NationStates Jolt Archive

An 11 year old girl was beaten up for getting good grades. It got to the point where she asked her mother if she could fail a test to avoid being beaten up. So this is what it's come to. The people who will be most valuable to the economic future of our nation are subject to abuse for their talent by the idiot masses. We're doomed. Someday the US will be awash in morons wondering why they're poor while India is rich and unable to comprehend that it's their own damn fault for not valuing education.

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/0714bus-beating14-ON.html

An 11 year old girl was beaten up for getting good grades. It got to the point where she asked her mother if she could fail a test to avoid being beaten up. So this is what it's come to.[/url]
Isn't this how it's been in the West for decades? Did you not have any clever kids at your school?

Isn't this how it's been in the West for decades? Did you not have any clever kids at your school?
I can't remember ever seeing a kid get beaten up for being smart.

I can't remember ever seeing a kid get beaten up for being smart.

:eek:

My money says the kid would have been attacked even if she had been a crappy student.

Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said the classmate, also 11, had bullied the victim for several months at Alumni Memorial Elementary School in the Detroit suburb of Roseville. On June 8, as their bus was about to drop them off, the classmate jumped from her seat and began to strike the victim with both fists, Smith said.

Sounds more like the one kid had a problem with her for some reason and decided that was as good as an excuse as any to beat on her.

Nothing has changed from what I can see since I was a kid. In junior high, the kids who got good grades were looked down upon. It flipped the other way in highschool. And that was 20+ years ago.

I can't remember ever seeing a kid get beaten up for being smart.
You're very lucky (or have a very poor memory :-). I went to a school for smart kids and even there the really smart kids would get beaten up by the not-as-smart kids.

Kid comes home and gets beaten by parents for bad grades. Kid goes to school and beats up other kid that gets good grades.

It's a pretty old formula and granted, not necessarily true for this case.

Happened to me when I was in school too.

I refused to do homework because of it as I kept getting top marks. Then the school started to crack down on me so I submitted shoddy homework which would not attract attention while I excelled in my exams. I think in the end the school picked up on it and let me be with submitting the shobby homework.

An 11 year old girl was beaten up for getting good grades. It got to the point where she asked her mother if she could fail a test to avoid being beaten up. So this is what it's come to. The people who will be most valuable to the economic future of our nation are subject to abuse for their talent by the idiot masses. We're doomed. Someday the US will be awash in morons wondering why they're poor while India is rich and unable to comprehend that it's their own damn fault for not valuing education.

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/0714bus-beating14-ON.html
This is nothing new, unfortunately. There's a sub-culture within certain minority groups that actively opposes doing well in school.

Anyone know anything about Roseville?

Happened to me when I was in school too.

I refused to do homework because of it as I kept getting top marks. Then the school started to crack down on me so I submitted shoddy homework which would not attract attention while I excelled in my exams. I think in the end the school picked up on it and let me be with submitting the shobby homework.
And you lived where when you were going to school???

I can't remember ever seeing a kid get beaten up for being smart.
You went to the right school -- probably one in a larger city or one in a region where education was an important factor in daily life. Regardless, I wasn't even all that smart, I just had a good memory. It didn't stop the occasional bouts of harassment, epithetery (usually they called me "fag"...odd considering I was fantasizing about their girlfriends...), and attempts at beatings.

I say "attempts" because none of these "big, tough" guys would ever face you. It was always a trip or an elbow in the hallway or an "accidental" shot from your own side of the line in a Phys. Ed. game of dodgeball (or as we called it, "bombardment"). And if they did actually challenge you, they'd always have six of their pals circling around...if I was such a pussy, why all the backup, slick? I'll never understand it, but that's how it was for me.

I'm glad someone went to a school where that didn't happen.

An 11 year old girl was beaten up for getting good grades. It got to the point where she asked her mother if she could fail a test to avoid being beaten up.

This sort of thing happened to me on a near-daily basis when I was little. I tried both deliberately getting bad grades (which made me feel sick and dishonest) and repeatedly asking teachers to walk graded tests/homework to our individual desks rather than passing them down rows so that everyone sitting in front of me could see my scores. (Only one teacher ever agreed. She was also the only one that didn't scold me for reading ahead in textbooks, and who let me read books I brought from home during Drop-Everything-and-Read time. I thought she was wonderful, though nowadays I think it's kind of pathetic when my standards for "good teacher" include "doesn't actually go out of his/her way to make smart kids miserable.")

This is nothing new, unfortunately. There's a sub-culture within certain minority groups that actively opposes doing well in school.
It's nothing to do with 'minority groups' (I presume you're referring to the anti-academic streak in Black American culture) - ever since the demolition of the old class structures in the West the intelligent have no longer been respected (every victory comes with a price, it seems).

I can't remember ever seeing a kid get beaten up for being smart.
Me either, but it obviously happens. :(

Kid comes home and gets beaten by parents for bad grades. Kid goes to school and beats up other kid that gets good grades.

It's a pretty old formula and granted, not necessarily true for this case.
Insecurity has myriad origins, but usually only a few standard expressions.

Throw the punk in jail and let him rot there until he figures out not to do it again.

This is nothing new, unfortunately. There's a sub-culture within certain minority groups that actively opposes doing well in school.

Hence the phrase, "Those who can't, teach."

