School Bans Boy From Wearing ‘My Little Pony’ Backpack, Claims It’s A ‘Trigger For Bullying’ - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Mr_Awesome;44272229]I'm just saying, he's just a little kid and it's natural for him to want to fit in with other people, so he's wearing the backpack and using this fandom as a way to fit in[/QUOTE] Where are you getting this from? Since you say he is using the bag just to fit in, I am genuinely interested in how you seem to know exactly why he has the bag. I know it's a little hard to get, but sometimes people wear merchandise because they like what it's from, not some attempt to just blend in with everyone else who watches it. [QUOTE]Also we're both ignorant to the fact if he obsesses over it or not, so I wouldn't be so quick to judge on that, and I suppose I shouldn't either.[/QUOTE] So stop assuming he has the bag just to fit in too then.

I can't believe people are giving a 9-year-old shit for liking a show that's directed at children.

[QUOTE=Jmir 54;44270847]Meanwhile at my college, all the athletes and a few normal-looking students use child-themed backpacks with stuff like Power Ranger and Spongebob just for the hell of it.[/QUOTE] It's amazing how perspective changes.

[QUOTE=Mr_Awesome;44272161]I never said anything about gender ideals. I don't believe that it's a legitimate thing to obsess so much over because it's just a show, a mediocre one at that, and people frequently do it for attention. If you like something, that's fine, but to flaunt it so improvidently to everyone that you like it is kind of showing that you're craving that attention. You're putting words in my mouth here, and maybe he does actually like it, but I don't see that in this particular case at all.[/QUOTE] I doubt the kid even knows anything about the fandom. A kid his age wouldn't ironically be wearing MLP merch just to flaunt it to other people, no kid at that age is going to be impressed by that. If a 9 year old boy wears MLP stuff, it's because he likes the show, not because he wants to "stand out".

[QUOTE=Jmir 54;44270847]Meanwhile at my college, all the athletes and a few normal-looking students use child-themed backpacks with stuff like Power Ranger and Spongebob just for the hell of it.[/QUOTE] i've noticed this but for some reason it's usually all the ghetto as fuck black dudes (not even kidding or trying to be racist, they refer to themselves as "ghetto" every day) that go around talking about how they were raised in Oakland and that the only real rap music is bay area rap music made by some dude i've never even heard of.

[QUOTE=Covalency;44270788]so yeah, it's probably going to be worse effects in person [/QUOTE] internet tough guys tend to be pussies in real life so no

This is pretty analogical to the "Women shouldn't dress show-y because they're asking to get raped." kind of thing. If a girl wants to wear a low cut shirt, it's not her fault for getting raped, it's the rapist. Common fuckin' sense. Now go apply that to this subject. The kid has the right to wear MLP merchandise if he wants, and he's not "asking" to get bullied and he shouldn't be reprimanded for this. It should be the bully/ies getting in trouble for causing the problems.

[QUOTE=fishyfish777;44270801]It's a free country. While MLP fans might be MLP fans, they usually don't hurt anything with their presence outside of mildly annoying avatars. Also, he's 9.[/QUOTE] [B]I'll have you know Bronies murdered my dog, raped my family and made me blind due to horse porn![/B] Also stop defending giving shit to a little kid who is like the target audience, hell I watched power-puff girls till I was 15.

[video=youtube;D9nocjmBwgI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9nocjmBwgI[/video]

[QUOTE=Rangergxi;44271266]The reaction would be different if a girl with a transformers bag was given the same treatment by a school. Hell, she probably wouldn't even be bullied for it.[/QUOTE] christ sakes are you trying to turn this into some double standard unrelated shit

[QUOTE=darunner;44272820][video=youtube;D9nocjmBwgI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9nocjmBwgI[/video][/QUOTE] when did Glenn turn into my grandma

[QUOTE=darunner;44272820][video=youtube;D9nocjmBwgI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9nocjmBwgI[/video][/QUOTE] well that is totally left field out of fucking nowhere

If you step outside of societal norms then you have to expect that shit like this is going to happen unfortunately. You either need to anticipate it and deal with it (whatever that entails) when it finally happens, learn to ignore it, or... not give people an excuse to be dicks in the first place (by, for example, not bringing your odd lunch box to school).

Glorious Buncombe County Schools. The most retarded system to ever have blue ribbon schools.

This article reminds me how healthcare reform is the last thing to be worrying about.

[QUOTE=sltungle;44273465]If you step outside of societal norms then you have to expect that shit like this is going to happen unfortunately. You either need to anticipate it and deal with it (whatever that entails) when it finally happens, learn to ignore it, or... not give people an excuse to be dicks in the first place (by, for example, not bringing your odd lunch box to school).[/QUOTE] Or, and this is crazy but hear me out, try and stop bullying people for what they do and not expect the victims to just deal with. Like holy shit did you just read what you typed?

