jailing for bullying

[NinjaDeathSlap]

I think the question we need to ask ourselves before sending someone to jail is not just "Do they deserve it?" but more "Would doing this really be a good idea?"

I hate people who bully, I cannot express just how much I despise them. But I would not send a teenager to jail for bullying because I could only see them emerging as even crueler in the long run.

If you've studied crime and punishment in History you will know that the evidence teaches us that it is not the severity of the punishment that deters criminals, but the likelihood of being caught. So we shouldn't be talking about harsher punishments for bullies (certainly not this harsh) but instead getting rid of all the bullshit in the education system these days that prevents teachers from properly managing their students.

 

[Grospoliner]

And you don't believe you're being a hypocrite?

/argument

To be clear, harassment is a crime. So yes they should be tried and punished within the bounds of the law. Additionally, in this specific case, the harassment is a hate crime, as the boy was homosexual as well as assault (fear of violence) and coercion (death threats).

No one has the right to not be offended, but we sure as hell have a right not to live in fear.

/argument

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

American high school sometimes sounds like a hell hole of filth in which disgusting creatures hunt through the moral depravity for those who are different, sniffing them out and devouring their self esteem with a tirrade of inhuman abuse then savagely celebrating the death as if congratulating themselves on a job well done.

This cant be the case. America is a nice country on the whole, the adults dont seem as hate filled as the children do, there are no way this many homophobes are just sitting around highschools?

I dont know how anyone can stand it. Its like this in ALL media depicting american highschools, even ones aimed at american kids, and apparently its just normal. Difference is punished brutally and quickly, you CANNOT differ. YOU WILL SUFFER THE PUNISHMENT. Talent is detected and stamped on and stamped on until it is dead or the person loses all drive to be successfull. Of COURSE it happens. The singing kids get slushies thrown at them, the nerds get beaten up. WHAT THE FUCK PEOPLE. This is NOT NORMAL. This is NOT RIGHT. Is this just America? I dont want to think so. It cant be. Is the highscool years this brutal? This animalistic? Are the children this depraved? Its like fucking lord of the flies down there from what i see in the media. Please tell me im wrong

 

[scw55]

Prison should only be done if bullying involves assult or murder. Making someone grief so much intill they kill themselves is a grey area. You can assume it's manslaughter but, you'd have to look into what was done/exact words,/tone of voice etc.

It should be the school/college/university/work's responsability but most bully victims are too terrified to report it/had bad experiences when they reported it so they don't want to again (because it was handled idiotically)/or can't be bothered.

People say life is cruel and harsh. Why do you have to contribute to it?

I've met some arseholes growing up. First they scared me. Then when I was a teenager they started to disgust me. Now I seething hate them. It would be idealistic that the harshness of other people to me made me grow up and benefit from it and be stronger. No, it's just made me a judgemental ****. They've almost turned me into them. Bulling is evil. People who /care are unhappyface.

I didn't aknowledge my sexuality intill I was in university. I don't know how this kid gave away his sexuality as a teenager. Either he told someone in confidence and they betrayed him or he was unfortunatly flamboyant and the homophobic bullies lept on him. I don't get how people know their sexuality intill they're an adult because it's all influxual when you're young.

 

[TheJesus89]

Whatever.


They'll get theirs when they realize that they peaked in High School.

They don't deserve to go to jail, because what they did isn't illegal. It doesn't mean that they aren't scum-bags, because they are. Just that they're not criminals.


EDIT: also, how fair is it that these "bullies" will be punished for the rest of their lives with a criminal record for something they did in High School? I know most people in high school like to think of themselves as "adults", but we all know in our hearts that it's just not true. And it's not like the went out and stole something or killed someone. They were just dicks.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

We could bring back smacking or send the bullies into therapy as they obviously need it. Prison is a bit much and not the right place for them.

 

[trollax]

nah they should be punished but not jail

 

[lobster1077]

No they shouldn't be jailed. Jailing for indirect suicide would become common law. That would then act as incentive for bullied kids to kill themselves so that their perpetrators would get comeuppance for their wrong doings.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

American high school sometimes sounds like a hell hole of filth in which disgusting creatures hunt through the moral depravity for those who are different, sniffing them out and devouring their self esteem with a tirrade of inhuman abuse then savagely celebrating the death as if congratulating themselves on a job well done.