Insecurity has myriad origins, but usually only a few standard expressions.
What's with the big words Smarty McSmartpants?

Seriously, I think that you were agreeing with me and I'm pretty sure I agree with you.

And you lived where when you were going to school???

Britain.

I remember my Physics teacher kept ranting and raving about my poor homework then saying I would do badly but when the exam came I got 98%.

I was his favourite pupil after that.

Having just finished Atlas Shrugged about three hours ago, this seems all the more rotten.

What's with the big words Smarty McSmartpants?

Seriously, I think that you were agreeing with me and I'm pretty sure I agree with you.
I was and you do.

Iwas basically saying that insecurity about oneself can come from any number of sources, the release (expression) of the pain associated with that insecurity is usually bullying in some way.

Big words were one of the reasons I got picked on. I tried to explain that the big words I used were in the books I read and that I had to look them up in order to enjoy the book. Went over like a fart in church.

I was and you do.

Iwas basically saying that insecurity about oneself can come from any number of sources, the release (expression) of the pain associated with that insecurity is usually bullying in some way.

Big words were one of the reasons I got picked on. I tried to explain that the big words I used were in the books I read and that I had to look them up in order to enjoy the book. Went over like a fart in church.
lol

Hope I didn't bring up any bad memories.

Hence the phrase, "Those who can't, teach."
Read the whole context of that famously misquoted statement.

Besides, the post you were responding to wasn't talking about teachers.

The following remarks on teaching by Ayse Ilgaz Carden, professor of psychology:

Those who can, do; those who cannot, teach. From the original quotation by George Bernard Shaw, “He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches,” this gender-neutral version of our society’s attitude toward teaching has persisted over time into the new millennium. I have taught at Agnes Scott for 24 years because I am one of “those who cannot.”

I teach because I cannot stand a life lived without Awareness; an unquestioning existence, a life lived according to unexamined roles and values; a life without considered choices and options.

I teach because I cannot stand a world without Generosity of spirit and means; a world where people do not care to share with each other, shirk away from giving freely--their resources, their love, their dedication, their time; a world where the focus is “me” instead of “us.”

I teach because I cannot stand a world where New ideas are resisted, not because of their lack of merit, but because they are new and challenge the vested ways of seeing and doing.

I teach because I cannot stand a society where Ethical values are ignored or manipulated; a society where equality does not represent a goal; a society where recognition of different needs is deemed to be inconsistent with equality or fairness.

I teach because I cannot stand a person who goes through life without a Sense of humor, without the flexibility and confidence of self that allows for laughter especially at one’s own expense.

I teach because I cannot stand a world that does not value Scholarship, does not encourage in the individual a sense of wonder and commitment to continuing the search for answers and forming of new questions and the enjoyment of the process.

I teach because I cannot stand an individual who does not value Community; does not work for a better life for all; has no sense of responsibility or commitment; feels no shame for transgressions.

I teach because I cannot stand a world without Optimism. I want a world where people believe that tomorrow can be better than today, a world where we will be even better human beings in spite of the mistakes of yesterday, and that we will create better lives for all.

I teach because I cannot stand a society without Tolerance, based on assertions, open or veiled, that there is only one correct way of believing, one correct way of doing, one correct way of caring, and only one group of people worth caring for.

And finally, I teach because I cannot stand a society where Teaching is devalued and separated from doing; a society where teaching and learning are considered to take place in the classroom, and doing, outside it; where doing is better even when it is not informed by reflection or wisdom.

Aye, was always belittled for having the best grades and actually knowing some stuff about the world. Nowadays, in High School, I just keep silent.

Either way the US is probably doomed anyway, it has that many problems.:sniper: :mp5: etc.

I agree that the US is doomed, the main thing I believe is how US children just dont care about anything, go up to any kid in grade school, he/she wont know who Dick Chaney is, but will know Jessica Simpson, its gotten to an all-time bad, also, US kids think that they will be nothing in society. Someone has to do something about this. I mean, I went up to my neighbor, a nine year old, and she didnt even know that were fighting in Iraq. Grades in the US are dropping too, pretty soon we wont have any scientists, or, people with good jobs and the economy will fall. I think Busch needs to be impeached and we need someone of value in office. Its getting out of hand. I should know, im the only 12 year old kid in my community, who knows who the prime minister of England is, or that the US isnt invincible, like most children think, nothing bad will ever happen to us, when China becomes the worlds most powerful nation I wanna c them shitting there pants. Also, noone even knows about Isreal in this war now, and kids in my school hate learning about anything involving US history, like I said, they dont care, and its gonna smack the US in the face one day. Once again im only 12

I can't remember ever seeing a kid get beaten up for being smart.
Me neither. I got beat up because I used my superior intellect to be mean :D Admittedly, this was in second grade and I cursed the other kids in english, but hey - still counts.

Tundran, I see it all the time.

Then people go and make statements like "Asian kids are super clever".

It's not that they are "super clever" it is that they believe in the value of learning and work hard.

Big words were one of the reasons I got picked on. I tried to explain that the big words I used were in the books I read and that I had to look them up in order to enjoy the book. Went over like a fart in church.

That only happened to me from about one person, in intermediate (Junior High, but two years instead of one).

