topic Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem? in Community Chat

Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

Marp2 — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 22:49:42 GMT

A mother and her 9-year-old son say school officials won't let him bring a My Little Pony bag to school. The boy and his mother say he's getting shoved around because bullies think his pick of a favorite toy is for girls. It's a decades-old kids show where pony characters emphasize the bonds of friendship.

It's become anything but friendship for 9-year-old Grayson Bruce. Grayson Bruce, My Little Pony fan, "they're taking it a little too far, with punching me, pushing me down, calling me horrible names, stuff that really shouldn't happen."

Grayson picked a Rainbow Dash bag out this year, which he says has intensified the attacks against him. Grayson, "most of the characters in the show are girls, and most of the people put it toward girls, most of the toys are girlie, and surprisingly I found stuff like this."

Grayson has developed a following on Facebook after a friend made a support page for him. Grayson stands by his favorite cartoon and the message he says it sends. His mother says, why not? Noreen Bruce, Grayson's mom, "it's promoting friendship, there's no bad words, there's no violence, it's hard to find that, even in cartoons now."

But Noreen says Thursday the school asked him to leave the bag at home because it had become a distraction and was a "trigger for bullying."

Read More at: http://wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_-school-bully-concerns-15463.shtml

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

PurpleBunny — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 23:00:37 GMT

Now the school is bullying. Anyone that attacks a kid over his choice of cartoon character needs immediate attention and correction. The backpack isn't the problem. What's next? Some kid doesn't like little girls wearing blue?

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

serenity4ever — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 23:06:54 GMT

Pathetic!! All that school did was give in to the bullies and instead punishing the recipient of their taunts further by making him choose another schoolbag.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

Preds — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 23:07:07 GMT

The school needs to learn a lesson.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

occasionalrain — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 23:21:48 GMT

The school administrators should use this as an opportunity to make it clear to the bullies that their behavior will not be tolerated.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

Lion — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 23:44:50 GMT

I hope that school gets tons of negative reaction. What a stupid way to deal with bullies.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

Catitude — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 23:49:58 GMT

Kids can be so mean, cruel, hateful, prejudice and homophobic! Such little darlings.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

betteb — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 23:51:16 GMT

On 3/11/2014 serenity4ever said:
Pathetic!! All that school did was give in to the bullies and instead punishing the recipient of their taunts further by making him choose another schoolbag.

I agree. The problem is not new. Schools have always tried to settle things taking the path of least resistance, no matter the cost to the real victim.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

SydneyH — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 23:56:14 GMT

I actually think the school had no choice but to 'request' that the student leave the item at home, but the offenders should be subjected to whatever disciplinary action that is currently on their books.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

Lila Belle — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:02:03 GMT

Were the other children punished ?

Jmo, but he seems to be inviting the trouble. Should he be taunted and pushed around ? No, he shouldn't but I think the school has given them good advice. He has become the distraction now and the Facebook page isn't helping his cause either.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

chickenbutt — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:07:12 GMT

So, no punishment or anything done about the actual bullies? But they just told the victim that he couldn't bring his backpack? That doesn't seem right at all. So I guess the bullies win. It's ok to be a bully, but it's not ok to be different. Nice lesson.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

Lila Belle — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:13:31 GMT

Didn't this happen to a boy in NC as well ?

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

tansy — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:16:50 GMT

On 3/11/2014 Lila Belle said:
Didn't this happen to a boy in NC as well ?

I know I saw a story about this a while back. I am not sure if it is the same boy or not. It was surprising to me that there are a number of older male fans of the show -- ""bronies"".

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

Marp2 — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:17:20 GMT

The end of the article contains a provocative statement by the mother and also describes the school's response.

It sounded to me like the school needed the push of media inquiry to do more than take the ""initial step"" (which I took to mean asking the child not to bring the bag) to immediately address a situation that created a disruption in the classroom.""

that had created a disruption in the classroom

Read More at: http://wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_-school-bully-concerns-15463.shtml

an initial step was taken to immediately address a situation that had created a disruption in the classroom.

Read More at: http://wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_-school-bully-concerns-15463.shtml

http://wlos.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wlos_-school-bully-concerns-15463.shtml

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

Suzy Snowflake — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:19:28 GMT

These days the perfect response is often perplexing. Everyone want to be so PC! I wish the family luck tho!

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

Marp2 — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:19:44 GMT

Yes, this occurred in a school in the Asheville, NC area.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

Lila Belle — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:22:18 GMT

On 3/11/2014 tansy said:
On 3/11/2014 Lila Belle said:
Didn't this happen to a boy in NC as well ?

I know I saw a story about this a while back. I am not sure if it is the same boy or not. It was surprising to me that there are a number of older male fans of the show -- ""bronies"".

The other little boy attempted suicide over his bullying for carrying MLP. This appears to be another child.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

NoelSeven — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:24:27 GMT

I'm shocked... I assumed all kids knew My Little Ponies are now a boy thing, too. There are groups of boys, including older boys, who are big fans.

They call themselves Bronies, if I spelled that correctly. And the Little Pony stories aren't a placid as they used to be.

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

NoelSeven — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 00:27:41 GMT

My Little Pony Corrals Unlikely Fanboys Known as ‘Bronies’

Article from WIRED ^

Re: Punishing the victim or avoiding a problem?

kdgn — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 01:03:45 GMT

I believe the school made a poor choice. So a boy likes a MLP, so what? He has that right. Just as a girl would have the right to like Spiderman or a wrestling hero.

I do feel the school missed the perfect opportunity to use this as an example for an anti-bullying campaign.

I used to teach my kindergarteners that there were no boys' toys or girls' toys, they were all toys. If a boy wanted to play with the dolls or in the kitchen, that was his choice. If a girl wanted to play with the Matchbox cars, that was her choice. They could all play together and the only rule was to clean up when I said so.....