Bronie Bullying

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.