Needless to say the guy plays rugby and has a mullet:rolleyes:

If this type of behavior was wide spread across the school systems then I would have to say the USA is doomed. Luckly though it is not. THe sky is not falling yet. It was a shame though that the girl was beat up in school. Maybe the school system should do something about it, like suspension

Well, I won't be doomed (at least). I'm getting an advanced education along with developing my communcation and logic skills...I should be very well off when the massive talent shortage hits in the 2010's and 2020's.

This is why I'm glad the US has such a large degree of social mobility and income inequality. The losers like that violent idiot deserve to sink to the bottom and live in poverty for their entire lives, and they deserve to see their standards of living plunge while those of people who get an education soar. It's appropriate justice in my opinion.

It's called bullying, albeit taken to an extreme. Are you surprised that it exists?

And if they did actually challenge you, they'd always have six of their pals circling around...if I was such a pussy, why all the backup, slick? I'll never understand it, but that's how it was for me.

I'm glad someone went to a school where that didn't happen.

You know how to defeat that tactic right. You punch the ringleader in the nose, and his buddies start laughing at him. It's not that hard. Although I know in school there were some people that just didn't seem to be capable of standing up for themselves. However, that tactic works in bars sometimes too. And if they do jump you, you still took one down, maybe another if you get a chance. Or you just get your ass kicked. Doesn't matter, you'll survive.

Every empire rises and falls,like Rome, mongolia, it just seems like the US is going to fall after not even bieng a world pwer for 300 years, the only reason of that is because its making itself crumble, did any1 know that more ppl voted for that gay American Idol show then the US PRESIDENT!! I just hope that I dont see the fall of my beloved country. :(

Every empire rises and falls,like Rome, mongolia, it just seems like the US is going to fall after not even bieng a world pwer for 300 years, the only reason of that is because its making itself crumble, did any1 know that more ppl voted for that gay American Idol show then the US PRESIDENT!! I just hope that I dont see the fall of my beloved country. :(
Doubtful that the US is going to crumble anytime soon. Too much going on in the country, too much innovation and growth. We'll see decline once the economy stops growing.

You know how to defeat that tactic right. You punch the ringleader in the nose, and his buddies start laughing at him. It's not that hard. Although I know in school there were some people that just didn't seem to be capable of standing up for themselves. However, that tactic works in bars sometimes too. And if they do jump you, you still took one down, maybe another if you get a chance. Or you just get your ass kicked. Doesn't matter, you'll survive.


Doesn't work for me. I took 3 king shits out in fair fights. The day after the whole school 'knew' I'd had the crap beaten ut of me, even if king shit had a black eye.

Intellectual stagnation is the first sign of an empire's decline. And while it would be bad for America to decline due to an overemphasis on irrelevant areas, it would serve as a much-needed kick to get whatever takes our place on the right path.

Yes I suppose, its just sad seeing the youth of America spoiled like this, im popular at my school, but whenever I make a reference of something happening in the world, people are like "Vaughn your too involved with stuff:rolleyes: , just be a kid" But I disagree there is nothing wrong with knowing something about your country, they just dont care. I think we need a better president, also to pull out of Iraq, they have a democracy now, thats another thing Bush dosent get democracy, you dont spread it through the barrel of the gun (like the Soviets because noone wanted communism) you spread it through ideas.:)

I agree that the US is doomed, the main thing I believe is how US children just dont care about anything, go up to any kid in grade school, he/she wont know who Dick Chaney is, but will know Jessica Simpson, its gotten to an all-time bad, also, US kids think that they will be nothing in society. Someone has to do something about this. I mean, I went up to my neighbor, a nine year old, and she didnt even know that were fighting in Iraq. Grades in the US are dropping too, pretty soon we wont have any scientists, or, people with good jobs and the economy will fall. I think Busch needs to be impeached and we need someone of value in office. Its getting out of hand. I should know, im the only 12 year old kid in my community, who knows who the prime minister of England is, or that the US isnt invincible, like most children think, nothing bad will ever happen to us, when China becomes the worlds most powerful nation I wanna c them shitting there pants. Also, noone even knows about Isreal in this war now, and kids in my school hate learning about anything involving US history, like I said, they dont care, and its gonna smack the US in the face one day. Once again im only 12

Damn boy, you need to find yourself a girlfriend! But seriously, I know how you feel.

Damn boy, you need to find yourself a girlfriend! But seriously, I know how you feel.
actually I do have a gf :D, and were very happy, lol

This is what going to happen. The US is going to decline. Some power hungry maniac is going to become president, and bribe the Senate to dissolve itself. We go to war. We attack Mexico and all those other places, then a coalition of China, India, and other Asian countries fight us. Naturally, we are screwed. We get occupied, people here become poor, then we become the new China or India. Our children start working hard, and then we become a power again. Meanwhile, Asia will fall ass-backwards into money while the West has another golden age. It's just world history.

actually I do have a gf :D, and were very happy, lol

Yea, thats cool.

Pan-American treaty.

Merging of Mexico and Canada into the USA.

