I'm willing to grant the first point. The second. . . it's my belief that most bullying isn't really about the difference being picked on. Kids get bullied about things that make them feel insecure and off-balance. Anything that does that will lead to bullying, because bullies are looking for weaknesses. If they can't find a legitimate weakness, they'll make one up, which is how a few of my girls got sexually harassed a year or two ago - the bullies couldn't find any significant insecurities that got the reaction they wanted, so they destroyed the girls' innocence in order to upset her.
What that means is that kids need to be secure in their own skin to protect them as much as possible from bullies. If kids are taught to be proud of their religion and how to deal with negativity, most (not all, certainly, but most) bullying can be stopped in its tracks, because the bullies will find themselves a) without ammunition, and b) without allies as the other students join in the jokes made by the "victim."
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Date: 2006-08-18 12:49 am (UTC)What that means is that kids need to be secure in their own skin to protect them as much as possible from bullies. If kids are taught to be proud of their religion and how to deal with negativity, most (not all, certainly, but most) bullying can be stopped in its tracks, because the bullies will find themselves a) without ammunition, and b) without allies as the other students join in the jokes made by the "victim."