Another sad story

[Paul Schroder]

I found this on another forum and it's effected me deeply.

Once again a school system fails its students in protecting against homophobic bullying. In a school where there are a mix of black and white students, no one would dare utter the "N" word but "gay, fag and queer" seem to be tolerated. The result is one more suicide. And this time by a boy who was only eleven years old.

Here is the news article.

Here is the news video.

[DesDownunder]

This should never have happened. I am not only saddened by this boy's torment and death, but I am also infuriated by all those who do nothing to stop it, who make no effort to understand that bullying is wrong and whose minds are petrified into the stones of accusation that being gay is somehow anything other than what it is, perfectly normal.

The irreplaceable loss of such an innocent young life is just awful.

[Trab]

It makes me sick. I don't know what we can do about it, but I was wondering if maybe some international website to register complaints about bullying might help. No names, but the name of the school, location of the school, age of the kid, and how often it happens to them. Just gather the statistics, publish them daily, on some kind of large clock/temperature graph. Maybe if there are figures to be seen, someone will do something. Maybe there would even be some way to identify particular schools as being the worst. It won't be scientific in accuracy, but how many people are going to report bullying if they aren't bullying. Those who aren't victims don't even think about the subject at all.

[DesDownunder]

Trab, are you suggesting perhaps something along the lines of a "Bully Watch"?

A list of schools and number of incidents recorded, but it might be difficult to stop abuse of the system by trouble makers..

Seems to me the Mail Crew might have some ideas on that.

[Trab]

Sort of, but no identification of the bullies, just numbers of victims, maybe victim impacts (sad, angry, suicidal, violent), and where they go to school.

[Cole Parker]

I think it's a great idea, Trab. Sure, there might be details that would have to be worked out after the fact, but so what? I'm not sure how one goes about getting something like this started and how kids and parents could be made aware, but no principal would want his school's name on that list. Think of what ammunition it would provide in lawsuits!

If there's a way to do this, it definitely should be done.

C