Another thing I HAVE to mention, is how fat America is, its really pathetic, always making excuses like im husky, or big boned:rolleyes: , I find that another annoying thing, also there making excuses, like my mother who cannot find this out, but she always says theres something wrong with her foot:rolleyes: , that makes me really pissed off:mad:

Doesn't work for me. I took 3 king shits out in fair fights. The day after the whole school 'knew' I'd had the crap beaten ut of me, even if king shit had a black eye.
You know, that really doesn't matter, because king shit was always less likely to mess with me again. For instance, I stopped getting bullied in high school because I started working out, bought a punching bag, and joined the military my senior year, which let me learn some nice self-defense tips, thanks to Military Police training. I only had to drop one kid senior year, and all those "ass-kickings" I got in middle school, and 9th and 10th grades, suddenly went bye-bye. Nobody picks a fight with someone who took em down hard once already, unless they're a glutton for punishment.

lol

Hope I didn't bring up any bad memories.
Nah. I recall; I don't relive.

What a wimp. She's backing out of doing work out of fear she'll be bullied further for it.

That is what's wrong with America's academics. Bullying is inevitable - it's our response to it that defines us as individuals. The fact that America's brightest and most talented are willing to throw their gifts aside in the face of peer pressure is ultimately what will kill it off; not the fact that said kids are being challenged by social rejection.

That is what's wrong with America's academics. Bullying is inevitable - it's our response to it that defines us as individuals. The fact that America's brightest and most talented are willing to throw their gifts aside in the face of peer pressure is ultimately what will kill it off; not the fact that said kids are being challenged by social rejection.

Everybody gets bullied; if you're like me, you hunt down the bully and kick their ass and make sure you do a rough enough job so that they don't try it again. Of course, that's not necessarily the best path to take but it worked for me.

Doubtful that the US is going to crumble anytime soon. Too much going on in the country, too much innovation and growth. We'll see decline once the economy stops growing.

Actually, that's not entirely true. The sconomy is going to stop growing much faster than you think. The only reason America remains at the forefront is, because of its people. There are 295,000,000 million rellatively wealthy (on the world scale) people in this country. We, the people, are the world's largest market. That's why there is such a huge trade deficit. We're not producing as much as we're buying. (That should tell you something straight off the bat.) Additionally, citizens of this country won't be "rich" for long, because the jobs will be overseas. That's not, because of outsourcing, but because what corporation wants to give jobs to those who won't do labor, require good working conditions, are expensive, and are poorly educated. As it is, the price of heathcare is nineteen years from driving us under. (The education budget will be bankrupt by 2025.) What happens then? Social security will be bankrupt by 2041. Most of this is caused by the astronomical costs for healthcare and pharmecuedicals, (Yes, that's actually most of it.) though high gas prices and outsourcing are clearly not helping.

What a wimp. She's backing out of doing work out of fear she'll be bullied further for it.

That is what's wrong with America's academics. Bullying is inevitable - it's our response to it that defines us as individuals. The fact that America's brightest and most talented are willing to throw their gifts aside in the face of peer pressure is ultimately what will kill it off; not the fact that said kids are being challenged by social rejection.
Hmmm...good point.

Don't get mad, get even.

My solving to the US bieng overpopulated is exactly to attack Mexico, and Candada, maybe Mexico wont put up a fight since all there ppl are sneaking into us anyway:p , Canada dosent stand a chance, were more advanced, and have a higher population, also Canada has no ambition to become a world power, all they care about is the enviroment and not there economy, or there small population. Then the US will have plenty of land for its growing population. But we have to do something with those N.Korean bastatrds:mad: , maybe give Japan some of our crazy ass weapons:D . So they can woop some Korean ass:) , and get that mess sorted out. Maybe my plan is wrong though, but what else can we do, wait till every small town in america has 8 million people:rolleyes: , were going to be way overpopulated and it might cause a lot of famine and hunger

Interesting that I didnt catch the race of the attacker...anybody know it, I just wanna see if the hunch I have is correct.

I think Eut might have hit it earlier on in the thread.:)

America still has the ability and resources to solve any problem it is facing now. The true menace is psychological in nature. Many people simply do not affirm that they have what it takes to tackle whatever problem they face. This translates to reliance on the government, someone else, anyone else... There needs to be a revolution in the mind that fosters a spirit of self-reliance and service to the community.

Its nothing new.

20 years ago when I were at skewl, the 6 brightest kids in the skewl had the snot kicked out of them on a regular basis.

The solution.
The teachers did nothing
The kids did something I'm still ashamed of..... we grabbed one of bullies and kicked the snot out of him and hospitalised him, we then did it to the next kid, (broken arm), then told them 'any more of us get hurt , we come back and do it again':mad:

Far as we were concerned, the bullies should have been suspended........ by their necks...... with a piece of rope........ sadly that day the gym was locked:(

El-Presidente Boris

Its nothing new.

20 years ago when I were at skewl, the 6 brightest kids in the skewl had the snot kicked out of them on a regular basis.

The solution.
The teachers did nothing
The kids did something I'm still ashamed of..... we grabbed one of bullies and kicked the snot out of him and hospitalised him, we then did it to the next kid, (broken arm), then told them 'any more of us get hurt , we come back and do it again':mad:

Far as we were concerned, the bullies should have been suspended........ by their necks...... with a piece of rope........ sadly that day the gym was locked:(

El-Presidente Boris

Holy Crap:eek:

What a wimp. She's backing out of doing work out of fear she'll be bullied further for it.

