'Happy kid' kills himself over bullying at two NYC schools

MSNBC ^ | 6/3/12 | NBC New York

[HiTech RedNeck]

What a schizophrenic approach is used by our modern liberal schools. Unwilling to speak and confess about the ever present capacity of the human heart for evil, they thus seem to make even their own punishments pointless, if not punishing the victim at least as badly as the aggressor.

[kara37]

Can anyone tell me they weren’t subjected to ridicule and name-calling in school? Some people deal with it and others can’t handle it. Yes, it’s unfortunate, but where I see this going is something like implementing programs like zero tolerance and screwing up kids every bit as much as the bullies do.

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You are correct, some kids and take it and some can not. However, no one should have to take it.

There is zero tolerance of this kind of stuff at any job. There is no way an employer would put up with kind of thing, unless they were begging to get sued. If an employers can protect employees, a school should be able to protect children. No child should be harassed and tormented for going to school.

[GOPJ]

A 12-year-old boy harassed by school bullies about his intelligence, his height and his deceased father killed himself in the New York City apartment he shared with his mother...

NOTE: the kid was NOT gay... this story will go no where.

[GSWarrior]

I remember once in like 4th or 5th grade a classmate lost most of his family in a horrible auto crash. Some time later on the playground another classmate was taunting him with words like "Where's your mother, Steve?" I clearly remember him responding "She's dead."

I just stood there frozen, not believing my ears--too much of a wimp to step in and protect him.

That incident still haunts me 45 years later.

[allmendream]

If your child is picked on in school it is, in my opinion, unlikely that changing the school will change the situation.

If he was teased because of his characteristics at ONE school, he will be teased for those characteristics at a SECOND or even a THIRD or FOURTH school.

If you don’t want your kid bullied at school - think about changing your kid - not just changing the school - unless it is a different type of school.

[Little Ray]

I’d agree with you except things have changed. Bullies have always had their posses or gangs, or whatever. But they’d stand on the sidelines while their leader tried to teach you a lesson. Doesn’t seem to work that way anymore. You fight one of them, you fight all of them.
The only way I can think of to deal with it would be ambush their leader while he’s alone and hurt him bad enough that he loses credibility. And then, if you’re ID’d, you go to jail...

[DoughtyOne]

I believe you talk it down in the classroom and from the administration. I’m not against action being taken when it is observed. I just think our moral bastions the education system operatives these days, are utterly clueless as to how to respond in a reasoned manner.

Let’s remember that these are the same people who find it a-okay to teach young children to be tolerant of homosexuality, when they don’t even know all the secrets to heterosexual norms yet.

Look at our zero tolerance problem, “Hey he pointed a finger at me. It looked just like a gun.” “You can’t attend school here anymore...”

Talk about zero tolerance... how about something to address zero reason.

[DoughtyOne]

As for the workplace, I agree with your comments. Here’s what I wrote to someone else, and it fits here too. I have a dilemma.

I believe you talk it down in the classroom and from the administration. I’m not against action being taken when it is observed. I just think our moral bastions the education system operatives these days, are utterly clueless as to how to respond in a reasoned manner.

Let’s remember that these are the same people who find it a-okay to teach young children to be tolerant of homosexuality, when they don’t even know all the secrets to heterosexual norms yet.

Look at our zero tolerance problem, “Hey he pointed a finger at me. It looked just like a gun.” “You can’t attend school here anymore...”

Talk about zero tolerance... how about something to address zero reason.

[dervish]

“I don’t know what “find a way” means to a little girl who is being repeatedly gut-punched”

This kid did not kill himself because he was physically hurt. Self worth has to be taught and nurtured in children. It must come from inside.

When taking on a larger and more numerous foe, brains beats brawn. There are many ways to undermine and humiliate bullies other than beating them to a pulp. Not that I object to the beating if one is able.

[ottbmare]

The constant message from one's peers that "you're worthless" can erode even a lot of strong positive messages from parents. And this boy did not have two parents; his father was dead and his mother was an overworked, stressed widow who was struggling to support the family.

I am simply tired of Freepers blaming the victim. This was a little boy whose father was dead, and rather than feeling compassion for a kid who didn't have anybody to teach him how to stand up for himself, you are all finding fault with him because he was overcome. He was ten years old, for God's sake! Were all of you pillars of courage, foresight, wisdom, and emotional strength at ten? He hadn't even had the time to develop mature thought processes. He did something foolish out of temporary sorrow, and might have regretted it even while he was strangling. Stop beating up on him--he had enough of that in this life. It's a good thing he's now in a place where no one can beat up on him.

[cherry]

this is 2012....we know all the dangers of bullying....we know what it does to kids.....we KNOW.....and still, its allowed, hidden, forgotten about,not talked about...

by god, we can shove condoms and homo sex down their throats, but to teach virtue and proper conduct?...is that too damn much to ask????

[wintertime]

I am so sorry for all that your daughter and you ( her parents) have had to endure. I am pleased to hear that your daughter is doing better. I pray that she will fully recover in every way.

[dervish]

So being bullied makes you want to bully others?

I am not taking the rap for blaming the victim. As you said — he was a child, 12 not 10. I do blame the parent. Read the story again. How do you send a search party when the child was dead in the home?

He also had an older brother who taught him not to fight back. They lived in government housing and according to the press the mother did everything she could including trying to get the government to move her to new housing.

Also you may want to get personal. That’s fine. But I’m not interested in sharing with you what my life was like when I was ten.