And this is why.

Tecumsehsbones

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I'd say if the former, pointing out that 'back then' kids weren't killing themselves over the bullying.

'Back then' bullying wasn't as intense or almost in your face every day like it is now.

You can't compare bullying 'back then' to now.

I agree with point two.
Back then, a lot of kids were. It just got reported as "accidents" or "cleaning his gun."
 

IdRatherBeSkiing

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'Back then' bullying wasn't as intense or almost in your face every day like it is now.
I don't see how you can say it was less than it is now. I went to high school in the late 70s and it was pure hell. I don't get where you say its less intense. Now it may be more anonymous on social media but they didn't need social media to inflict their pain in the 70s.
 

pgs

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I don't see how you can say it was less than it is now. I went to high school in the late 70s and it was pure hell. I don't get where you say its less intense. Now it may be more anonymous on social media but they didn't need social media to inflict their pain in the 70s.
Greek Greek look at at the geek . Geek geek look at the Greek . Mild sort of punishment .
 

Ron in Regina

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Kids can be cruel, there's no disputing that. Even if you do your best to teach them well when they're young there is always situations where they come up against those who come from, let's say less than compassionate homes. At a time when when "fitting in" is important to youngsters it's easy for charismatic, but nonetheless poorly raised shitheads to amass a few "soldiers" which just makes things worse.
Kids haven’t learned to have a ‘governor’ on their prejudices about any difference (whatever that difference happens to be, even if it’s an imagined difference), and some hadn’t developed empathy (and some never do even as adults). It comes to most at different ages & stages, but it’s ugly before that Governor & Empathy develop in the majority.

Then add in the ‘people’s behaviour in crowds’ thing (as adults it’s considered a crowd mentality but it’s freaky) even if the crowd is smaller with kids usually it is.

We all watched the riots after George Floyd, or BLM, or Defund the Police, or after soccer games, or that pack of losers in Vancouver a handful of years back over the Stanley Cup. Think most of them would behave that way outside of a crowd? Some would but I’m sure most wouldn’t.

Schools & playgrounds are a microcosm of the rest of the world without life experience that most of us gain before and into adulthood.

I think (and please feel free to correct me here) part of what we’re seeing today outside of the ‘social media’ thing with todays bullying is that families have gotten smaller. Back when you had 7 or 8 siblings, the older ones helped bully’s develop empathy (& to understand that there where real and immediate consequences to their actions).
 
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Jinentonix

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Not sure I take your point here.

Are you saying "Meh, there'll always be bullies, and we shouldn't try to stop it?"

Or are you saying "Kids get bullied for a lot more than alphabet issues, and we need to crack down on bullying and support the victims regardless of the ostensible reason for the bullying?"

If the former, I disagree.

If the latter, +1.
The latter for sure. Bullying victimizes people well beyond those just in the Alphabet Community.
 
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Jinentonix

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I'd say if the former, pointing out that 'back then' kids weren't killing themselves over the bullying.
Oh bullshit. You seriously think this is a new phenomenon? That kind of shit was happening long before you "graced" the world with your presence. Bullying tended to be treated with the "kids will be kids" mentality and was, for the most part, ignored by schools.

You're misinformed mostly because there was no such thing as social media and the MSM wasn't using shit like that to make some kind of political hay. If some kid offed himself over bullying back then it didn't make headlines outside of the city in which it happened, if it even made headlines at all.
 
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Serryah

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I don't see how you can say it was less than it is now. I went to high school in the late 70s and it was pure hell. I don't get where you say its less intense. Now it may be more anonymous on social media but they didn't need social media to inflict their pain in the 70s.

Going to school in the 80's was hell too.

Got the shit kicked out of me just because I was from "the mainland", or whatever other bullshit excuse they wanted to give for it. Even wearing a full snowsuit, sweater and shirt I had bruises on my ribs, but then the little shits were wearing steel toed boots so...

But compared to what kids have today it just isn't the same, because of the social media aspect of things. Which is what I meant.
 

DaSleeper

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Going to school in the 80's was hell too.

Got the shit kicked out of me just because I was from "the mainland", or whatever other bullshit excuse they wanted to give for it. Even wearing a full snowsuit, sweater and shirt I had bruises on my ribs, but then the little shits were wearing steel toed boots so...

But compared to what kids have today it just isn't the same, because of the social media aspect of things. Which is what I meant.
I was lucky in the late"50's, and early "60's"
I had me a bodyguard,.... this big guy, a bit slow, that I helped with his school work!
 
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taxslave

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According to the article, the kid was gender non-conforming.

Pronouns would be they/them unless stated being okay with him.

I'm sorry respect for that is lost on you.
Still haven't learned basic English. Pronouns for a singular person would be he or she. That is it.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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Still haven't learned basic English. Pronouns for a singular person would be he or she. That is it.
Because English is immutable and usage never, EVER changes.

For ther he was nat lyk a cloysterer
With a thredbare cope, as is a povre scoler,
But he was lyk a maister or a pope.
Of double worstede was his semycope,
That rounded as a belle out of the presse.


--"The Friar's Tale", Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
 

taxslave

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Because English is immutable and usage never, EVER changes.

For ther he was nat lyk a cloysterer
With a thredbare cope, as is a povre scoler,
But he was lyk a maister or a pope.
Of double worstede was his semycope,
That rounded as a belle out of the presse.


--"The Friar's Tale", Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
That makes about as much sense as one of Serryah's comments.
 

Dixie Cup

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I was bullied when I was younger - I remember being "beat up" by 2 other girls outside of school. I told my mom & she went to the school - these girls did have consequences & I had no further issues. I don't envy the kids who are bullied constantly & don't understand why this even happens as it's usually over something really stupid as mine was.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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I was bullied when I was younger - I remember being "beat up" by 2 other girls outside of school. I told my mom & she went to the school - these girls did have consequences & I had no further issues. I don't envy the kids who are bullied constantly & don't understand why this even happens as it's usually over something really stupid as mine was.
It's part of establishing one's place in the social heirarchy. Some do it by natural characteristics, some do it by kindness and generosity, some do it by tearing others down.

I sometimes wonder if anything can be done about it. I know plenty of mothers who say they recognized their kids' personalities when the kids were just a few weeks old. There are significant questions of nature vs. nurture when it comes to personalities.

I guess the best we can do is try to foster a culture where courage and generosity gets a body more "likes" than nastiness and negativity. And crack down on bullies. If ya can't change 'em, cage 'em (by which I mean "suppress their destructive urges"). Good leadership helps. I've heard of schools where the football or the hockey team goes through a period where they're kind and supportive to the low-status kids, usually under the influence of a few leaders whose personalities go that way.
 

Serryah

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Still haven't learned basic English. Pronouns for a singular person would be he or she. That is it.

Actually it can be they/them when the gender of the person is unknown and has been such for a while.

As pointed out, language changes over time. This is just more of that change.
 

Serryah

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Because English is immutable and usage never, EVER changes.

For ther he was nat lyk a cloysterer
With a thredbare cope, as is a povre scoler,
But he was lyk a maister or a pope.
Of double worstede was his semycope,
That rounded as a belle out of the presse.


--"The Friar's Tale", Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer is scary to read.

Scarier when you actually get the gist of what is being said.
 

Serryah

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I was lucky in the late"50's, and early "60's"
I had me a bodyguard,.... this big guy, a bit slow, that I helped with his school work!

My brother and I were on our way home from school, or maybe home for lunch; anyway we got jumped by three other kids. I told him to run while they held me down and kicked me. My dad was pissed; got moreso when the father of one of the guys laughed when dad called about what happened.

NFLD was not kind.
 
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