Were you or some one you know bullied in highschool?

[bcguy]

Only reason I ask, is because the main news paper vancouversun.com had a article of a Port Coquitlam teenager commit suicide. The article went nation wide and was on cnn.com.

Bullied Canadian teen leaves behind chilling YouTube video - CNN.com

If you attended a high school that was mostly LDs youth, did you by chance see or experience bullying?

[Guest]

Yup, by the LDS girls. They actually had a seminary lesson that year focused on leaving me the heck alone.

[skippy740]

I was bullied way back in 2nd grade - got into a few fights. Eventually changed schools for the 3rd grade.

I did have a speech impediment/problem at that time and was going to speech therapy. I don't know if that was the reason or not kids wanted to pick on me? I can't remember that far back.

Was I picked on since then? Nothing that really stands out.

[skippy740]

I will admit that I didn't always feel "included" with others - including the youth of my ward, but that's not the same as being bullied.

[NeuroTypical]

Funny. How come we all became LDS.net moderators?

Yeah, 25 years ago I was not a happy camper either.

[mirkwood]

High school, no. Early Jr. High yes. I punched out a few of those bullies and it eventually stopped. I guess they didn't like victimes who fought back. Unfortunately, while I did not become a bully in HS, I was quite the **** to kids who probably could be considered bullied.

[Mahone]

I did get bullied to a certain extent, because I was much taller than the others. Lets put it this way, there are 5 years in high schools in the UK (12-16) and I was the second tallest person in the school in my first year, and the tallest person in the school by my second year, including all the teachers. While height is a benefit in real life, in high school most things that make you stand out from the crowd are not good things.

I remember sitting alone in the school library early in the morning before school started, playing with one of the computers we had in there, when I saw the silhouette of the head of IT through the fogged glass in the doors. As I definitely wasn't supposed to be in there (no-one was allowed in before school started), I hid behind one of the book cabinets just as he walked in. He was introducing the school to a new teacher, and as he was showing her the computers, he said "you need to watch out for that fat kid, Ian, and the lanky kid that hangs around with him, James, they will destroy every computer we have if given the chance". Referring to one of my high school friends and myself.

I thought it was amusing at the time

Edited October 14, 2012 by Mahone

[Backroads]

Maybe I just didn't see anything, but from my recollections my high school was more or less a decent place.

I do recall "mean girl" bullying other girls in the 6th grade, though--shame on me.

[carlimac]

I remember it in elementary, " Eric's germs. No returns!" And a bit in Jr. High when weirdness really seemed to surface in a big way. I certainly felt out of it and not included in the "popular" crowd but I don't remember ever being bullied. Maybe my naivete taken advantage of, but no bullying.

Edited October 15, 2012 by carlimac

[Mahone]

Funny. How come we all became LDS.net moderators?

Yeah, 25 years ago I was not a happy camper either.

Unlike paid positions of authority, LDS.net moderators obviously don't apply for the job, they are chosen by Pam. I'm pretty sure Pam would be less likely to pick someone that actually wanted that authority directly (I know I don't), and in my experience those that don't want power over other people are more likely to be those that have been bullied in the past.

Edited October 14, 2012 by Mahone

[skippy740]

In other words... we were drafted. :)

[MorningStar]

I got picked on a bit for being short. Otherwise I dealt with boys sexually harassing me in junior high.

[RadioactiveWolfboy]

I was bullied on the bus in grade school and in high school. It finally ended in 9th grade when I grabbed the bully by his hair and bounced his face off the wall. I'm not proud of what happened, but it had to happen in order for people to leave me alone. I became a person I did not want to be. No one messed with me, but throughout my early adult life I answered threats to me or family with violence. I am so glad I found the Church and changed. Now I am relaxed and laid back. I would only fight to protect my family or loved ones if I absolutely had to. I will never provoke violence and avoid it if I can. I've been teaching my brother since I joined the Church that violence isn't the answer. I simply have told him that it isn't worth it. He gets it now, and he recently was baptized. Bullying is not okay and there are kids and young people affected by it every day. I hope that one day humans will find the need to bully a thing of the past.

[John11111]

I got into a lot of fights back in school but not because I was bullied but protecting other kids from getting bullied. Id confront them and tell um to leave the kids alone and when they didnt and got in my face I made them pay for it.

I think I spent as much time in suspension as I did in class, Im pretty sure the only reason I wasnt expelled was because I was standing up for people lol.

[bcguy]

Most teens turn a blind eye.

I remember once, walking around the corner of the hallways with lockers. Here, stood a 6 foot jr high school kid, who had a freshman in a headlock being hit by his fist. I was in shock. All these other kids just stood there and watched as this smaller freshman was getting assaulted. I almost feel like taking on this other 11th grader but he was much bigger then me. I found out, that this freshman was mouthing off to him and I guess the 11th grader had it.

As for the Amanda Todd story going nation wide. The more about this story, the more it gets darker. A Pedifile in the united states was sending her half naked photo to all her friends up here in BC. She moved schools, and the same bulling happened to her in the new school. WOW how dark can cyber bulling be? Anyway, They local authorities in the US are trying to find and charge this suspect but he has disappeared.

You can read the story below. People, always watch what your kids are doing in social media sites. Its a dangerous world out there.

MPs to debate anti-bullying motion in wake of Amanda Todd suicide, but can we legislate being nice? | Daily Brew - Yahoo! News Canada

[classylady]

I wasn't bullied during my school years. I don't remember any bullying going on with other kids. There were a few kids that were made fun of, but I don't know if that would be considered bullying.

