Should bullying be a crime now?

[retrodoctor]

Bullying falls under harassment, which is illegal.

Except in school.

That's not true in the states. People, parents, just don't take it seriously and don't exercise their right to file a report or take any action against someone. It's even worse when it's a group of people. For the record, there is no law that is no longer a law because you're in a school.

 

[leic7]

Bullying falls under harassment, which is illegal.

Except in school.

That's not true in the states. People, parents, just don't take it seriously and don't exercise their right to file a report or take any action against someone. It's even worse when it's a group of people. For the record, there is no law that is no longer a law because you're in a school.

My own understanding of the situation is, the current laws in Canada re: harassment, stalking, slander, assault, discrimination, etc. aren't really effective against cyberbullying, which was the main form of bullying in Amanda's case. Our laws were designed for the pre-digital age. Ever since the news broke out a few days ago, I've been hearing calls for new legislation that will include, or focus on cyberbullying. Obviously, even if it's made into a law, we won't treat underage offenders the same way we'd treat adult offenders.

 

[Just Another Gamer]

Bullying falls under harassment, which is illegal.

Except in school.

And sometimes in the workplace since it might cost you your job or something if you speak up. If anything bullying gets worse later on in life and doesn't improve at all it just changes the way it happens, in school its teasing and getting beaten up in the workplace god knows it could be harassment or abuse by those in power.

As someone who was basically bullied for everyday of my life going through primary and secondary education, I think I'm pretty familiar with bullying. And I have to say, being bullied made me stronger, more sensitive and kinder than I otherwise would be, I think. It's tough, and can feel extremely unfair and hopeless at times, but surviving makes you stronger. I'm not interested in revealing the specifics here, but despite the rough time I had, I still think the experience shaped me into a responsible person. I don't think I've ever bullied anyone before, and certainly never intentionally and I think my history with bullying has played no small part in that.

Well everyone is different in that reguard and the result will differ from person to person. I was bullied alot in primary and middle and know what happened? I fought back and beat the shit of those who bullied me and eventually dropped out of middle school then tried going to Uni which was okay for a a while but it got too much and I got depressed and now hating the human race is one of the things that brings me joy in life. I now openly distrust people and rather be a loner than surround myself with creatures that has the potential to betray me, not every one who got bullied killed themselves but I can see the appeal in it because this will always happen anywhere and it seems easier to be dead then having to struggle through that.

 

[Smuff]

People = shit

 

[Veho]

Should bullying be a crime now?

Yes.

 

[Wabsta]

As someone who still has self esteem issues and a SO who still has self esteem issues, I say yes.
It´s crazy that harassment is illegal for adults, but (almost) nothing is done about it for highschool kids.
But like said before, I would punish the parents for not raising their children the right way, rather than the children. (well both, but the parents more.)

 

[Ethevion]

I saw this video on facebook, it made me angry. However, I don't think bullying should be considered a crime, especially for kids and teens. When bullying leads to suicide, it's a completely different story. Everyone needs to learn to stand up for themselves at some point, but unfortunately some people just don't have it in them.

My conclusion is that bullies suck, the parents of the bullies suck and so do their parenting skills. People getting bullied need to tell someone instead of holding in all the pain.

 

[Blaze163]

What gets me is that if an adult gives another adult a hard time, it's classed as harrassment and a crime. If a kid does it to another kid, it's only 'bullying' and everyone acts like it's a fact of life. Shouldn't it be the other way around to help kids get through those already difficult formative years?

 

[retrodoctor]

It's not a "fact of life" You can and should do whatever you can to get out of a poisoned environment and if they involves contacting the police or filing some sort of restraining order for persons under 18, then do it. It's only viewed as a "fact of life" because people don't WANT to do something. They're scared that if they tell the teacher, more people will bully them. People, especially kids, needs to learn that it's okay to tell your teacher shit and the more you do it, the more of a hassle it'll be for that bully. They won't bother you anymore because they don't want to deal with all the flack that comes with it. Kids bully kids because certain ones are bigger than others and it givers them dominance. You strip that away when you call in someone bigger into the equation (teachers, parents, police)

Anyway, bullying is illegal in the states. It falls under harassment and if the other kid touches you, it can be filed as assault. I went to a pretty poor high school and during my last year, they installed cameras. if you feel the need to report an assault or harassment to the police, just ask for the recording from that certain timeframe and place. The quicker you act on it, the quicker you can get out of a situation wherein you're a defenseless victim.