That is what's wrong with America's academics. Bullying is inevitable - it's our response to it that defines us as individuals. The fact that America's brightest and most talented are willing to throw their gifts aside in the face of peer pressure is ultimately what will kill it off; not the fact that said kids are being challenged by social rejection.
Honestly, the biggest problem for our best and brightest is that they get caught up in the same shit that the idiots do. Drinking, smoking pot, clubbing, poppin rolls, trippin, z-bars, etc. are as fun for me as they are for dumbasses. That would be a much bigger problem than bullying.

Hmmm...good point.

Don't get mad, get even.
Not even necessarily Get Even. When I was a kid, I put up a passive resistance by working even harder. It was the principle of the thing; I wasn't about to be defeated by some underperforming students and a teacher incapable of dealing with me.

It was the old Jesus/MLK approach; Turn the other cheek with dignity and a wry smile. After all, I knew where my principles were.

IMHO kids (or lets face it people) are bullied not because of grades there bullied for being an easy target or being one of those annoying people I usually ended up sitting next to when I was at school (yes I have had times when I have wished a comet would strike Earth just to get someone to shut up)

At least that’s what I’ve learnt at school mind you the smart kids in my schools were oddly enough pretty damn powerful…and the girls were hawt then again I didn’t grow up in America and from what you see on T.V American school is a weird and dangerous place filled with super hot horny cheerleaders and a crappy disco know as a prom

Not even necessarily Get Even. When I was a kid, I put up a passive resistance by working even harder. It was the principle of the thing; I wasn't about to be defeated by some underperforming students and a teacher incapable of dealing with me.

It was the old Jesus/MLK approach; Turn the other cheek with dignity and a wry smile. After all, I knew where my principles were.
Or..you could just be a good student..and a normal kid, not a nerd.

I got good grades throughout high school and was always either the top or around the top of my class, but I also played sports, fucked around in class, got kicked out of class, fought with the teacher, had friends, didnt do homework that I thought was lame...and you know what, I did alright...I wasnt bullied, I devolped 'interesting' relationships with my teachers, had friends, and just about everyone in my grade knew me and my positions on domestic and international politics :D (including my left wing teachers who I fought with every day:p ).

What a wimp. She's backing out of doing work out of fear she'll be bullied further for it.

That is what's wrong with America's academics. Bullying is inevitable - it's our response to it that defines us as individuals. The fact that America's brightest and most talented are willing to throw their gifts aside in the face of peer pressure is ultimately what will kill it off; not the fact that said kids are being challenged by social rejection.

I think that's another thing that goes wrong... the bully is excused as "inevitable", and the victim gets the blame... does anyone still remember "together we stand, divided we fall"?

Actually, that's not entirely true. The sconomy is going to stop growing much faster than you think. The only reason America remains at the forefront is, because of its people. There are 295,000,000 million rellatively wealthy (on the world scale) people in this country. We, the people, are the world's largest market. That's why there is such a huge trade deficit. We're not producing as much as we're buying. (That should tell you something straight off the bat.) Additionally, citizens of this country won't be "rich" for long, because the jobs will be overseas. That's not, because of outsourcing, but because what corporation wants to give jobs to those who won't do labor, require good working conditions, are expensive, and are poorly educated. As it is, the price of heathcare is nineteen years from driving us under. (The education budget will be bankrupt by 2025.) What happens then? Social security will be bankrupt by 2041. Most of this is caused by the astronomical costs for healthcare and pharmecuedicals, (Yes, that's actually most of it.) though high gas prices and outsourcing are clearly not helping.

The trade deficit and offshoring aren't serious problems; the only reason we have a deficit is because goods from overseas are cheaper than they are here. Buying those cheaper goods is better because it enables us to buy more products and achieve a higher standard of living; at the same time, the money spent overseas comes back to the US through FDI and purchases of US products. Comparative advantage produces a trade deficit between developed and developing nations; the more China/India develop, the more balanced our trade accounts will be with them because some of the comparative advantage has disappeared.

Offshoring is a very small part of the US job market and is slowing down; aside from the fact that small businesses (the source of most US jobs) can't afford it, the benefits of offshoring are declining as costs rise and quality of labor declines. Instead, they're importing workers via the H1-B program which guarantees a US-level salary and comparative benefits. At the same time, the economy is also creating demand for US workers; this is evidenced by the nearly 72,000 jobs created over the past year in computer systems design alone. That's enough to almost absorb all of the 75,000 engineering graduates in one sector of the economy. Gas prices aren't that bad; people are still driving more and using record amounts of gasoline, so the outcry over $3/gallon is mostly whining and nothing more. Once I see real changes in peoples' lifestyles and purchases, I'll reconsider but right now $3 gas is not enough to seriously affect our economy.

You're correct in that Medicare and Social Security along with rising health costs are major economic problems; however, a lot of the problem is being created by lifestyle factors as much as anything else. Americans have been getting fatter and unhealthier with each passing decade, and that's driving up the amount spent on lifestyle-related conditions massively. If people took better care of themselves, they wouldn't have to spend as much on health care both now and down the line. We need to get more responsible with our health if we want to reduce costs; it's ridiculous to live like pigs and destroy our health with bad decisions and then blame the pharmaceutical companies or corporations for cutting health benefits and raising the cost of drugs.

Vetalia, sheesh. Way to crush an ant with a sledge hammer.

Vetalia, sheesh. Way to crush an ant with a sledge hammer.

A sledgehammer makes a much prettier splat.

A sledgehammer makes a much prettier splat.
Not to mention the thud and all the screaming!

