Tysyacha Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 [blatant plug ON] When I was in school, even college, I was bullied almost every day. It was mostly due to the fact that I have a disability (cerebral palsy), which is brain damage due to a lack of oxygen at birth. Unfortunately, my fellow classmates showed an almost complete lack of understanding, or even human empathy, when they encountered me. I often found myself in the quandary of "is it better to be bullied or ignored?" Both hurt equally. Bullying needs to stop. That's why my supervisor and I have applied for a grant through Pepsi Refresh to create and implement a K-12 curriculum about bullying that SPECIFICALLY includes people with disabilities--as teachers and students! Please visit this link, sign up to vote, and do so every day during April: http://www.refresheverything.com/refreshouroutlook You might also want to check out my blog at http://tysyacha.blogspot.com Thank you so much for your support, fellow comrades on LucasForums! Sincerely, Tysyacha [/blatant plug OFF] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrotoy7 Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I'm sorry to hear about the bullying you suffered I cant believe that you had to endure it even in college - where you would imagine people to be more mature. As a physical therapist, I have had quite a lot to do with people with CP, mainly in the post op rehab phase of things. One of the funniest guys I've ever met in my entire life was this young kid with CP I was working with after some lower limb surgery he had. He used to hop around on his crutches, chatting up nurses, lady ambulance officers - they all loved him! I've subscribed to your blog - make sure you keep updating it !! mtfbwya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Det. Bart Lasiter Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I'm sorry to hear about the bullying you suffered I cant believe that you had to endure it even in college - where you would imagine people to be more mature. Ive subscribed to your blog - make sure you keep updating it !! mtfbwya lol what college did you go to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrotoy7 Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 lol what college did you go to I'm not sure what is was like in other faculties, but there were no such idiots in the Faculty of Medicine/Health Sciences I studied in. Kids are a different story, and that's up to parents and teachers to sort out. Thankfully, I have never encountered anyone of adult age that would think its funny to victimise someone with a disability. Seeing that you are not surprised to find there are such douchebags in college makes me worry for the college you go to jmac Seeing you are our forum clown, perhaps it's this place? mtfbwya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tysyacha Posted April 5, 2010 Author Share Posted April 5, 2010 It was a very uptight religious school, and here are some of the names my college bully called me: "spoiled brat" "baby" "overly dependent on others" "selfish" "a master of manipulation" "oversensitive" "you take everything I say out of context" Ad nauseam. Thanks for signing up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkonium Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Having dealt with bullies in school and at work (both past tense, I'm currently in University and unemployed), I do feel obliged to support this. I'd personally prefer to take a more aggressive stand against bullying, but I can see why it wouldn't go over well. I have Asperger's, which was mistaken for ADHD when I was younger, so I've always been a bit awkward around people, and I've been picked on for it by idiots, even if they don't why I'm like that. Also, I'm nowhere near as open about being bisexual, though given my luck (or lack thereof) with people that way, it doesn't make much difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 When I was growing up, there was far more tolerance of bullying than there is these days, sort of the 'oh, kids will be kids'. It's nice to see that it's finally getting recognized as the problem it is. We need to teach kids at a young age that abusing others is wrong. If we don't teach them that, how will they learn otherwise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tysyacha Posted April 5, 2010 Author Share Posted April 5, 2010 A lot of people blame the parents as well as the schools when it comes to bullying. This blame is not misplaced, but what about this "dog eat dog" world in which we live? Our society worships competition, wealth, and "climbing to the top" while ignoring the others at the bottom. Call me a "pinko", but I think our social environment has something to do with bullying, too. If it's not condoned, bullying is at least passively encouraged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediMaster12 Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I detest bullies. That's the story with me. I have been bullied myself in grade school mainly because I am overweight and some people made fun of me for being smart though I had more people who wanted me on their team in terms of academics. I currently work for our Services to Students with Disabilities office here on my university campus and I interact on a daily basis with students who have a range of disabilities such as learning, mental and physical. The number one rule we have that we follow is to treat our students as equals. I have been around disabled people most of my life, my aunt being one. I agree with Jae that it is time to step up to the plate and take bullying as a serious issue. Did anyone remember Columbine here in the States? It is a serious problem and one I don't condone. Tsy I applaude your efforts to lead such a campaign. Kudos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tysyacha Posted April 5, 2010 Author Share Posted April 5, 2010 Thank you so much, and you know what? On my campus, we didn't have a Disability Services Office because the university was too small. I felt like an outcast--the only one--having to talk to a DORS (Department of Rehabilitation Services) counselor about my tuition bills instead of a "regular" representative from the Financial Aid Office. I didn't want to be "special" in a negative way anymore, and I can only remember one other student who had a visible disability besides me (she used a wheelchair). I felt weird... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ping Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I have been bullied at least once every single year I was in school, and I'm a junior right now. You guys saw that article about Phoebe Prince, right? Bullies are not only a problem, but a menace. Even though I was never officially diagnosed, I'm really do believe I was in a depression last year due to excessive bullying. Honestly, I can't believe bullies are humans. They take joy in belittling others to make themselves feel like gods. They're nothing but scum bags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tysyacha Posted April 5, 2010 Author Share Posted April 5, 2010 ^^^^^^^ Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pho3nix Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I think everyone needs to remember that bullying goes on in adult environments like the workplace as well, It's not something that ends simply because you get older. Personally I don't believe bullying will ever end since It's part of "the human condition" or whatever you would call it, It's part of human nature to try and dominate others (not saying this applies to everyone though I believe it does manifest itself in at least some way, even extremely mild forms). It goes hand-in-hand with racism as well. Hope I don't come off as too pessimistic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordOfTheFish Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Sorry