A story out of South Hadley, Mass. has my husband and me reliving an argument from a couple of years ago.
A 17-year-old high school student in the western Massachusetts town, Phoebe Prince, committed suicide after enduring months bullying that allegedly included physical assaults, vicious taunts and name-calling by other teens.
The tragedy has sparked a public outcry that students who participated in the shameful behavior be charged in connection with her death, and that school officials be held accountable for not protecting her from her tormentors.
Our positions haven't changed much since the discussion began in 2008 after a Missouri woman named Lori Drew was indicted on a charge of cyberbullying following the 2006 suicide of a teenager - Megan Meier. Drew was convicted but later acquitted of the crime.
I think our laws are sufficient with respect to harrassment and endangerment, and to change them in light of extreme cases will change our society in a really dangerous way. Making new laws that penalize "bullies," specifically people who use words as their their weapons, will not only make meanness a little more stealth, but may also snag anyone who ever makes a protected but unwanted observation.
In the cases of bullying, I think we need to strengthen our kids and their ability to stand up for themselves and others. I think we do that by being brave even if we have to fake bravery.
He thinks we make societal changes through laws and penalties.
What do you think?
2 comments:
Being conservative (not the big 'C' kind), I tend to oppose making something that's already against the law even more against the law in the name of protection of a class of people. (Not always a popular position.)
We went through bullying in elementary school. We worked with the school, and worked with our daughter, and we got through it. The school was quite responsive, so perhaps we were lucky. I actually felt worst for the bully, since that behavior is almost always a sign that things are seriously not right at home. Today she and my daughter talk to each other and it's all pretty much forgotten.
Carl, I'm interested to know how the school responded and what steps it took to stop the bullying.
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