Speaking of Bullies and Thugs.....

The previous article about Kerik and Guiliani just reminds me about the result of something that starts early in life. That something is the idea that being a bully and "tough" is something good. Only an asshole can really believe that. Sure, nice guys finish last, but what's so good about finishing first as a bad guy? It's a disease in our country that needs some Tylenol.

Here's something I wrote to a reporter at the Philly Ink today in response to that article about the 'crazy' kid who was about to do a Columbine at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School and the 'crazier' one at that Cleveland Magnet School. This is dedicated to all of these 'crazy kids' and many more who are the victims of an arrogant culture, formerly known as the United States:

To: Dan Hardy
Philadelphia Inquirer
RE: Your Article on Bullying in Schools 10/12/07

Dear Dan,

The level of ignorance and denial in American society these days just
amazes me.

When I hear irresponsible politicians like Guiliani refute claims by
responsible politicians like Ron Paul that "blowback" is a root cause to
the rise in terrorism against the West, it reminds me of what "bullying"
and putting down others not as fortunate as ourselves have done to cause
violent outrages that result in the killing of lives, innocent or not
innocent.  We see it more and more, when people come back and shoot former
coworkers, when rebuffed lovers lose it and pump rounds from a carbine into
them at a pizza party, when students all over the country are trying to
commit Columbine-styled killing sprees at their schools.  Columbine itself
was the result of such root feelings.  And then to hear the arrogance of
some who feel those people are "crazy", or "jealous" and laugh it off as
"too bad", or "they just hate us but we did nothing wrong", just cements
the ignorance or denial that something is really really wrong in society if
we have to put down others to prop ourselves up, or we have to hate others
who think differently than we do.

Of course the root cause was bullying.  We can't stop all people from being
stupid, and the First Amendment is what it is.  But we can do something
about people verbally abusing one another, and try to change bad and
anti-social behavior that invariably will lead to just such outcomes.
Schools and responsible adults need to step up and call it what it is -
wrong to do - and stop denying it's there.  When denial is the way it's
handled, you get to write these stories because that will always be the
eventual outcome.