Bullying Campaign?

[windshawne]

My condolences as well. KIfan, this has been going on since before I was born, but I think it is just now coming to light. A kid in my 7th grade class was bullied daily-and finally one day he went to the town library and put a bullet in his brain right in front of everyone. My class has a memorial for him every time they have a reunion; however, I view them as a bunch of hypocrites. Some of those very souls were the ones that made his life a living hell, and now that he's gone they're going to be sorry? Too late now. I went to the same school and had the same issues, as well as the same bullies. I am not looking for sympathy or anything, but my experiences up to freshman year turned me into the recluse I am today. That same year, I had a teacher lock me in a closet for not understanding a music piece. Randy didn't deserve what he got, but he had no one to help him-and I have no sympathy for those who are sorry now. I am glad its getting out there now. Maybe we can prevent a few suicides and Columbines.

[KIfan1980]

One of my Facebook friends linked to the following article earlier today. Some may also say its not the NFL's place to get get involved in this issue either, but if there are campaigns out there that companies can support in this fashion then I say good for them.

http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2012/08/24/49ers-are-the-first-nfl-team-to-create-a-it-gets-better-video/

Maybe that is the approach the OP could encourage with KI. Is there an active community program that the KI and peanuts gang could support (ok - I understand KI for license reasons probably couldn't use Peanuts), but you could get 3-4 faces of KI (Enthusiast Dude, Don/Greg, Ride Ops, Lifeguards, etc...) to produce a video pretty easily that might help a little.

[Original]

My school has given us so many ceremonys about this stuff.

KI would be a good place for this. Most kids would think KI is a cool place(I would assum, I know I think that!) . Therefore, kids think bullying isnt cool. But thats just my thought.

[Voicetek]

I was bullied in elementary school and into the first half of Jr. High. I became overweight in second grade and also grew up in a single parent home where money was tight. I never had the latest fashions or the coolest haircuts. It didn't help either that I was shy and not very athletic. Kids used to call me fat and tell me to lose weight. In Jr. High kids used to hide my books all over the school and run up behind me and pull my pants down in the hall. In my opinion I had it pretty bad. I can sympathize with kids who are bullied. However, I don't understand why kids would take their own life because of it. What good did that do? You just let the bully win and not only that, you've caused a lifetime of hurt to your friends and family. As bad as I was bullied and as much as I dreaded going to school and no matter how sad or depressed it made me, I never once considered suicide. It's really not an escape. I feel sorry for the kids who feel like it's their only option.

[TheCrypt]

Bullying is a serious problem, but it should not be preached at the park. The park is supposed to be a place where you can have fun, no worries, and no stress of everyday life.

But then you figure out that it's $10.00 for a piece of pizza and a Coke.

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

I was once the victim of a bully while in Jr. High. I got sick and tired of his antics that finally had enough of his BS and flatten him. He was never a bully after I laid him on the ground and he became best of friends. Bullys only bully people that do not put up with their bull. They tend to pick on the weak and are part of a crowd. When they are by themselves, they are the coward that they are.

[74Gibson]

That's often not true anymore. Bullies are quite frequently the popular, athletic and confident type. They don't simply pick on the weak though that type of bully does still exist. As an elementary school counselor, I saw plenty of times that fighting the bully just redirected them to someone else.

Research (Olweus, Josephson Institute, etc...) shows that creating a community and school environment that puts down bullying is bar far the most effective. In most cases, it take far more than one person beating up a bully to stop them.

[markr]

KI Original Employee, too much of your post seems to focus away from bullies accepting responsibility for their actions. While it is true people should stand up for themselves, just because the victim does not stand up for themselves is absolutely no excuse for the bully's actions-that is like saying that the thief is less guilty just because you leave your wallet half-way out of your back pocket for him to take. And I would like to address the issue of you becoming friends with the bully after you fought him: To say that anyone has to earn the right to be treated with respect and dignity, with all due respect, is a bunch of hogwash. If a person expects me to "prove" myself to them by punching them in the nose, then I want nothing to do with them-real friends love and respect you for whom you are. The whole idea of today's anti-bullying campaign, in short, is to stop blaming the victim and make bullies accountable for their actions. I might add that there are other ways of standing up to people besides physical force, Physical force does not prepare one for the real world because, if you used physical force against a bully at work do you know what you would be? Fired.

PS: I know I am speaking with a lot of passion but it is because I feel passionate about the subject. Nothing personal against you, KI Original Employee, as I do like a lot of your posts.

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

This person that I beat up after his constant physical acts against me was what broke the camel's back. Yes, we did become friends but not until he realized what he had done and changed his ways but not for a few months. Another thing that helped was his mother used her parenting skills to persuade him to change also. This was in the mid 60's when there was no such thing as anti-bulling campaigns.