[QUOTE=Tomo Takino;44273809]Or, and this is crazy but hear me out, try and stop bullying people for what they do and not expect the victims to just deal with. Like holy shit did you just read what you typed?[/QUOTE] I was bullied for every year of my primary schooling life and half of my time at high school. You don't think I realise how much it sucks? The thing is bullies are usually quite smart about HOW they bully. They rarely do it when anyone who can do anything about it is around, other people rarely speak up about it for fear of becoming a target themselves, and a lot of bullying is psychological or even passive in nature (pointing and laughing at you when you walk past, etc) - you can't exactly show the mental scars and bruises that that sort of bullying leaves to your teachers, so unless they're physically beating you you rarely have much to go on at all. You can't make people who are complete and utter cunts stop being cunts. It's very difficult to stop passive, psychological bullying from occurring. You know how I learned you deal with it? You either stand up for yourself one day (and I mean really stand up for yourself - throw a fist, make them realise enough is enough) or make yourself invisible; blend in with everyone else, don't stick out like a sore thumb. If you're going to be loud and proud about whatever you're being bullied about then be damn well ready to stand up for yourself because if you refuse to back down and blend in you're going to have to.

I'm tired of people thinking that this is some shit you can just sweep under the carpet because "societal norms" and "muh viewpoints" and "kids will be kids". Everybody's got the right to do whatever they want, within reason and so long as they don't make a deliberate scene of themselves. The kid's probably too young to even know all that much about the MLP fandom as-is. Children have to be taught that it isn't OK to bully anybody no matter what they are and what they prefer to do. And whoever said that they were grateful to bullies for bullying them is textbook Stockholm Syndrome or Battered Person syndrome at best. And for the last time, it isn't hard to show some acceptance of others just because they're different. People should stop trying to hate and fear whatever is different, and should try to be more inclusive, but as long as people think it's OK to do these things, it's just going to be a self-perpetuating cycle of hate.

As much as I find the school's decision stupid, I have to admit. I would have laughed the fuck out at that kid's face if I saw him go to school with a MLP backpack. It's like fucking Milhouse Van Houten.

[QUOTE=sltungle;44273927] You can't make people who are complete and utter cunts stop being cunts. It's very difficult to stop passive, psychological bullying from occurring. You know how I learned you deal with it? You either stand up for yourself one day (and I mean really stand up for yourself - throw a fist, make them realise enough is enough) or make yourself invisible. Blend in with everyone else, don't stick out like a sore thumb. If you're going to be loud and proud about whatever you're being bullied about then be damn well ready to stand up for yourself because if you refuse to back down and blend in you're going to have to.[/QUOTE] I was about to disagree with your other post, and then you went and clarified in a completely reasonable manner. I will say that a 9 year old is not at all likely to have the ability to cope with things as you've described. This would be the perfect opportunity to let the kids doing the bullying know that this shit is completely unacceptable.

[QUOTE=sltungle;44273927]I was bullied for every year of my primary schooling life and half of my time at high school. You don't think I realise how much it sucks? The thing is bullies are usually quite smart about HOW they bully. They rarely do it when anyone who can do anything about it is around, other people rarely speak up about it for fear of becoming a target themselves, and a lot of bullying is psychological or even passive in nature (pointing and laughing at you when you walk past, etc) - you can't exactly show the mental scars and bruises that that sort of bullying leaves to your teachers, so unless they're physically beating you you rarely have much to go on at all. You can't make people who are complete and utter cunts stop being cunts. It's very difficult to stop passive, psychological bullying from occurring. You know how I learned you deal with it? You either stand up for yourself one day (and I mean really stand up for yourself - throw a fist, make them realise enough is enough) or make yourself invisible; blend in with everyone else, don't stick out like a sore thumb. If you're going to be loud and proud about whatever you're being bullied about then be damn well ready to stand up for yourself because if you refuse to back down and blend in you're going to have to.[/QUOTE] I don't like that you got bullied, but surely you see the lack of logic in saying "Well bullies will do it anyway, we shouldn't bother trying at all and make the targets just deal with it." What kind of message is that sending to the bullies? "Hey it's okay to make fun of other kids, they will just suck it up and take it because you can't be stopped." What kind of message does this send to the victims? "Hey, if people ever make fun of you, just be quiet and take it." I don't know what to do about bullying, but just flat out not trying to do anything because it happens is absurd. There is not a single thing wrong with bringing something like the bag in the OP to school, why should the kid be forced to not take it because bullies will be bullies? It's not the kid's fault bullies exist, why should he be punished? Why were you punished because bullies decided you'd be a good target?