This cant be the case. America is a nice country on the whole, the adults dont seem as hate filled as the children do, there are no way this many homophobes are just sitting around highschools?

I dont know how anyone can stand it. Its like this in ALL media depicting american highschools, even ones aimed at american kids, and apparently its just normal. Difference is punished brutally and quickly, you CANNOT differ. YOU WILL SUFFER THE PUNISHMENT. Talent is detected and stamped on and stamped on until it is dead or the person loses all drive to be successfull. Of COURSE it happens. The singing kids get slushies thrown at them, the nerds get beaten up. WHAT THE FUCK PEOPLE. This is NOT NORMAL. This is NOT RIGHT. Is this just America? I dont want to think so. It cant be. Is the highscool years this brutal? This animalistic? Are the children this depraved? Its like fucking lord of the flies down there from what i see in the media. Please tell me im wrong

Not every American high school is like that, mine wasn't, but my junior high, on the other hand, is a different story. I know my high school didn't tolerate that shit, I remember this one guy got in so much trouble from everyone, including other students, for bullying another kid that lasted about three days. Not every high school was like mine, but not every high school is like the fifth circle of hell, thankfully.

The media here just loves to show stories of the 'hells' of high school and how terrible it is there. Fanatical reporting at its finest, so please don't think it's like that here in every American high school.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

American high school sometimes sounds like a hell hole of filth in which disgusting creatures hunt through the moral depravity for those who are different, sniffing them out and devouring their self esteem with a tirrade of inhuman abuse then savagely celebrating the death as if congratulating themselves on a job well done.

This cant be the case. America is a nice country on the whole, the adults dont seem as hate filled as the children do, there are no way this many homophobes are just sitting around highschools?

I dont know how anyone can stand it. Its like this in ALL media depicting american highschools, even ones aimed at american kids, and apparently its just normal. Difference is punished brutally and quickly, you CANNOT differ. YOU WILL SUFFER THE PUNISHMENT. Talent is detected and stamped on and stamped on until it is dead or the person loses all drive to be successfull. Of COURSE it happens. The singing kids get slushies thrown at them, the nerds get beaten up. WHAT THE FUCK PEOPLE. This is NOT NORMAL. This is NOT RIGHT. Is this just America? I dont want to think so. It cant be. Is the highscool years this brutal? This animalistic? Are the children this depraved? Its like fucking lord of the flies down there from what i see in the media. Please tell me im wrong

Not every American high school is like that, mine wasn't, but my junior high, on the other hand, is a different story. I know my high school didn't tolerate that shit, I remember this one guy got in so much trouble from everyone, including other students, for bullying another kid that lasted about three days. Not every high school was like mine, but not every high school is like the fifth circle of hell, thankfully.

The media here just loves to show stories of the 'hells' of high school and how terrible it is there. Fanatical reporting at its finest, so please don't think it's like that here in every American high school.

I couldnt believe it was. Ive met americans. They were nice to me. I didnt understand how these people could apparently be so Jyklle and Hyde. Highschool sounds so scary there though. Like the people i did talk to said that nerds and jocks could never talk ever or you were shunned. Like literally shunned by everyone. It was just weird. Are boundries that solid? Sounds so draconian. Even if it isnt bullying are groups that defined? Anyone at my school here in britain talks to anyone whenever, groups exist sure, like close friends and stuff but you talk, joke and hangout sometimes with everyone.

 

[dave1004]

I admit, bullying isn't very good. But, it's a necessary part of life. You either grow up with the willpower and strength to stand for your own ideals, or you grow up as a coward who'll bend over whenever someone says "Pull down your pants."

People are so weak and flimsy, and it seems that it'll never end. Hey, I'm no better, but I refuse to let myself be bullied. I don't care if I'm a nerd, I have a rock. You don't. Who wins now? I do.

 

[Doctor Glocktor]

I don think you should be jailed for bullying. If I make fun of you I'll be honest, deal with it. Life is cruel you will have someone make comments about you. Now lets say the bully tries fighting you, again I dont think they should be jailed. This is of course considering that its regular middle school-high school bullying. If the bullies be sever beatings, or relentless insults/ death threats. Then there has to be a major punishment, possibly jail/paying a fine. Its just most bully cases arent that bad, its what has been happening for years. But every now and then you get major bullying cases and we cant treat every case as a major one. Thats when we get over protected, and cant play damn dodge ball in school.

