Exactly. Why can’t we try to stop all bullying, not just that of protected classes?
I was bullied pretty consistently for 10 years and I have little tolerance for the common FR opinion that somehow it is acceptable. I have a sneaking suspicion those who feel this way were bullies themselves.
Such behavior will not be tolerated in adult life, why should it be tolerated in schools?
But this whole protected groups bit is the wrong way to go about it.
You’d have to look long and hard to find someone who was *not* bullied consistently for 10 years in school.
The problem I have with anti-bullying measures in school is the definition of “bullying”. Most folks probably agree that physical aggression and direct personal degradation are out of bounds.
On the other side of the coin is perceived or “soft” bullying, which is where the problem comes in. I saw a presentation on bullying at my children’s grade school a few months back. These days, just not including someone in your conversation circle is considered bullying!
Imagine that! If I don’t want to talk to you, I’m bullying you. That’ll play out well, won’t it? And to say that it’s not tolerated in adult life, is just BS. If I don’t want to have a conversation with someone, I won’t and no Justice Department employee is going to say otherwise. Same goes for my kids.
Hard bullying, fine, ban it, it already is banned under other names (assault, hazing, menacing). Soft bullying, well, I’d suggest people teach their kids to use it as life lesson instead of running off to the nanny state over it.