An 11 year old girl was beaten up for getting good grades. It got to the point where she asked her mother if she could fail a test to avoid being beaten up. So this is what it's come to. The people who will be most valuable to the economic future of our nation are subject to abuse for their talent by the idiot masses. We're doomed. Someday the US will be awash in morons wondering why they're poor while India is rich and unable to comprehend that it's their own damn fault for not valuing education.

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/0714bus-beating14-ON.html
I could've told you the US was doomed before this article came out. In fact, the US has been doomed since the election of 2000.

Or..you could just be a good student..and a normal kid, not a nerd.

I got good grades throughout high school and was always either the top or around the top of my class, but I also played sports, fucked around in class, got kicked out of class, fought with the teacher, had friends, didnt do homework that I thought was lame...and you know what, I did alright...I wasnt bullied, I devolped 'interesting' relationships with my teachers, had friends, and just about everyone in my grade knew me and my positions on domestic and international politics :D (including my left wing teachers who I fought with every day:p ).
I was fighting my right-wing autocrat back in our equivilent of the 4th grade (age 10-11). I wouldn't have wished it any other way. But being rebellious in the face of authority is not sufficient to get one respected by one's peers.

My high-school experience was similar to your own, but I had to beat the bullying to get there, and if kids yield to pressure in every challenge it throws them, they're never going to grow their own individuality and character.

Interesting that I didnt catch the race of the attacker...anybody know it, I just wanna see if the hunch I have is correct.

I think Eut might have hit it earlier on in the thread.:)

Speaking for myself, all but one of the kids who regularly beat me up were white. The remaining one was Asian-American. You're not going to prove much here.

I could've told you the US was doomed before this article came out. In fact, the US has been doomed since the election of 2000.

Not really. Things honestly aren't that much different than they were in 2000...

Individuals may feel powerless to reverse, on a national basis, the many negative trends, but is important to not be discouraged and pessimistic and realize that this specific case is the exception and not the norm. Individuals can still take individual actions to counter the influence of national trends on their own lives.

IMHO kids (or lets face it people) are bullied not because of grades there bullied for being an easy target or being one of those annoying people I usually ended up sitting next to when I was at school (yes I have had times when I have wished a comet would strike Earth just to get someone to shut up)


Thanks, good to know I was an annoying, easy target as a kid. Silly me, I thought the stated reason of the bullies had something to do with it. I'm pretty sure the only sense in which I was "an easy target" was being small for my age, which I couldn't exactly help, but by all means blame people for that if you like.

As for "annoying"...ha. Yeah, kids who are afraid to raise their hand in class for the glares it gets them when they know the answer are really irritating. Those little bastards!

How did you deal with your bullies, Poliwanacraca? What Call to power probably meant by "easy target" is that you seemed to your bullies to be someone who won't cause too much trouble for them.

wait... now GIRLS are beating eachother up????

Macomb County sounds alot like the prejudiced
Maycomb County from To Kill a Mockingbird..

Macomb County sounds alot like the prejudiced
Maycomb County from To Kill a Mockingbird..

Except it isn't in the South, but in Michigan.

An 11 year old girl was beaten up for getting good grades. It got to the point where she asked her mother if she could fail a test to avoid being beaten up. So this is what it's come to. The people who will be most valuable to the economic future of our nation are subject to abuse for their talent by the idiot masses. We're doomed. Someday the US will be awash in morons wondering why they're poor while India is rich and unable to comprehend that it's their own damn fault for not valuing education.

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/0714bus-beating14-ON.html
This is one of the reasons that I like the (dying) British idea of grammar schools - state funded schools that one must pass an exam to go to.

Except it isn't in the South, but in Michigan.

Boy, that's the last thing Michigan needs...their economy's been in the tank since 1999, and chasing away smart people won't help very much.

How did you deal with your bullies, Poliwanacraca? What Call to power probably meant by "easy target" is that you seemed to your bullies to be someone who won't cause too much trouble for them.

Mostly, to be honest, I just learned to run away fast after school, and to hide cleverly at recess. I didn't have any allies, so it was generally about six of them on one of me, and there's really not much you can do when six significantly larger kids determined to hit you catch up to you other than try to protect your vital organs. I tried reporting them to teachers or orchestrating things in such a way that teachers would have to see them, but that never really seemed to help, given that the most the teachers ever did was say, "You kids shouldn't all kick Poliwanacraca in the head; that's not nice."

However, what actually ended up solving the problem in a most marvelous way was getting a new principal at that elementary school, who was significantly less anti-intellectual and significantly more anti-bullying than her predecessor. When she witnessed the ringleader repeatedly stomping on me and kicking me in the stomach while her friends held me down, said ringleader was dragged to the principal's office, bent over the principal's knee, and spanked like a little toddler. In full view of her friends. She was a laughingstock for weeks, and decided to leave me alone (aside from nasty comments) in future rather than risk further humiliation. For all that I don't generally approve of teachers/school administrators using corporal punishment, this was absolutely the perfect thing to do under the circumstances. :)

This is one of the reasons that I like the (dying) British idea of grammar schools - state funded schools that one must pass an exam to go to.

That is also a better way to measure the quality of education that a school can provide. Often the best is provided by private sector and/or parochial schools. These schools have demonstrated that the students there have the proficiency in math, science, economics and history that is required to make them truly competitive in the global economy.

wait... now GIRLS are beating eachother up????