 

[Blaze163]

It's not a "fact of life" You can and should do whatever you can to get out of a poisoned environment and if they involves contacting the police or filing some sort of restraining order for persons under 18, then do it. It's only viewed as a "fact of life" because people don't WANT to do something. They're scared that if they tell the teacher, more people will bully them. People, especially kids, needs to learn that it's okay to tell your teacher shit and the more you do it, the more of a hassle it'll be for that bully. They won't bother you anymore because they don't want to deal with all the flack that comes with it. Kids bully kids because certain ones are bigger than others and it givers them dominance. You strip that away when you call in someone bigger into the equation (teachers, parents, police)

Anyway, bullying is illegal in the states. It falls under harassment and if the other kid touches you, it can be filed as assault. I went to a pretty poor high school and during my last year, they installed cameras. if you feel the need to report an assault or harassment to the police, just ask for the recording from that certain timeframe and place. The quicker you act on it, the quicker you can get out of a situation wherein you're a defenseless victim.

The whole 'worrying about escalation' thing doesn't just apply to kids. Where I'm living at the moment, I've been broken into and robbed. I've got the police involved, but a lot of people think that it'll just antagonise people and make things worse. Thankfully I don't need to worry since I'll be leaving soon anyway. Either I get my new flat and bypass the issue that way, or if all else fails my family has offered me a place to crash in cases of absolute when-all-else-fails cock-ups, so I can evade the problem entirely if needs be. But a lot of people here don't have that luxury, and as a result the gangs that roam the region have pretty much free reign over many people, because if they call the police, they get their windows bricked in and the shit beat out of them as soon as they leave the house. It's a truly sad culture.

 

[retrodoctor]

It's not a "fact of life" You can and should do whatever you can to get out of a poisoned environment and if they involves contacting the police or filing some sort of restraining order for persons under 18, then do it. It's only viewed as a "fact of life" because people don't WANT to do something. They're scared that if they tell the teacher, more people will bully them. People, especially kids, needs to learn that it's okay to tell your teacher shit and the more you do it, the more of a hassle it'll be for that bully. They won't bother you anymore because they don't want to deal with all the flack that comes with it. Kids bully kids because certain ones are bigger than others and it givers them dominance. You strip that away when you call in someone bigger into the equation (teachers, parents, police)

Anyway, bullying is illegal in the states. It falls under harassment and if the other kid touches you, it can be filed as assault. I went to a pretty poor high school and during my last year, they installed cameras. if you feel the need to report an assault or harassment to the police, just ask for the recording from that certain timeframe and place. The quicker you act on it, the quicker you can get out of a situation wherein you're a defenseless victim.

The whole 'worrying about escalation' thing doesn't just apply to kids. Where I'm living at the moment, I've been broken into and robbed. I've got the police involved, but a lot of people think that it'll just antagonise people and make things worse. Thankfully I don't need to worry since I'll be leaving soon anyway. Either I get my new flat and bypass the issue that way, or if all else fails my family has offered me a place to crash in cases of absolute when-all-else-fails cock-ups, so I can evade the problem entirely if needs be. But a lot of people here don't have that luxury, and as a result the gangs that roam the region have pretty much free reign over many people, because if they call the police, they get their windows bricked in and the shit beat out of them as soon as they leave the house. It's a truly sad culture.

I have no idea how a robbery has any relation to bullying.

 

[Blaze163]

It's not a "fact of life" You can and should do whatever you can to get out of a poisoned environment and if they involves contacting the police or filing some sort of restraining order for persons under 18, then do it. It's only viewed as a "fact of life" because people don't WANT to do something. They're scared that if they tell the teacher, more people will bully them. People, especially kids, needs to learn that it's okay to tell your teacher shit and the more you do it, the more of a hassle it'll be for that bully. They won't bother you anymore because they don't want to deal with all the flack that comes with it. Kids bully kids because certain ones are bigger than others and it givers them dominance. You strip that away when you call in someone bigger into the equation (teachers, parents, police)

Anyway, bullying is illegal in the states. It falls under harassment and if the other kid touches you, it can be filed as assault. I went to a pretty poor high school and during my last year, they installed cameras. if you feel the need to report an assault or harassment to the police, just ask for the recording from that certain timeframe and place. The quicker you act on it, the quicker you can get out of a situation wherein you're a defenseless victim.

