Anyone ever been a victim of bullying? I know it's a hot topic in schools today, and is being recognized more and more. Which is a good thing. I know growing up, there were a few kids who got a lot of crap from people and it always rubbed me wrong. I tended to just stay quiet, neither participating or stopping the bullying. Sometimes the kids bring it on themselves a bit (not saying they deserve it), but a lot of times it's just not right.
The reason I'm bringing this up is that my future brother-in-law is having a problem. And it struck me a bit more because he's 21 years old and we go to the same community college (albeit different campuses).
There's a clear reason why. He's gay. I've been living with my fiance' and her family for the past month now, and it doesn't bother me one bit. In fact, I forget that he is until I'm reminded. He's just a regular kid though, and is actually one of the wittiest and funniest dudes I know. He's not even flamboyant about it... yeah you can tell, but he's not out there wearing an all pink jumpsuit and talking with a lisp and waving his hand around. But the people in his class are whispering behind his back about him, and he can hear it all. It just pisses me off, these people should be beyond that high school bull****, yet they're still forming their cliques and making fun of people. He doesn't deserve to be treated that way when he's paying to go to this school to better himself.
I just don't know what he can do about it. Nobody wants to cause a scene and call these people out, and you can't really go run to your Mommy & Daddy or tell the teacher like you could growing up. I'm thinking maybe me & some of my friends can go to class with him and if we hear anything, let these people know that it's not going to fly. I'm not big and I'm certainly not a fighter, but having some people on your side never hurt... then again, I don't want him to get made fun of for us having to have his back or something.
I was kind of on the fringe going through high school... pretty normal dude, I was cool with the cool people (not exactly "friends", though my closest friends were) but always found it easier to identify with the nerds and geeks... they always seemed easier to break into their group. So I guess maybe a few times someone would try to start something but it never really evolved into anything, and I was always quick to just smile & laugh and kind of turn the whole thing into a joke. Plus, on the inside, I was a bit paranoid and was always trying to just live up to the norm and not be out of line and an easy target to get picked on so I avoided any potential conflicts. So I don't have much experience in this myself.
It just seems like an impossible situation. Anyone got any advice or experiences in this kind of stuff?
* If this gets too touchy, feel free to close. Don't want it to get to that, and hope it doesn't. And for those who don't feel comfortable sharing, don't hesitate to PM me. I'm just trying to figure out a solution to this problem and help out someone I care about.
The reason I'm bringing this up is that my future brother-in-law is having a problem. And it struck me a bit more because he's 21 years old and we go to the same community college (albeit different campuses).
There's a clear reason why. He's gay. I've been living with my fiance' and her family for the past month now, and it doesn't bother me one bit. In fact, I forget that he is until I'm reminded. He's just a regular kid though, and is actually one of the wittiest and funniest dudes I know. He's not even flamboyant about it... yeah you can tell, but he's not out there wearing an all pink jumpsuit and talking with a lisp and waving his hand around. But the people in his class are whispering behind his back about him, and he can hear it all. It just pisses me off, these people should be beyond that high school bull****, yet they're still forming their cliques and making fun of people. He doesn't deserve to be treated that way when he's paying to go to this school to better himself.
I just don't know what he can do about it. Nobody wants to cause a scene and call these people out, and you can't really go run to your Mommy & Daddy or tell the teacher like you could growing up. I'm thinking maybe me & some of my friends can go to class with him and if we hear anything, let these people know that it's not going to fly. I'm not big and I'm certainly not a fighter, but having some people on your side never hurt... then again, I don't want him to get made fun of for us having to have his back or something.
I was kind of on the fringe going through high school... pretty normal dude, I was cool with the cool people (not exactly "friends", though my closest friends were) but always found it easier to identify with the nerds and geeks... they always seemed easier to break into their group. So I guess maybe a few times someone would try to start something but it never really evolved into anything, and I was always quick to just smile & laugh and kind of turn the whole thing into a joke. Plus, on the inside, I was a bit paranoid and was always trying to just live up to the norm and not be out of line and an easy target to get picked on so I avoided any potential conflicts. So I don't have much experience in this myself.
It just seems like an impossible situation. Anyone got any advice or experiences in this kind of stuff?
* If this gets too touchy, feel free to close. Don't want it to get to that, and hope it doesn't. And for those who don't feel comfortable sharing, don't hesitate to PM me. I'm just trying to figure out a solution to this problem and help out someone I care about.
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