They sure as heck were when I was in elementary school. I doubt this was a new development then, either.

I was fighting my right-wing autocrat back in our equivilent of the 4th grade (age 10-11). I wouldn't have wished it any other way. But being rebellious in the face of authority is not sufficient to get one respected by one's peers.

My high-school experience was similar to your own, but I had to beat the bullying to get there, and if kids yield to pressure in every challenge it throws them, they're never going to grow their own individuality and character.
Well...I didnt really get bullied..but maybe it helps that I just turned 17 and I'm about 6'4...and I was basically a class clown, nobody had any reason to bully me.

Speaking for myself, all but one of the kids who regularly beat me up were white. The remaining one was Asian-American. You're not going to prove much here.
And speaking for myself, in the three states I've lived in, the bullys and the ghetto ones that made fun of the good students were black.

I'm not out to prove anything to YOU...I said I had a hunch, so back off.

the only real bullying im aware of in my school is the constant conflicts between mexican/hispanic kids and the white kids.

but thats changing topics...
i got good grades and i didnt get bullied either!
yay, go me:)

And speaking for myself, in the three states I've lived in, the bullys and the ghetto ones that made fun of the good students were black.

I'm not out to prove anything to YOU...I said I had a hunch, so back off.

Yeesh. Calm down. My only point was that finding bullying smart kids to be a fun pastime is not limited to any one ethnic group, not that you were an Evil Racist of Dooooooooom or something.

I agree that the US is doomed, the main thing I believe is how US children just dont care about anything, go up to any kid in grade school, he/she wont know who Dick Chaney is, but will know Jessica Simpson, its gotten to an all-time bad, also, US kids think that they will be nothing in society. Someone has to do something about this. I mean, I went up to my neighbor, a nine year old, and she didnt even know that were fighting in Iraq. Grades in the US are dropping too, pretty soon we wont have any scientists, or, people with good jobs and the economy will fall. I think Busch needs to be impeached and we need someone of value in office. Its getting out of hand. I should know, im the only 12 year old kid in my community, who knows who the prime minister of England is, or that the US isnt invincible, like most children think, nothing bad will ever happen to us, when China becomes the worlds most powerful nation I wanna c them shitting there pants. Also, noone even knows about Isreal in this war now, and kids in my school hate learning about anything involving US history, like I said, they dont care, and its gonna smack the US in the face one day. Once again im only 12


Well, hey look on the bright side if 99% of the country is dumb you'll be in the top 1%. Their stupidity will help you get ahead. (In theory)

Yeesh. Calm down. My only point was that finding bullying smart kids to be a fun pastime is not limited to any one ethnic group, not that you were an Evil Racist of Dooooooooom or something.
lol. And my point was that the majority of bullies and kids that are likely to pick on White kids and kids that do well in school (if your black and do well in school then just forget it)...tend to be the American blacks.

But evil racist of doom does have a nice ring to it.:p

Well, hey look on the bright side if 99% of the country is dumb you'll be in the top 1%. Their stupidity will help you get ahead. (In theory)

It's not just a theory, it is the Dilbert Principle: Companies systematically promote their least-competent employees to management, in order to limit the amount of damage that they're capable of doing

What a wimp. She's backing out of doing work out of fear she'll be bullied further for it.

That is what's wrong with America's academics. Bullying is inevitable - it's our response to it that defines us as individuals. The fact that America's brightest and most talented are willing to throw their gifts aside in the face of peer pressure is ultimately what will kill it off; not the fact that said kids are being challenged by social rejection.

Quoted for truth.

I was actually in the position of "really bright student with no real friends" at one point. Despite that, I managed to avoid the worst of the teasing and bullying, probably due to some of the following factors:

I was rather reminiscent of Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes in my kindergarten days: I was very bright, very weird, completely bored with busy work, and had a tendency to misbehave. This didn't make finding friends any easier, but it may have helped prevent physical bullying; people knew what I was capable of when sufficiently provoked.
I developed a rather thick skin when I later put my misbehavior behind. It takes more than a few petty insults to drive me off the wall. (100 days of insults and irritation and I start to get more irritable.)
After sixth and especially seventh grade, it became clear I was far better in academics than even the other honors students, and I had a trophy and medal collection to use as evidence. This may not have earned me friends, but it did earn me respect... and bullies usually don't pick on people who are sufficiently respected.
As a result of the trophy and medal collection and some connections from my kindergarten dark age, I was able to completely circumvent the usual rigid requirements on class scheduling (in other words, I got to cherry pick the classes I got to take). Through this cherry-pick ability and Credit By Exam testing, I was able to take far more honors courses than I would have otherwise... as well as skipping PE.
Just as state-imposed graduation requirements were about to cut into my options in class scheduling, I was accepted into a school for the best and brightest students. Yay for actually having friends!

My stratagy foor avoiding bullying: playing sports. If you are in shape, you are not a good target for bullying; you're too much of a risk. though you must work your ass off. If you play half assed, you are going to stay in whatever shape you are in. Also, it will earn you respect (proticularely if you do work your ass off) as the good players tend to automaticly be in the 'in' crowd for that sport.

But that is just how it worked for me. It could of helped that I was 5'11 in grade 8... Also, I was slacker through much of highschool as the teachers werenn't able to challenge me like they did in elemetary school.