The whole 'worrying about escalation' thing doesn't just apply to kids. Where I'm living at the moment, I've been broken into and robbed. I've got the police involved, but a lot of people think that it'll just antagonise people and make things worse. Thankfully I don't need to worry since I'll be leaving soon anyway. Either I get my new flat and bypass the issue that way, or if all else fails my family has offered me a place to crash in cases of absolute when-all-else-fails cock-ups, so I can evade the problem entirely if needs be. But a lot of people here don't have that luxury, and as a result the gangs that roam the region have pretty much free reign over many people, because if they call the police, they get their windows bricked in and the shit beat out of them as soon as they leave the house. It's a truly sad culture.

I have no idea how a robbery has any relation to bullying.

People here are essentially bullied, intimidated by the gangs that pretty much control the area. Nobody feels safe, much like in bullying cases. By bullying I don't mean the childish name calling or having a pen stolen in class, I mean people getting the fuck beat out of them by gangs of youths, much like what people here suffer through.

 

[leic7]

It's not a "fact of life" You can and should do whatever you can to get out of a poisoned environment and if they involves contacting the police or filing some sort of restraining order for persons under 18, then do it. It's only viewed as a "fact of life" because people don't WANT to do something. They're scared that if they tell the teacher, more people will bully them. People, especially kids, needs to learn that it's okay to tell your teacher shit and the more you do it, the more of a hassle it'll be for that bully. They won't bother you anymore because they don't want to deal with all the flack that comes with it. Kids bully kids because certain ones are bigger than others and it givers them dominance. You strip that away when you call in someone bigger into the equation (teachers, parents, police)

Anyway, bullying is illegal in the states. It falls under harassment and if the other kid touches you, it can be filed as assault. I went to a pretty poor high school and during my last year, they installed cameras. if you feel the need to report an assault or harassment to the police, just ask for the recording from that certain timeframe and place. The quicker you act on it, the quicker you can get out of a situation wherein you're a defenseless victim.

The whole 'worrying about escalation' thing doesn't just apply to kids. Where I'm living at the moment, I've been broken into and robbed. I've got the police involved, but a lot of people think that it'll just antagonise people and make things worse. Thankfully I don't need to worry since I'll be leaving soon anyway. Either I get my new flat and bypass the issue that way, or if all else fails my family has offered me a place to crash in cases of absolute when-all-else-fails cock-ups, so I can evade the problem entirely if needs be. But a lot of people here don't have that luxury, and as a result the gangs that roam the region have pretty much free reign over many people, because if they call the police, they get their windows bricked in and the shit beat out of them as soon as they leave the house. It's a truly sad culture.

I have no idea how a robbery has any relation to bullying.

People here are essentially bullied, intimidated by the gangs that pretty much control the area. Nobody feels safe, much like in bullying cases. By bullying I don't mean the childish name calling or having a pen stolen in class, I mean people getting the fuck beat out of them by gangs of youths, much like what people here suffer through.

And just to add to that, I have no doubt that bullying happens within the ranks of our military, police force, firefighters, and well-known corporations with good PR. There's a culture of silence in the workplace when it comes to bullying, and people are reluctant to go against their superiors as that would often mean having the entire organization turn against you. I've even heard reports of police brutality/misconduct where the police themselves were the bullies. How is one supposed to fight back against such a powerful bully? There's a real or perceived power imbalance in bullying. My hope is by making it a crime, the law can give the victims a little more power over their bullies so they don't feel as hopeless about their situation. Bullying in the adult world is just as serious.

 

[Mantis41]

It can depend so much on the individual it is impossible to gauge what is and isn't bullying.

When I was in primary school I thought I was bullied quite badly. In high school I felt a bit of an outsider and mildly bullied. Now, years later a take it as purely banter between colleagues and give as good as I get. Looking back I wasn't treated any differently in primary school to how I am treated now. It was mainly down to my own perception of events at the time.

There are pure pricks out there that you just need to avoid however, I believe from experience that a lot of bullying cases are just as much a fault of the emotional state of the bullied as they are of the supposed bully.