to hear about that, Tysy. I've been fortunate enough to be homeschooled, so being bullied isn't really a problem other than the occasional crap I recieve from my brothers. But that certainly is a great cause that I gladly voted for. I'll subscribe to your blog when I get the chance. Best of luck to you and your supervisor on earning that grant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tysyacha Posted April 5, 2010 Author Share Posted April 5, 2010 No--you're not being too pessimistic, and as for dominating others, I've discovered that you CAN win (get promoted over someone else, claim victory in a game, etc.) without bullying the other person or making him/her feel like crap. Bullying shouldn't be a part of winning, or trying to "come out ahead" in whatever you're trying to do. Play it fair and square, and you make the world a better place. Play "dirty pool", and you make it dirty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimartin Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 When I was growing up, there was far more tolerance of bullying than there is these days, sort of the 'oh, kids will be kids'. Don’t know about this, if anything where I was raised it seem to be less tolerated. My family had the rule if you were bullied at school you better fight back or you were going to get your butt wiped when you got home. Only ever remember being bullied at the start of 1st grade and 6th grade when we moved to a new town. The kid who attempted to bully me in 6th grade is still one of my best friends today. Voted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tysyacha Posted April 5, 2010 Author Share Posted April 5, 2010 You're really lucky! Did s/he ever say why s/he attempted to bully you? BTW: Your female Elf is GORGEOUS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimartin Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 New Kid at school always gets bullied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 <snipped> Call me a "pinko", but I think our social environment has something to do with bullying, too. If it's not condoned, bullying is at least passively encouraged. I don't know why you think that you would be regarded as a socialist/communist for thinking this. It is actively encouraged, or at least it was when I was a kid. Authority figures would either ignore it or even join in the fun and every type of "help", including therapy, was geared towards convincing the victim that bullying should be tolerated and that they somehow deserved the treatment that they were being subjected to. Victims were forcefully discouraged and even convinced that there was something fundamentally wrong with them if they dared to express the desire to want to fight back. It's like the goal was destroying a person's self-esteem so that they would remain hapless victims for the rest of their lives. I think everyone needs to remember that bullying goes on in adult environments like the workplace as well, It's not something that ends simply because you get older. That it does. At least as an adult a person has legal rights and doesn't have to put up with it if he/she doesn't want to. Kids only have the rights that their parents allow them to have, and if their parents are impressionable idiots that go along with the program because they care more about not rocking the boat than they do about their own child's emotional well-being they're screwed. Personally I don't believe bullying will ever end since It's part of "the human condition" or whatever you would call it, It's part of human nature to try and dominate others (not saying this applies to everyone though I believe it does manifest itself in at least some way, even extremely mild forms). It goes hand-in-hand with racism as well. As long as I'm allowed to defend myself and my interests without having to endure the hypocrisy of being regarded as a troublemaker or a psycho, then I have no problem dealing with certain people's childish and irresponsible lack of self-control at all. Of course, we all know that it doesn't work that way, though, which is why my regard for humanity is in the toilet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tysyacha Posted April 5, 2010 Author Share Posted April 5, 2010 I totally agree on the part about therapy trying to convince the victim that something's wrong with THEM. If the VICTIM is the problem, we won't have to change OURSELVES or our WONDERFUL SOCIETY *cough*. Just convince the bullying survivor that they should "laugh it off" or "ignore it", and everything will be just hunky-dory for everyone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I'm convinced that this policy has lead to countless suicides and murders, along with untold, unnecessary suffering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litofsky Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Bullies are not fun. For the past few years (not so much in middle school, really), I've had to put up with an excessive amount of bullying for not swimming with the current. It's a massive pain in the ass; ignoring it doesn't help, asking them to stop doesn't help, and responding in kind doesn't help. Last semester, I nearly decked one of the kids for making fun of me nonstop, the whole freaking year. Trying to hit him elicited more of a response than doing nothing. [/rage] At any rate, there aren't a lot of paths left to be taken when it comes to bullying. Telling a teacher sometimes helps, but when dealing with high-school kids... Best of luck in your grant, Tysyacha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tysyacha Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 In the case of Phoebe Prince, it doesn't seem like the administrators and teachers did much of anything to help stop the bullying. Thank you, Litofsky, and bless all of you who have gone through bullying before. This "rite of passage" should be condemned to oblivion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediMaster12 Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Thank you so much, and you know what? On my campus, we didn't have a Disability Services Office because the university was too small. I felt like an outcast--the only one--having to talk to a DORS (Department of Rehabilitation Services) counselor about my tuition bills instead of a "regular" representative from the Financial Aid Office. I didn't want to be "special" in a negative way anymore, and I can only remember one other student who had a visible disability besides me (she used a wheelchair). I felt weird... Interesting you say that. I know that under California law due to Title IX (I think) that instuitions must provide services to people with disabilities. I know our students aren't forced to make use of our services but it's there if they need it or want to use it. Perhaps what would really help is you get a campaign launched to create something like the SSD office I work for at your university. If you have enough people on board with it, something should come out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrotoy7 Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Last semester, I nearly decked one of the kids for making fun of me nonstop, the whole freaking year. Trying to hit him elicited more of a response than doing nothing. [/rage] It sucks when it comes to violence, but when parents and teachers fail at addressing the problem, what else is left to be done? Unfortunately bullying still occurs in the adult world too, especially in industrial and corporate workplaces. I think it is really important that people suffering at the hands of others have people they can confide in. Suffering in silence is a recipe for disaster. mtfbwya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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