Comments on: Minnesota bully bill advances

By: Gerry Fisher

Gerry Fisher — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:55:36 +0000

This “blast from the past” just popped into my mind….

I didn’t get into many fights in school, but I got into one in seventh or eighth grade. The other kid and I were brought before the Principal. After chewing us out, she pulled me aside and said, “You’re an honor student and headed for college some day. Don’t let losers like that get to you.” It hurt and angered me that she called the other kid a loser.

Years later, I ran into the other “kid” in a gay bar. He was a set designer, often working on Broadway, splitting his time between the US and his native Brazil.

Sometimes “bullies” are not what they appear to be.

By: Gerry Fisher

Gerry Fisher — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:45:29 +0000

I saw a program on TV about a school district that actively finds out who the bullies are, and then they actively work to help the bullies to learn better skills for coping with their problems, often family issues. The initial results were very encouraging. (To the best of my knowledge, the help they give the bullies is in *addition* to punishment for bad behavior, not *replacing* punishment for bad behavior.)

How many times have we seen the bully be a closeted person who can’t deal with their own sexual orientation? Or a bully who’s getting pounded by a father, mother, or older brother, and who tries to cope by scapegoating a weaker kid?

By: Randy

Randy — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:04:51 +0000

“creating a legal minefield” = “won’t be able to beat on people anymore”. And that’s the point.

By: Will

Will — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:39:25 +0000

Quote: ““The concern that I have by going down this path is we are potentially creating a legal minefield for our schools,” Sen. David Hann said

This type of thinking is fear and nothing but it, and it stinks.