Before I get swamped with remarks regarding the OP. This was obviously an extreme case that does require special attention. I am just trying to post an argument against the post title "should bullying be a crime now?"

 

[ouch123]

And just to add to that, I have no doubt that bullying happens within the ranks of our military, police force, firefighters, and well-known corporations with good PR. There's a culture of silence in the workplace when it comes to bullying, and people are reluctant to go against their superiors as that would often mean having the entire organization turn against you. I've even heard reports of police brutality/misconduct where the police themselves were the bullies. How is one supposed to fight back against such a powerful bully? There's a real or perceived power imbalance in bullying. My hope is by making it a crime, the law can give the victims a little more power over their bullies so they don't feel as hopeless about their situation. Bullying in the adult world is just as serious.

The sad part is that people don't generally judge such accusations properly. For example, there was a case recently at my university where a member of the student senate was accused of [censored] by his ex-girlfriend. He was acquitted, but just the presence of an accusation made re-election an impossibility despite overwhelming eveidence suggesting he was innocent. Basically, the person who ends up being guilty is usually the one whom people perceive would be more likely to be guilty, rather than based on any kind of evidence. It'd basically be similar to the situation with reporting incidents to your instructor... the bully gets off easy in most instances and this just provokes the bully go harder on you. Likewise, if people took such accusations seriously, there would inevitably be people who abuse the system to bully others by playing the victim, as above. It's a pretty complicated issue and this proposal, much like DARE, sounds good in principle but may end up being worthless (at best) in practice.

 

[leic7]

And just to add to that, I have no doubt that bullying happens within the ranks of our military, police force, firefighters, and well-known corporations with good PR. There's a culture of silence in the workplace when it comes to bullying, and people are reluctant to go against their superiors as that would often mean having the entire organization turn against you. I've even heard reports of police brutality/misconduct where the police themselves were the bullies. How is one supposed to fight back against such a powerful bully? There's a real or perceived power imbalance in bullying. My hope is by making it a crime, the law can give the victims a little more power over their bullies so they don't feel as hopeless about their situation. Bullying in the adult world is just as serious.

The sad part is that people don't generally judge such accusations properly. For example, there was a case recently at my university where a member of the student senate was accused of [censored] by his ex-girlfriend. He was acquitted, but just the presence of an accusation made re-election an impossibility despite overwhelming eveidence suggesting he was innocent. Basically, the person who ends up being guilty is usually the one whom people perceive would be more likely to be guilty, rather than based on any kind of evidence. It'd basically be similar to the situation with reporting incidents to your instructor... the bully gets off easy in most instances and this just provokes the bully go harder on you. Likewise, if people took such accusations seriously, there would inevitably be people who abuse the system to bully others by playing the victim, as above. It's a pretty complicated issue and this proposal, much like DARE, sounds good in principle but may end up being worthless (at best) in practice.

It's quite true that the system can be abused. But, what choice do we have? Removing those laws isn't an option. Not taking such accusations seriously isn't an option, either. What can we do, realistically?

 

[Blood Fetish]

"Bullying" is a pretty grey area. How do you define something like that? Sure, actual violence is easy to measure but what about psychological attacks? How do you legislate hurt feelings? Who gets to decide what is reasonable to be traumatized by and what isn't reasonable?

 

[1stClassZackFair]

Bullying is considered a crime in my high school. If you get bullied you can inform one of the cops and press charges. Here is a video about bullying taken on campus by one of the students. Take a look at it and tell me what you think.
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[ShadowSoldier]

Bullying is considered a crime in my high school. If you get bullied you can inform one of the cops and press charges. Here is a video about bullying taken on campus by one of the students.

Wow that was one of the better films I've seen about bullying. A little bit long, but it still gets the point across. It reminds me of this one movie I watched a while back, it was simply called "Elephant".

 

[1stClassZackFair]

Bullying is considered a crime in my high school. If you get bullied you can inform one of the cops and press charges. Here is a video about bullying taken on campus by one of the students.

Wow that was one of the better films I've seen about bullying. A little bit long, but it still gets the point across. It reminds me of this one movie I watched a while back, it was simply called "Elephant".

Yeah I also enjoyed watching it. I like how it quotes obama " We've got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal right of passage. It's Not."