[QUOTE=Heeples;44273995]I was about to disagree with your other post, and then you went and clarified in a completely reasonable manner. I will say that a 9 year old is not at all likely to have the ability to cope with things as you've described. This would be the perfect opportunity to let the kids doing the bullying know that this shit is completely unacceptable.[/QUOTE] They KNOW it's unacceptable. They don't care though. Some people are sick and get their kicks that way. Unless you catch them IN THE ACT it's very hard to punish them severely enough for it that they'll stop. Instead what winds up happening is they'll usually make some announcement at assembly or something saying 'bullying is unacceptable' and 'anyone found participating in bullying will be punished' but of course it's all just empty threats in the end, because, again, you rarely catch someone in the act of doing it to be able to punish them in the first place. The day I stood up to the last person who ever bullied me was the day I stopped being bullied altogether. First hand experience as to how shitty it feels to be on the receiving end is really the only way I've found to make somebody realise that what they're doing is wrong and how unpleasant it is. People struggle to properly empathise with others until they themselves have been through similar experiences. [editline]18th March 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Tomo Takino;44274009]I don't like that you got bullied, but surely you see the lack of logic in saying "Well bullies will do it anyway, we shouldn't bother trying at all and make the targets just deal with it." What kind of message is that sending to the bullies? "Hey it's okay to make fun of other kids, they will just suck it up and take it because you can't be stopped." What kind of message does this send to the victims? "Hey, if people ever make fun of you, just be quiet and take it." I don't know what to do about bullying, but just flat out not trying to do anything because it happens is absurd. There is not a single thing wrong with bringing something like the bag in the OP to school, why should the kid be forced to not take it because bullies will be bullies? It's not the kid's fault bullies exist, why should he be punished?[/QUOTE] See above. The message the victims should take away is that nobody will fucking help you, unfortunately. You need to learn to help yourself. It sucks but unless someone catches bullying first hand nothing is going to happen to stop it.

[QUOTE=Tsyolin;44272555]I doubt the kid even knows anything about the fandom. A kid his age wouldn't ironically be wearing MLP merch just to flaunt it to other people, no kid at that age is going to be impressed by that. If a 9 year old boy wears MLP stuff, it's because he likes the show, not because he wants to "stand out".[/QUOTE] It seems that the media is dumping "brony" on him because it's a massive buzzword. You can make fun of a couple of grown men who wack off to a show about generic ponies learning generic life lessons and having generic adventures, but leave the kids that are part of the age demographic alone.

[QUOTE=Ganerumo;44273962]As much as I find the school's decision stupid, I have to admit. I would have laughed the fuck out at that kid's face if I saw him go to school with a MLP backpack. It's like fucking Milhouse Van Houten.[/QUOTE]I bet your a real tough guy. Would you go post about it on 4chan after?

[QUOTE=Ganerumo;44273962]As much as I find the school's decision stupid, I have to admit. I would have laughed the fuck out at that kid's face if I saw him go to school with a MLP backpack. It's like fucking Milhouse Van Houten.[/QUOTE] That still counts as not helping the existing situation, so I would recommend against that. I know, we can't all be saints and strait-laced in our behavior, but sometimes that's all that should really be acceptable. Basically, most people, and bullies especially, have to leave humor to the comedians.

[QUOTE=sltungle;44274033]They KNOW it's unacceptable. They don't care though. Some people are sick and get their kicks that way. Unless you catch them IN THE ACT it's very hard to punish them severely enough for it that they'll stop. Instead what winds up happening is they'll usually make some announcement at assembly or something saying 'bullying is unacceptable' and 'anyone found participating in bullying will be punished' but of course it's all just empty threats in the end, because, again, you rarely catch someone in the act of doing it to be able to punish them in the first place. [/QUOTE] I certainly can't disagree with anything you've said here. Policing something that isn't going to leave much in the way of proof is a tall order. The hope (maybe just mine) is that we don't tell kids who get bullied to change who they are and pretend the problem will go away. Anyways, I'm sorry you had such a rough go through school. My kids are young, but I've got a quick trigger on the oldest when he starts leaning that way. I'm hoping I won't have to tell him bullying won't be tolerated.

By banning him to have the backpack they robbed him of an important life lesson.

"lunch sack" I've never heard anybody call a backpack this in my life, what even is that

The thing is... Punishing an indefinite amount of bullies --> hard Punishing the target in an attenpt to remove bullying --> easy But the easy way is not a solution. Is the hard way one? A thing I've learned from my time at school is that the authorities are incompetent and will not be able to stop a conflict between children, even if they try to. Chances are that the victim of bullying has a low self-confidence. So when it actually comes to punishing a bully, the bully will probably play the innocent himself, leaving the person of authority confused. When the victim is present at that time, it will be hard for them to justify their point, especially when the victim has low self-esteem. That's what I got from my experiences. And when there's multiple bullies, it will always be the minority vs. The majority. Even if punishment has finally been made, who can say that the bully won't come down harder on the victim next time around? There's other ways to bully someone too, like bringing more people up against the victim, which would be even harder to counter. The victims of bullying are always in a very hopeless situation, but its very often made out to be a very easy thing to counter. I'm not supporting the school's choice, but I can see the difficulty behind it.

Bully kids that like sports so we can ban that instead.