In North Carolina a 9 year old boy named Bruce Grayson was being bullied for carrying a My Little Pony backpack. In response to the bullying his school has asked him to just leave the backpack at home to stop from being attacked. “They're taking it a little too far, with punching me, pushing me down, calling me horrible names, stuff that really shouldn't happen” he said.
Schools officials said that Bruce should “immediately address a situation that had created a disruption in the classroom” which is a nice way of saying “kid, if you leave the bag at home you'll stop getting your ass kicked.” His mother, Noreen Grayson, says that the school needs to punish the kids that have been bullying her son.
A couple of months ago an 11 year old
boy named Michael Morones tried to kill himself after being bullied
for liking the My Little Pony cartoon. His mother Tiffany
Morones-Suttle says that her son loved to dance and was energetic,
which she believes may have been one of the reasons why he was
bullied.
His mother found him hanging off the
side of his bed from the railing. By the time his parents got him to
the hospital he had been hanging for so long that too much oxygen had
been cut off from his brain and he was now brain damaged.
“I've heard a lot of people say you need to go after bullies and hold them responsible” his mother Tiffany said. “But you know, I don't think that's what Mike would want. I would rather teach people how to do right than turn around than punish, because punishment doesn't always work.”
Now, these two stories have some
similarities of course. The My Little Pony cartoon, bullying, and
young boys. Most people have been bullied in their lives. I think the
same amount of bullying has gone on for years, its just that now kids
get it not just at home or school, but also online. I was made fun of
for cartoons I watched, the way I dressed, the way I talked, painting
my nails, the way I looked (short, fat, missing teeth), or just my
general talent for being not like most people around me. Its a gift.
The mother whose son is being bullied
wants the kids punished. The mother whose son tried to hang himself
doesn't want anything to happen. Question: where is the middle
ground? I think we all understand that bullying is wrong. We all do
it but we know its wrong. We call it different things like being a
dick, an asshole, or assertive. It happens. Its a part of life. All
you can do is control how you react to it and how you treat other
people. “How would you handle the situation, Dante?”
Glad you asked! Well, if I was the
parent of the kid that tried to kill himself I'd have to be
restrained from kicking all kind of adolescent ass. I would go Liam Neeson on so many kids it wouldn't even be funny! As you all know, or
should know, I do not have kids of my own. In 35 years I have managed
to not get some unfortunate woman pregnant. I like to believe that if
my kid was hurt by another kid that I'd show up to the school and
inflict biblical levels of rage on them. Because I'm not a mature
adult. Hence, no kids for me.
But...
If I did have kids I wouldn't be able
to sleep knowing that some asshole was making their lives miserable.
I'd also hope I wasn't the one causing that state of mind. Hate to
break it to you, parents. But sometimes you are the problem and
school is the escape. I was able to combat a lot of bullying because
I had a smart ass mouth and knew that if I did have to fight I'd be
fine since I was getting my ass kicked by two of my older brothers.
Grr, I wanna beat my own ass... |
It seems that society is at a
crossroads where there is a chunk of people who think its fine to
whip a kids ass and the other side that believes that you should
never hit a child. Its a very touchy subject. I can say that there
are just as many normal people that had their asses beat as a child
as ones that were never hit. One person can be hit once and turn into
a monster and one can be hit every day and be a reasonable adult
later. Its a total crap shoot.
Back to these kids. There is a whole
culture of boys and grown men that like the My Little Pony: Friendship
Is Magic cartoon. Hell, I watched the original show as a child. I
watched a lot of cartoons that would be considered made for girls.
Jem & The Holograms, Strawberry Shortcake, whatever was on and
colorful. This culture is called “Bronies” and they are fans of
the show and the messages it sends. And like most things in life its
easy to make fun of if its strange to you. Me? I don't give a damn.
I'm into some weird shit myself.
Sir, I'm trying to help. |
The situation with being a young boy
that is a Bronie is that they aren't adults. What I mean by this is a
young man or grown man that is into this can defend himself verbally
or physically if need be. Hopefully. These boys can't yet. They are
playing an adult game. It reminds me of a line I heard recently on
True Detective that was said. “A man's game charges a man's price.”
Kids today see things adults do, it looks fun, and they try it. Be it
clothing, language, music, or behavior. They don't know the
consequences of the actions. I'm not defending the asshole kids that
pick on them, just that they should be aware that being different
than everyone around you is a magnet for issues.
No one, kid or adult, should be bullied
to the point that they feel that the only way out of it is killing
themselves. Or someone else. We already know that kids bring weapons
to school and shoot their problems away. These anti-bullying
campaigns don't seem to be working because they offer hope without
showing the consequences of what happens when you're an asshole. This
needs to change.
Take these kids that are bullies and
find out why. Sometimes its because they are being abused at home,
sometimes its because they are angry at the world, and sometimes they
are just asshole kids. Make the parents held accountable for their
kids. God knows too many parents depend far too much on teachers to
raise their kids. Get the police more involved in this otherwise this
will just get worse.
Worse than a kid trying to hang himself.
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