Can I say something about bullying?

[leftyladyfrommo]

I just realized this the other day.

I went to high school in Salt Lake City - probably 95% Mormon at that time.

There was no bullying in that school. I cannot remember a single time that someone was rude to another student. I didn't realize it at the time - how rare that probably is. And I don't remember that the subject was ever in brought up.

I also don't remember that there were any real "cliques" of the cool kids. There were the popular kids, of course. And the kids that were kind of the natural leaders in stuff. But I can't remember those kids ever treating others unkindly.

Don't know why. I would say that most of those kids were very active in the Church. Most of the social life for the kids there was in the church. They had basketball courts in every Ward. They had stuff going on all the time for those kids.

[davidinalameda]

1. or maybe

all the kids were alike so there was no one to really pick on

no one stood out

[pnwmom]

3. There's always SOMEONE to pick on, no matter how homogeneous the population.

There had to be some gay students in the high school, for example. Some learning or intellectually disabled students. Some overweight or dorky kids.

[pnwmom]

2. How would you know, really? You wouldn't have been able to observe

every interaction of every pair or group of students.

Just curious -- were you Mormon, or were you one of the 5%?

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. I would have been the perfect target for bullying.

I was an outsider, non mormon, not very pretty egghead.

There were lots of other things to contend with there - but not bullying.

Gay kids were unheard of. Don't know what would happen with that issue. My guess is that they would be shunned. Those people tend to shun.

[arbusto_baboso]

8. Exactly. So you were a target for possible conversion.

That's why you weren't bullied. Mormons are conditioned to try to convert all "non-members".

[leftyladyfrommo]

9. No. I was the resident anti-Mormon insurgent. in High School

I caused a lot of trouble while I was there. All that religion stuff irritated me to death. The public schools are all run by the church. Well, actually, everything is run by the church.

I was thinking about gays in Salt Lake. Boy, if I were gay I wouldn't spend 15 minutes in a place like that. Not worth it. Get out and go where you can live your life. Same thing for blacks and for militant women. A lesbian friend of mine was forced out of grad school there. She was brilliant. She was able to switch over to the medical school and did just fine there.

Actually, Salt Lake is one of the most interesting places I have ever lived. That culture and that religion are fascinating if you just go there to watch. I was studying Cultural Anthropology so I found it incredible.

[Smarmie Doofus]

4. That's just great. How did they treat the gay kids? nt

[davidinalameda]

5. in a 95% Mormon community

the gay kids would have been so far in the closet, they would be back there with the Christmas decorations

[seabeyond]

7. firstly, how many years ago. second, the christian private had way more than public

for my boys.

maybe the mentality of moron is different. i know i have been in other christian environment, like methodist that does not have that anger and hate. but the baptist environment my kids were in, a private i paid for to avoid the bullying of public, was rampant. just a handful of kids... but their was an entitlement of not christian like us, warrant the attack. was never acceptable to the teachers and principal though. more a development of the hate, starting about 2003 perpetuated by rw and fed by fox. i absolutely saw a shift.

there is very little bullying in the public elementary and middle school. it simply is not allowed. strong enforcement and expectation takes care of a lot of it.

[dan_87]

10. anti-bullying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3jKJTNrWnw