The trade deficit and offshoring aren't serious problems; the only reason we have a deficit is because goods from overseas are cheaper than they are here. Buying those cheaper goods is better because it enables us to buy more products and achieve a higher standard of living; at the same time, the money spent overseas comes back to the US through FDI and purchases of US products. Comparative advantage produces a trade deficit between developed and developing nations; the more China/India develop, the more balanced our trade accounts will be with them because some of the comparative advantage has disappeared.

Offshoring is a very small part of the US job market and is slowing down; aside from the fact that small businesses (the source of most US jobs) can't afford it, the benefits of offshoring are declining as costs rise and quality of labor declines. Instead, they're importing workers via the H1-B program which guarantees a US-level salary and comparative benefits. At the same time, the economy is also creating demand for US workers; this is evidenced by the nearly 72,000 jobs created over the past year in computer systems design alone. That's enough to almost absorb all of the 75,000 engineering graduates in one sector of the economy. Gas prices aren't that bad; people are still driving more and using record amounts of gasoline, so the outcry over $3/gallon is mostly whining and nothing more. Once I see real changes in peoples' lifestyles and purchases, I'll reconsider but right now $3 gas is not enough to seriously affect our economy.

You're correct in that Medicare and Social Security along with rising health costs are major economic problems; however, a lot of the problem is being created by lifestyle factors as much as anything else. Americans have been getting fatter and unhealthier with each passing decade, and that's driving up the amount spent on lifestyle-related conditions massively. If people took better care of themselves, they wouldn't have to spend as much on health care both now and down the line. We need to get more responsible with our health if we want to reduce costs; it's ridiculous to live like pigs and destroy our health with bad decisions and then blame the pharmaceutical companies or corporations for cutting health benefits and raising the cost of drugs.
That one's swung on and BELTED deep to left field, he's back to the warning track -- the WALL, and THAT ONE IS OUTTA HERE!

Home Run, V.

Except it isn't in the South, but in Michigan.
The blind can legally hunt in Michigan. It’s the South, even if geography disagrees.

Meh, I'm in high school now and I wouldn't say that I get harassed for getting good grades. It's a little more complicated than a simple "It's because of this and this", I believe.

Not even necessarily Get Even. When I was a kid, I put up a passive resistance by working even harder. It was the principle of the thing; I wasn't about to be defeated by some underperforming students and a teacher incapable of dealing with me.

It was the old Jesus/MLK approach; Turn the other cheek with dignity and a wry smile. After all, I knew where my principles were.
Yeah. That's how I did it, too. I still wish I'd have hit one of those asshats, though. Just once. Principles are terrific, but they don't salve regret.

Mostly, to be honest, I just learned to run away fast after school, and to hide cleverly at recess. I didn't have any allies, so it was generally about six of them on one of me, and there's really not much you can do when six significantly larger kids determined to hit you catch up to you other than try to protect your vital organs. I tried reporting them to teachers or orchestrating things in such a way that teachers would have to see them, but that never really seemed to help, given that the most the teachers ever did was say, "You kids shouldn't all kick Poliwanacraca in the head; that's not nice."

That's very near what I did. Only difference is that the teacher who watched me get chased for an entire luch period in middle school (7th-8th grade, age 12-13) didn't discipline the chasers but instead offered me a spot as a distance runner on the track team. I took it and had some fun until I got to high school and the bullies there were ON the track team. That's when I focused on music.

Erm. Newsflash, schools the world over have always been like that.

[…] if kids yield to pressure in every challenge it throws them, they're never going to grow their own individuality and character.

Wrong, IMO. I certainly have some individuality and character despite the fact that I was the sole target of bullying in my class. I learned to cope with it, I learned to ignore all the hateful remarks and the punches, I learned to live with the pain… That, I believe, is a big part of me today. A dogged determination to pull through, no matter what obstacle might be in my way.

But, of course, if by “character” you actually mean “being ready to throw a punch at anyone who annoys you”, then no, I don’t have character. In fact, I won’t hit anyone – I refuse to stoop to their level. Some might call me a spineless coward for not fighting back. So be it. But deep within my self, at least I know that I haven’t compromised with my own beliefs…

Wrong, IMO. I certainly have some individuality and character despite the fact that I was the sole target of bullying in my class. I learned to cope with it, I learned to ignore all the hateful remarks and the punches, I learned to live with the pain… That, I believe, is a big part of me today. A dogged determination to pull through, no matter what obstacle might be in my way.

But, of course, if by “character” you actually mean “being ready to throw a punch at anyone who annoys you”, then no, I don’t have character. In fact, I won’t hit anyone – I refuse to stoop to their level. Some might call me a spineless coward for not fighting back. So be it. But deep within my self, at least I know that I haven’t compromised with my own beliefs…
Spot on.

In my opinion, we should ship unrepentant bullies and troublemakers in the school-system to a school designed to hold, teach, and discipline them (ie, give em' a smack if they act up)...Seperate them from the good students.

Wrong, IMO. I certainly have some individuality and character despite the fact that I was the sole target of bullying in my class. I learned to cope with it, I learned to ignore all the hateful remarks and the punches, I learned to live with the pain… That, I believe, is a big part of me today. A dogged determination to pull through, no matter what obstacle might be in my way.
I wouldn't call fighting back yielding to pressure, personally.