Life may be cruel, but is that really the only reason why we shouldn't try to improve it? Just because its been happening for a long time doesn't mean we shouldn't do something about it. Your attitude is why cases like the kid killing himself even exist.

The only problem I see with this is determining whats just joking between friends and genuine bullying.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Snippers!

I couldnt believe it was. Ive met americans. They were nice to me. I didnt understand how these people could apparently be so Jyklle and Hyde. Highschool sounds so scary there though. Like the people i did talk to said that nerds and jocks could never talk ever or you were shunned. Like literally shunned by everyone. It was just weird. Are boundries that solid? Sounds so draconian. Even if it isnt bullying are groups that defined? Anyone at my school here in britain talks to anyone whenever, groups exist sure, like close friends and stuff but you talk, joke and hangout sometimes with everyone.

Social groups here are pretty much defined and if you do talk to anyone outside of your group, you get questioned, and you better have a good reason. Even at my high school, if you talked to a jock and you were a nerd, you were still questioned, but there were some exceptions, like if they were really that cool or if they were in one of your classes and you were working on a project. I know I avoided the cafeteria like the plague since that's where the popular kids hung out, and since I was a nerd/goth/smart kid hybrid, you can imagine how awkward it was. I wish it was like that here, just hang out and talk like it was no big deal, sadly it's not.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Jail for bullying? I don't think so. For normal cases of bullying, a nice long detention involving cleaning bathrooms or something menial and boring will so. For actual physical assault, the penalty should be stiffer.

But if it leads to THIS kind of thing, where the bullied kid suicides? ...Yeah, That deserves something much more severe. I dunno about jail, but hot damn do the kids need to be told in no uncertain terms "Someone DIED because of you. That person's blood is on your hands. Don't ever forget that".

Oh, and those assholes who were chanting out "we're glad he's dead" at the dance like that? ...There is no middle finger big enough. I wish for nothing but nightmares of terror and pain upon those kids every time they shut their eyelids.

-
Also, to the guys saying "yeah, it's his fault for killing himself too, he's an idiot for doing that!"...Well...

Yes, it was stupid of him. But let me break it down for you, as someone who was severely bullied. When the whole school is bullying you, it feels like nobody cares at all about you, and EVERYONE wants to cause you pain. And many times, it's because of stupid reasons, or they just want to join the mob to be cool/not a target. This can eventually lead to the bullied person (remember, this is a KID we're talking about here) getting it into their head that everyone is picking on him because HE'S the problem. And thus, they might feel that if they kill themselves, then they are no longer the problem, and it's the only thing they can do.

The funny thing about kids is that if you keep telling them something over and over and over and keep repeating it, they will eventually believe it, even if what they're being told is "You're a !@#$head who should die". ...So please, don't try to pin this on the dead kid.

 

[RaikuFA]

what about teachers who do it or even encourage it? just let it go?

8 year kid comes home covered in bruises, starving says to his parents that he was beaten by a bunch of 6th graders and they took his food. parent goes to the school and they say"he has to learn to deal with it" and that they wont do anything about it. youre gonna say that the 8 year old is in the wrong?

 

[Apollo45]

Um... Frankly I think it's a bit ridiculous. Sure, some of the more serious things should be addressed, but you know if they do this it'll end with some twelve year old calling his friend retarded, some strung-up mother/teacher/adult will see it and think it's bullying, and the twelve year old will be sent to juvie for a joke.

I know bullying is bad in general, but even now there are some absolutely ridiculous rules in place around the country. And there are some rules that are obvious but for some reason haven't been put in. If anything, I think the solution is to look at the rules and countermeasures that are in place and readjust them, not just keep adding more on and hope the problem fixes itself.

On a side note, I've always been of the persuasion that a kid needs to get his ass kicked at least once in his life, just so he knows there's someone out there who can and will stop him from being an idiot. Nothing life or limb threatening, just a bit of a beating. Now, this is just my opinion, and it by no means extends to everyone. There are just a few guys I know that would be so much less annoying if they'd gotten beaten up even once.

 

[trollax]

bully kills the person bully gets to go jail.Idiot kills him self he gets a Darwin Award.

 

[RaikuFA]

"Bullying" is a vague term. Physical bullying? Well, that's assault, and that's already illegal.

Name-calling? Deal with it.

i see where youre going with this. i kinda agree