack to school?

[dderek123]

[trish]

Nothing wrong with our school system dderek, it taught me how to construct grammatical sentences like "Why argue that the mother should ban her son from to take his favorite napsack to school?" What fer you doin' to point finger at 'mercan schuls fer?

[bluesoul]

No matter how many times you "disagree with the main crux" the fact of the matter will not change.

i agree with you here, except my "facts" and "matter" are different from yours, and i too don't feel like anything will change. also, coincidentally, i think you too should not be afraid to look things up

Good. But then I'm confused. Why argue in support of the School's action? Why argue that the mother should ban her son from to take his favorite napsack to school?

because i think what the bullies did was natural. i also never said (or argued) the mother should ban or discourage her son from taking his favorite napsack to school. i think she should encourage him to do so and face his tormentors, not cower at home and boycott the school or request a ban lift.

i'm a firm believer in facing fear, not running away from it. if he can't do so, then to the winner go the spoils

[bluesoul]

Once again, all this nature red in tooth and claw stuff is irrelevant (to the issue of bullying)

actually, it supports my point because (like i said earlier) bullying is natural, so "all this nature red in tooth and claw stuff" relevant

[trish]

I see. You "feel" "your facts" to be true and changing them isn't in your future. Let's leave that on the wayside.

When I ask why support the school's action and why should the mother ban her kid from taking his pony backpack to school your response is

because i think what the bullies did was natural

. What's that got to do with the question? For the sake of argument, let's say you're right. Why isn't the mother right too? As I've explained before in a passage you thought was convenient to ignore, it may be better for the child endure the harassment of a bully than to suppress the expression of his own personality through innocent and harmless means.

But really. You need to do some homework. You misuse the word "feral" and when people point you to a dictionary, you still refuse to acknowledge or use the definition given by professional lexicographers. I agree, you can't argue. But not because your "facts" are different from other people's, but because you don't have the facts.