My 2 Second Shelf Life

Bullying the Bully.

I read this article about a Christchurch, NZ father who scared the shit out of a kid who was torturing his daughter daily at school.

"Falcon was convicted on Tuesday of assault after the attack outside Mairehau Primary School before classes on March 30 in which he grabbed the 11-year-old boy around the neck and poked him in the face".

I'm split on this...I mean, it's wrong that he roughed the little brat up, but...that kid probably knows his rights too.
I equate it to the delinquent at school knowing that they can shove their teacher, or tell them to "fuck off", but if their teacher responds in kind, they can at worst be arrested for assault, at best be suspended or fired from their job.

I can't help but have compassion for the parent in this situation.

There have always been bullies in the schoolyard, but never has it reached the epic proportions that it is now.
Part of that (in my opinion)has to do with government interference in the rights of parents to discipline their children, and the interference of parents in the discipline of students at school.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard the parent of a bully justify their childs actions as being provoked. The logic of "well, if (accuser) hadn't have (fill in the blank), my son/daughter wouldn't have had to behave the way he/she did". No one wants to believe that their little cherub does terrible things to others, and even if we know it, it's a bitter pill to swallow when someone else tells you that they know it too.
Like my grandfather used to say: "You're ours, even if you have shit all over you". It's ok if I say that my kid is a little shit, but don't you dare say it...I'll cut you.

It's a sad corner that this last generation of parents has painted themselves into.
I look at the 12 to 17 year olds that hang in the yard of the school I leave every day, and some of them scare me.
Some of them look like seasoned thugs just looking for a reason to swarm.

By the time we lament about the disrespectful high schooler or junior elementary punk, we'll have a whole generation of people whose language is aggression.

In the words of Elton John:
"It’s sad,
so sad
It’s a sad, sad situation.
And it’s getting more and more absurd".