tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post4266158117667998036..comments2024-03-03T17:01:57.876-05:00Comments on Montreal Simon: When the Bullied Bash the BulliesSimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-65546393106236849582009-12-06T06:11:21.586-05:002009-12-06T06:11:21.586-05:00Jesse said Malcolm X said “I don't even call i...Jesse said Malcolm X said “I don't even call it violence when it's in self defense; I call it intelligence”. I think what he meant was self-defense is always acceptable (if the attack is not imagined). Self-defense may be violent and it may not be, and violence can be physical or not, it all depends. People who do not know how or when to defend themselves appropriately may be intelligent but they may have their hands tied. It's hard to go against what you were told by your parents, or to sort out contradictory or incomplete advice. Or maybe that's what intelligence is about... One's parents confusing advice can make one unintelligent. Unintelligent about that particular topic. When you are abused at home, you are never sure that you have a right to defend yourself.montreal pascalenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-16959858874079750322009-11-08T00:38:08.340-05:002009-11-08T00:38:08.340-05:00hi pascale...thank you for your comment. And it is...hi pascale...thank you for your comment. And it is a good one. :)<br />I find myself agreeing with everything you said, and your analysis of how teachers and parents feel is brilliant.<br />But I always find myself asking what would I say to my children if I was a parent. Which luckily will never happen. Whew.<br />If the child was a scrapper I'd probably say go for it, defend yourself, teach that bully a lesson.<br />But if the child was gentler I don't know what I'd say. On the other hand I know what I'd say to the teachers at the school. My child is a gentle child and I like him or her the way they are. So while I can teach him or her to stand up for what is right, I expect you to protect him or her to the best of your ability.<br />What I can say is that martial arts gave me added self confidence at a time when I needed it the most. So it worked for me, but would it work for every child I'm not sure it would.<br />Teach kids at home and at school to respect the differences of others, and to stand-up for those who are being bullied, seems to me the best way to go...Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-32375046161400073112009-11-06T14:18:33.878-05:002009-11-06T14:18:33.878-05:00Isn't it strange that there is nothing in Mont...Isn't it strange that there is nothing in Montreal re bullying?<br /><br />PS ok, I just saw the yellow message at the top. You can delete my previous comment about "where did it go" and this paragraph.montreal pascalenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-54082338285779702612009-11-06T14:12:57.025-05:002009-11-06T14:12:57.025-05:00Your martial arts teacher may disapprove of using ...Your martial arts teacher may disapprove of using violence out of anger instead of self-defense, but a) bullies don't want to play with words, they want to play with their fists, and if they are verbal bullies, you still have teach your kid how to spar with words, not be afraid of name calling and swear words, and not come up with lame retorts, b) don't imagine him always disapproving, you must imagine your role models approving, or else it's just unnecessary self criticism, bad self-esteem. <br /><br />Personally I don't believe the school adults have any responsibility other than to report everything to parents and act as police. The problem is they often take sides with the bully because it's easier to "align with the winner than with the loser", and they will say it's not their job to teach kids how to fight, and they will hide behind principles that they don't even believe in, like "there must be no violence at all". <br /><br />Teachers were either bullies, bullied or ignored when they were young. If they were bullies, they will identify with the bully. If they were bullied, they were probably told that they did something wrong, "you should have fought back", so they will blame the victim. If they were ignored, they will think "why can't he be invisible like I was?". It's only today that parents have radical, dead-end principles that tie their kids hands while every other kid in school has his hands free to make fists.<br />(And so on)montreal pascalenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-86285882369557260492009-08-29T03:34:45.178-04:002009-08-29T03:34:45.178-04:00hi Jesse...Oh I know you didn't...I just wasn&...hi Jesse...Oh I know you didn't...I just wasn't as clear as I should have been. So I had to write a whole new post to make up for it. Great eh?<br />As for the comment you're welcome :)Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-54148076592642893912009-08-27T19:31:50.673-04:002009-08-27T19:31:50.673-04:00I did not mean to criticize you, I was just saying...I did not mean to criticize you, I was just saying that sometimes we have to learn how to fight back. I agree that this should not have to be the case, we should be doing more as a society to stop this problem.<br /><br />...and thanks for the comment :)Jessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07421984756239772134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-51771967986078741432009-08-27T00:58:25.789-04:002009-08-27T00:58:25.789-04:00hi Bina...thanks for clearing that one up. I think...hi Bina...thanks for clearing that one up. I think the problem was I had my own Mr Miyagi once who I greatly respected. And I could feel him looking over my shoulder as I wrote that post shaking his head and saying "So Simon... so angry...so FUTILE..."<br />I really loved him and as for the Mr Miyagi he was excellent too... :)Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-71765277449217751592009-08-26T21:29:57.027-04:002009-08-26T21:29:57.027-04:00It's violence if you pick the fight; it's ...It's violence if you pick the fight; it's self-defence if you FINISH it. I wish there were a foolproof no-fight way to resolve the problem, but bullies really do not understand any other language. I just wish my parents had signed me up for karate classes back when I was young and puny enough to need them. (Mr. Miyagi is my hero!)Binahttp://www.sabinabecker.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-8097838500491394942009-08-26T14:47:46.356-04:002009-08-26T14:47:46.356-04:00hi Jesse...I agree with you. I'm sorry this po...hi Jesse...I agree with you. I'm sorry this post was a bit confusing. You're not the only gay person to criticize what I wrote. I'm going to have to write another post to clear this up.<br /><br />P.S. Nice blog. I'm adding it to my blogroll... :)Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15309809679331128837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253782.post-80922101212897329972009-08-26T10:02:16.066-04:002009-08-26T10:02:16.066-04:00“I don't even call it violence when it's i...“I don't even call it violence when it's in self defense; I call it intelligence”<br /><br />-Malcolm XJessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07421984756239772134noreply@blogger.com