Bullying is cheap excuse for poor parenting. Bullying is normal, it happens in the corporate(adult) world as well. Its called grow some balls and have a little self pride and self esteem. Oh hold on, that would require PARENTS to have taken an INTEREST in their child's life. Lets back this up one more stop. That would require BOTH PARENTS TOGETHER taking an interest in their child's life.
Instilling a little discipline(see spanking) when the child is young along with a healthy respect for ones elders as well as peers. Goes a long way to producing a USEFUL FUNCTIONING member of society. Couple that with some pride, self esteem and responsibility/accountability and you've got a citizen who respects themselves, others, and the freedoms for which they've earned. Like voicing your opinion and the right to be offended.
Today's society somehow believes that the world "owes them something". No, it is you who owes the world. We're all here on borrowed time, so use it wisely. The other "societal norm" is the belief that everyone is special and is capable of anything. This is complete crap! There are many many activites, traits, skills, or otherwise useful abilities that each and everyone one of us is not capable of doing. GET OVER IT. The world can't be filled with child prodigy's, doctors, lawyers, engineers, politicians, astronauts, professional athletes, or "save the world" organizations. We still need carpenters, plumbers, electricians, garbage men, janitors, mail men, road crews, cashiers, and any other skilled or "unskilled labourers". There is nothing wrong with any of these jobs.
Kids today are constantly fed a steady diet of propaganda right from the word go. College or university is NOT for everyone. Nor is it required to be successful in life. Unfortunately today's influential people such as teachers, doctors, child care workers etc. Seem to press post secondary education like they have something invested in it. Today's youth have little choice but to swallow this crap and work themselves into a melt down because they cannot get into university X or that they might not have enough money to attend college Y.
This is where some guidance and support from the PARENTS plays a role. For starters, two individuals were required(atleast there should have been two individuals) to produce the child. That means two are required to raise the child. Two opinions are better than one. As children develop they need the experience and support of their parents(or other quality adults) to aid them in making adult decisions. Especially those decisions that are new to them. Its hard to be a parent when you're trying to be a full time employee and keep food on the table. The long hours and extra money do nothing for progressing the childs development. Hence why two parents are required to do the job right.
If society required its citizens to take some responsibility and accountability for their actions. Many of our current problems would go away. Having a little pride in what you do whether that be in your personal or professional life will benefit you as well as others. Having a little discipline in your life allows you the ability to appreciate what you have as well as what others have. Having a little shame just might prevent you from doing something stupid. Lets see an example of this.
Johnny works at Walmart after school(Johnny is 16 years old) for some extra money. Instead of doing his job and helping customers, Johnny decides to clown around with co-workers and chase the girls. After being stopped by a customer for some assistance, Johnny lies to the customer and directs them to another employee so he can continue hanging out with his co-workers.
After work(or whatever it is he did) Johnny is going to hang out with some friends. Johnny's friends pick him up at work in their car. They arrive with some alcohol that one of his friends stole from home. johhny decides to drink with his friends and have a good time.
Johnny and his friends are new to alcohol and are soon drunk. For fun they decide to smash some bus stops and urinate on vehicles. Johnny and company get arrested and charged with several offences.
Now this little story may seem lame. It in fact is a true account of a former high school classmate. With a little pride, Johnny would do his job properly and could very well get promoted or get a raise. With some discipline he would refuse to drink, or at the very least refuse to ride in a vehicle where the driver is drinking. With a little bit of shame, Johnny would not have gotten drunk and would not urinate or damage public property.
Of course, today this sounds like an average night out for many teenagers. These same teens get older but fail to mature. Instead of damaging public property they're stealing cars, or poppy donation boxes. Beating the elderly in home invasions for a few bucks. Stabbing some kid in the head with a pick axe over some comment(this just happened a few weeks ago here in Calgary). I'm sure you all can find some tragic story that involves a similar type of person.
The root problem is parenting. Everything else is simply a cheap convenient excuse. The real problems are far too complicated and difficult to repair. Society wants answers, so something or someone gets the blame. No one ever questions the validity of the source. Lip service is what people want because real issues and real solutions require people to think and get involved. Our society is fat dumb and happy. Why would they care??
The same goes for this bullying crap. Its tough for a kid to accept bullying or realize that they are not "retarded, a ###, stupid, a loser, a pussy" etc etc. when there's no one to help them understand that some people are mean and will prey on anyone they feel they can intimidate. Again, the bully themselves are usually from broken homes where no one has taken an interest in their lives. The cycle repeats itself and propagates its own kind.
Like any predator, the weak and the sick are the easiest prey to catch. People who give off the vibe that they are either of those two criteria are more likely to become a victim. Bullying is only successful when someone willingly becomes a victim. Showing any sign of strength, confidence, or pride is enough to thwart a potential attack.
The ability to display such traits is often hindered by what I call "a vaginized society" and their ultra sensitive beliefs. When I went to school this is how it worked. Some kid always had to prove he was the tough guy. The mouthy guy who was in charge and demanded respect. The other kids had nothing to prove and could care less what this clown did. Naturally there's going to be some people who just don't get along. A fight would ensue and someone would get a good beating and that was the end of it. No guns, no knives, no group of friends to meet them at a later date. Unfortunately, our society does not approve of fighting or any sort of violence. Instead you're supposed to become dependent on others. Such as teachers or police officers. Heaven forbid if a kid decides to fix the problem himself. Informing the school administration often leads to no positive result. Why? Because there's nothing the school can do to discipline the bully. Suspensions and/or expulsions are a rare action these days. Instead this vaginized society believes we should "listen to these troubled kids. Throw more money and prescription drugs at them." What we should be doing is holding them responsible for their actions, discipline them accordingly, then address the issue as to why they act the way they do. That would be called parenting. Something that should be done on a daily basis BY THE PARENTS.
By holding the child responsible for their actions you are also holding the parents responsible, and today, responsible is not the "in" thing. Its hard to change that belief when we have Parents not much older than their children, with no partner, they have no interest in their childs life and are happy they have an xbox or computer to baby sit/raise their child. Obviously discipline and pride weren't high priorities on the parents list. How could we expect anything different from their children? What started this circle of waste? Society's acceptance of less than productive, respectful, and responsible citizens. Add in a good helping of "you can do anything" and "its okay if you fail" and its not hard to see why society is the way it is today.
TDC