[Blackmarch]

Only reason I ask, is because the main news paper vancouversun.com had a article of a Port Coquitlam teenager commit suicide. The article went nation wide and was on cnn.com.

Bullied Canadian teen leaves behind chilling YouTube video - CNN.com

If you attended a high school that was mostly LDs youth, did you by chance see or experience bullying?

well during middle school and elementary grades. lucky enough i didn't really have to deal with it in highschool.

[bcguy]

Seems the Amanda todd Story has a wikipedia on her.

Suicide of Amanda Todd - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Her story has gained global attention to cyber bulling and its devastating effects. Even after death, horrible comments are made by trolls and bullies about her that the family has kept open as a memorial current at 10,000,000 hits as of Oct 11th.

Suicide of Amanda Todd - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Last year, English parliament created a law that all existing and new Facebook users provide ID information before opening up a account. This would take away the chanced the new user can post anonymously without accountability.

I hope Canada and the US governments do the same.

[Smudge]

At my first high school (UK so age 12-13) I was horribly bullied - for the way I spoke (english accent in small town Scotland AND not swearing), because I went to church, because of the way I dressed, because I had music lessons and sung in the choir among other things. I had things thrown at me, people threatened to get me put off the school bus (where we live it was already starting to get dark when school finished), and I ended up skipping school. Eventually after following ll the proper channels my mother took me out that school because the bullies weren't disciplined (or they were and then were allowed to travelled on the same bus as so they could take it out on me that they been). Things settled down after I changed schools - until 2000 when my childhood bully moved into the house next door to us and proceed to take up where he had left off all those years before!

I still struggle with the effects of this bullying over the years since I changed schools I have slowly rebuilt myself but I still struggle with my self esteem (which hasn't been helped by things that have happened since).

At the time that the bullying was most severe I did struggle with depression but luckily thanks to a few wonderful friends and Girl Guiding (we weren't active at that point) I never considered taking my life but my heart goes out those who feel there is no other way to end the bullying.

The high school I attended had one other LDS student in a student body of about 1200 students but because I hadn't been active we weren't friends as we went to differnt schools in different towns (4 or 5 primaries from 3 towns feed into that high school)

[C_T_R]

If you attended a high school that was mostly LDs youth, did you by chance see or experience bullying?

I attended a high school with the high majority of students being LDS and I saw and experienced all kinds of crap. It's important to separate the gospel of Jesus Christ from a person who carries around the "label" of a Mormon. That doesn't necessarily mean anything.

[JudoMinja]

I never went to a school that was mostly LDS, but I remember seeing a lot of bullying growing up. When it was directed at me, I mostly learned to brush it off or ignore it. Though my worst year for it was 7th grade and it was actually the other Young Women from church that were the ring-leaders of the bullying group, and interestingly 7th grade was the same year my older brother had the hardest time with bullying... and my younger sister... and my younger brother.... hmm.... I guess we were just all really awkward 7th graders? lol.

[annewandering]

I was never bullied. My next youngest brother was horribly bullied. My older brother was always defending him. Not fighting. Just knock it off stuff. I have never understood it. Many of my friends were bullied. I remember one time filling my purse with rocks to get rid of the ex-friend and her gang of bullies from following us around calling her a cow. One swing of the purse into my ex friends face and that ended that.

One of my daughters had a girl in her class that lived by us who stalked her to bully her at school. My daughter is a very calm person but thet girl just finally got to her when the girl jumped on her back and gave her a bloody nose staining her new tshirt she loved. So she smacked her hard. The girl whined but no teacher was willing to hear her.

I am not for violence but it seems that some do not 'hear' any other language. It seems to me that the ones bullied are kids who are not the kind to would fight back. In other words nice kids. Once they understand, through bluff, attitude or action that they are mistaken the problem seems to disappear.

[JudoMinja]

I am not for violence but it seems that some do not 'hear' any other language. It seems to me that the ones bullied are kids who are not the kind to would fight back. In other words nice kids. Once they understand, through bluff, attitude or action that they are mistaken the problem seems to disappear.

Yeah, I remember punching a kid who kept bullying me in third grade, and he stopped after that. My dad told us about how he was bullied in school, but that stopped after he jumped off the monkey bars onto the kid that was bullying him. And I've heard a number of other stories about bullies that stopped after their target fought back.

Sometimes though, that doesn't work. My older brother, for example, had an absolutely horrible experience with bullies. He'd fight back, but then they'd just gang up on him- a whole group following him home from school to beat him up on the way.

I think standing up, violently, against a bully is in most cases a reasonable form of self-defense, and it does usually solve the problem. It depends on the individual case, but bullying is probably one of the few situations where I personally might advise someone to go ahead and do something violent.

Unfortunately, school discipline systems don't support that kind of self-defense like they used to. When I punched the kid in third grade and it got brought to the attention of the principal- I explained why I punched him and didn't get in trouble, while he did. A similar situation with my sister when she slapped someone- after explaining she didn't get in trouble and the other kid did. Now- you do something like a single punch to put a bully in place and you get in trouble too. Happened twice to my youngest brother.

[annewandering]

Notice that new policy of punishing kids for defending themselves is working really good. I really dont think the bullies care if they are punished so if they and their prey are punished its all the cooler. Fighting against a gang is just not smart. Unless you weigh the odds. For that I have no idea what is best unless its just moving or homeschooling. If schools wont or cant protect you then they are not safe to be at.