[overflow] Re: GHHS

[Lee Gold <leeway@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

bill@bsutton.com wrote:
> 
> Physical threats are easy to define, and rules have always been in place to
> keep physical violence from taking place.

From what I've read, schools aren't doing much about this these days,
particularly when it's from the favored students (e.g. athletes)
against the unfavored.  I read stories robbery, pushing people
off bikes, beatings, etc. being routine.  

> Sometimes these rules are
> difficult to enforce because we fall into the trap of "accuse=guilt". The
> solution when I was growing up was that you punished both sides no matter who
> was the guilty party, which seemed grossly unfair to me as the "victim".

I don't remember incidents like this happening when I was growing up.
There might be an occasional one-on-one fight between boys but not
a group vs one person, let alone robbery.  And the reaction was
calling in parents and telling them there was a problem.   
I remember one non-violent group that offended the school by 
publishing an underground newspaper was broken up by being sent
off to different schools, and I presume the same thing could be
done with groups of friends who liked to bully together.

> Where does teasing, which has gone on with children for as long as the
> human race has been able to socialize, cross the line into harassment?

Well, we can easily draw the line between teasing that involves
physical injury or robbery and other sorts of teasing.  And I'm
surprised that Zero Tolerance advocates don't realize that they're
claiming adults can't exercise judgment, the one area where 
adult maturity should pay off.  

> Children are the cruelest creatures on the face of the planet because they
> have no idea what they are doing. 

I think some of them do know what they're doing -- and that they 
can get away withit.  

> To expect them to take responsibility for
> actions adults disagree on is ludicrous.

Agreed.  But what about actions adults don't disagree on?
Like robbery.  Like putting their hands on girls' breasts or
anyone's genitalia without consent.  Like beating up people
till they have to go to a hospital.  Why say that this is
okay because they're children?

--Lee