[Grizzly]

<p>I am at work and can't access Youtube, but it's "out there".  The vid shows a scrawny 7th grader in what I think is a bit of a setup trying to impress other older kids by his prowess in hitting a big 10th grader.  The 10th grader has enough and slams the kid, then is confronted by one of the older kids but walks away.</p>
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<p>It's hard for me to watch.  I don't know what went on before or after, but I do know who I identify with. </p>
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<p>I very nearly killed a kid who was a hanger-on and wanted to impress the "crowd" by singling me out for some "fun".  Only I'd had it.  I'd really had it.  He tripped me as I was climbing the stairs and I turned around, picked him up and was going to throw him over the banister when some older kids intervened.  I was going to fight them too, I was seeing red and had had enough, but they were on my side.</p>
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<p>The kid's father called me an "animal" and wanted charges pressed, but the Principal laughed in his face and told him what a little shit his son was.  Good on the school, but I'd never had any protection from them.  Every time they'd step in the beatings got worse, so I never brought stuff up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It's a long long long story that I really don't want to get into, but from the 8th grade through to that moment in 10th (we graduated in 11th in Quebec), every single day of school was burning hell.  No matter what I did, stay stoic, fight back, hide, whatever...  I was a punching bag or tormented.  The root cause was that I was accused of having blown the whistle on a teacher who had sexually abused students.  The teacher was immensely popular with sport minded parents.  I had nothing to do with the matter, but that lie stuck.  Again, a long story.  Strangely enough it was the abused kids who tormented me the most, and the one who had blown the whistle who was the worst.</p>
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<p>I can tell you from my perspective, if that 10th grader was anything like me he was made sick by the whole thing and probably didn't recognize himself.  I hope for his sake that he didn't face retribution.  I didn't for my blow up.  Turns out that the older kids ensured that I was okay for the rest of that year and other things intervened to make my life bearable for my last year of school. </p>
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<p>And yeah, that's part of why I don't attend reunions.</p>

 

[gretriever]

<p>I saw it for the first time today, before I saw your post.</p>
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<p>The kid had it coming. You call the tune, be prepared to pay the piper. Dollars to doughnuts  the 10th grader does get something happening to him. Which isn't right, even if it were something as small as writing a paper.</p>

 

[Mrtambalynman]

<p>There was a fairly long thread on it in the CH.  I was bullied a fair bit in grade school because I was larger than most of my classmates until grade 9. For me it was frequently the older kids, but in gr. 8 it was my classmates that dished it out. I definitely identified with the big kid - in fact I'd frequently used the body slam myself.  I just didn't do it on concrete so I saw no negative feedback from the administrators/teachers. </p>

 

[airehead]

<p>I attended 6 junior highs.  3 high schools. 3 elementary schools.</p>
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<p>(We moved a lot as my father's job opportunities were growing.)</p>
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<p>I was perpetually the new kid.  Add to that "weird" customs and a family who spoke a "weird" language.</p>
<p>I was not cute and I was not skinny.  Not athletic or brainy or rich.</p>
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<p>It sucked.</p>
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<p>But, I think most of us have been bullied by someone at sometime.  Whether it be a stranger or a relative.</p>
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