[Outdoor Man]

I don't want to sound cold and un-feeling (I was "bullied" in Jr. High also... 8th grade, under 5' tall- chased on my bike through town running EVERY stop sign risking life and limb while being chased by 5 boys much bigger than I- oddly they thought I was being unreasonable by reporting to the school). I got over it; most of them never left town, have bad jobs, and drink their sorrows away. So, I have some "relate-ability" here. If Kings Island ran a "Anti-Bully" campaign, what possible results would it produce. I don't honestly think that there will be a single person change their ways because KI says that they're against bullying. Its kind of like strict gun laws- it only keeps firearms out of the hands of law-abiding citizens; if someone is bent on wreaking havoc with a gun- a law saying that can't have one won't stop them. Conversely, just because there is an anti-bully campaign doesn't mean it will produce results.

You can't legislate morality- unfortunately that needs to start at home. I worked with teenagers for over 10 years, and I have to say that the "bully's" get it honestly; after meeting some of the parents, it makes perfect sense. You need a million licenses for just about anything, but any idiot can be a parent. Was in Walmart a few nights ago getting a last minute vacation item... it was 1am. there were a pair of late-teen parents there with a toddler. 1am. the child was cranky and the couple, without wedding rings, were intermitently yelling at the toddler. This was an angry child operating with minimal sleep that will translate into an angry teenager that will likely bully those around him someday. No anti-bully campaign is going to stop that.

[SOB_TOM]

Or, or, instead of businesses wasting their money on an anti-bullying campaign which, I may point out, WON'T work because it is giving the bullies what they want (attention,) and switch that around and teach kids life lessons that they are not learning at home and by interacting with other children outside of school during their preteen and teenage lives. I'm sorry if people don't agree with this point (I really couldn't care less to be honest, its my opinion,) however the generation growing up right now are trying to learn everything with a controller/mouse in their hand, and you can't learn life lessons that way. The only way that these lessons will be learned is through face to face interaction, and learning how to deal with bullies and stand up for yourself is a life lesson.

In conclusion, instead of trying to run BS campaigns, lets turn this issue around where it belongs.... THE PARENTS, and how society is flowing.

[TheCrypt]

KI-ORIG-EMP, with all due respect, if you the victim beat up the bully, you are no better than the bully himself.

[LongLiveTheSmurfRide]

^ Disagree. There's a difference between bullying and self defense. Now if he beat him up and then kept going after the bully because now he was the "top dog"; that would be no better. Knocking the bully down after taking abuse over and over and over again is no where near the same thing as being a bully.

[stashua123]

My advice to bullying is to ignore it until it becomes to much ex. sexually harassed or if it turns into a multiple person thing. Ive made myself realize that you have to stand up and maybe beat him up because if you wait to much you could become mentally unstable. I know from all the bullying i went through 1st-6th grade that if one more guy does any provoking ill just punch him. My bro did it to this mean kid and he and him became friends and he didnt get bullied again. My advice tell the teacher(in some situations this makes it worse)and dont care if you get called a snitch or tattletale.

Thanks, Joshua(yep thats my real name )

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

KI-ORIG-EMP, with all due respect, if you the victim beat up the bully, you are no better than the bully himself.

Wrong. It is called self defense. When a person picks on you physically, it comes to a point when you have to stand up to yourself and defend yourself. Bullies pick on the weak and the ones that will not stand up and defend themselves. When their peers stand up to their antics, they will craw back into the shadows or see the light of day. Bullies are weak and cowards and are nothing if they are not part of a group, that they rule with fear. The problems side with the parents that permit it in the first place.

[Outdoor Man]

I agree, i think, with Tom. A lot of these programs make us "feel better" because we think we're doing something- when in reality, these programs don't do much to affect change at all. in a majority of instances, "Bully's" are a bi-product of their home environment.

[TTD-120-420]

[Browntggrr]

Love this!

http://blog.petflow.com/a-bully-called-this-news-anchor-fat-and-what-happened-next-is-incredible-please-watch/

[shawnofthedead]

KI-ORIG-EMP, with all due respect, if you the victim beat up the bully, you are no better than the bully himself.

I disagree. I beleive you have the right to defend yourself and if you find the courage to do so, you should be proud. I was bullied way before any anti-bully campaigns and teachers didnt care. I felt on my own because I was on my own. I do agree and support anti-bully campaigns, Sometime in your life you are faced with problems and everybody deals with it in their own way.

[LoraX]

I hate violence. However, I strongly feel if you are physically attacked, fight back. I do not advocate abuse. Mental abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse is wrong.

I was bullied for years by a girl. She was the school bully and most boys were afraid of her. The bullying stopped when it finally came to blows. She threw the first punch, all I knew is I had to throw more punches that her. I threw three punches to each one she threw. No hair pulling. I punched her in the face repeatedly. I ended up giving her a left hook and she went up and over her desk.

She was suspended a week. I was in in school suspension for a day. The teacher came down to the office once my dad showed up. She apologized to me about not stopping the fight. Then she told my dad this girl deserved her butt whooping because each punch I threw was not just for me but every other person she bullied in the past.

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[RollerNut]

Bullying is part of life, always has been and always will. No one will ever stop it completely, and it is up to the victims how to handle it. Even adults bully eachother, but much less physically. I was bullied all through school, I learned to handle the bullies. The way I used was standing up to them and showing them I wasnt going to take it and I could dish it back too.

Oh and suicide is just taking wimp or easy way out. For every bully, there is more than one person they are bullying.