Why do some Americans think Bullying is OK?

[SoutherDem]

When the movie Bully was released NPR on "Talk of the Nation" Neil Conan interviewed Harvey Wienstein who's company is distributing the movie. The interview was half a conversation between Neil and Harvey about the movie and stopping bullying. The other half were callers. One of the callers tells how her son was bullied, attempted and committed suicide. This was very touching to hear this mother who lost her son was now doing all she could to get the word out that bullying does real damage.

The last caller turned my stomach. Rather than putting in my own words here is that part of the transcript, it is longer than I normally would include but I don't feel comfortable editing this (please forgive me for this) I have also included the link to the transcript if anyone wants to read or stream the interview:

CONAN: Let's go to Tom. Tom is on the line with us from Iowa City.

TOM: OK. I think it's all ridiculous, to be honest, really, because I think we need bullying. I know I'm going to get a lot of people who'll disagree with what I'm going to say, but I think we need bullying to build character and build a backbone. Taking your kids out of school because somebody spits on them, you teach them to stand up for themselves. Put all this whining about, oh, my kids being - I was bullied as a kid. My daughter was bullied as a kid, but I didn't take her out of school because I believe you teach them to stand up for themselves. You spit on me, well, you fight back. Don't sit there and take them out of school because of crying. Don't sit there and whine because they come to you and then you're going to fix the boo-boo. You teach them to be independent. You teach them to stand up for themselves. You teach them to fight back. Because what happens is, you give the bully the power, OK? And that's really about it. Jut saw this movie (unintelligible)...

CONAN: So it's the victim's fault, Tom?

TOM: No. That's what I'm saying, you don't become the victim. Either you...

CONAN: Tom, you're right. You're going to get a lot of people who disagree with you.

WEINSTEIN: Oh, yeah, and I'll be one of them.

TOM: (Unintelligible).

WEINSTEIN: And, Tom, this Harvey.

CONAN: Tom.

WEINSTEIN: Isn't it a better idea that we don't need to place - we're not talking (unintelligible) one other thing, but what we're really talking about is, you know, let's not even have it in our culture. Why shouldn't it even be part of what we do? Why should it be part of our actions? Why should we need a knee-jerk reaction, that we have no need to bully?

I understand what you're saying about teaching your kids to stand up for what, you know, what's right, but also standing up for what's right means getting rid of the idea that our culture even allows that.

TOM: Well, I think the issue is, too - I mean, it's animal-based instinct. You look at every other species, they do the same thing. We are sanitizing ourselves to a point where you have to apologize for everything. You have to, I'm so sorry that I said something to hurt your feeling. Grow a backbone. Quite whining about it. You know, for example, the woman who lost her son. I am so sorry to hear that. I had a friend who lost their son, as well, to bullying, however, that friend who lost his son, his son, in my opinion, was weak. How are you going to sit there and let someone bullying caused you to kill yourself? It is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.

CONAN: Tom, I'm going to have to stop there because we're running out of time, and I'm afraid I might react. Anyway, thank you very much for the call.

The ignorance shown by Tom is unbelievable and what is sad he isn't alone.

Tom called the one who commit suicide as "weak" suggested "growing a backbone" and fighting back,

Well that is exactly what some have done by taking guns to school and killing the bully. Is that what Tom wants?

It is usually the unpopular position to take but whenever I hear of a school shooting I ask were they bullied, and if they were I feel the shooter was a victim too.

The ignorance shown by Tom is unbelievable and what is sad he isn't alone. Too many people feel as Tom that bullying is actually good and build character. The only problem is when something goes wrong and one or more young people die.

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/16/150732906/the-ratings-controversy-surrounding-bully