School bans 9-year-old boy's My Little Pony backpack

[Just_Lurking]

Can you imagine a nine year old kid that would rather stick with his backpack choice to the point of being so scared of going to school that he didn’t even want to get out of the car, rather than ask his parents for a new one?

Yes, quite easily. That backpack could be the one thing that gives him happiness in his otherwise miserable life. Certainly his life while at school was miserable.

There are victims of bullying that go to great lengths to try and get the bullying to stop. Getting new clothes, new hairstyle, new hair color, new glasses or switch to contacts, start dieting or taking drugs to lose weight, abandon friends that don’t fit in, etc. etc. In essence, many bully victims will actively alter their personal identity just to be free of the bullying. Some even commit suicide to escape.

Suicide is the exact opposite of the other actions you mention in this paragraph. Changing things about yourself is acknowledging that bullies are right, and that until you change you deserve to be picked on because of who you are. Suicide is saying that being true to yourself is more important than fitting into a world run by bullies. Choosing to keep the backpack is closer to the suicide end of the spectrum than the changing yourself end.

 

[Orogeny]

Implied by a quote from his mother saying she hoped the bullies would be punished, but instead her son was.

I’m not saying I think the bullies should have been “punished,” but maybe taught, or educated, or corrected.

orlandosentinel.com/features/blogs/gone-viral/os-my-little-pony-bullying-20140318,0,1920109.post

From the article in the OP, I think that the school did address the bullies in addition to recommending that the boy not bring the backpack.

From the article:

Jason Rhodes, the communications director for Buncombe County Schools, said the school “wants to resolve the issue” but said he couldn’t legally comment on a specific student’s situation.
“First and foremost our schools take any allegations of bullying seriously and work diligently in all cases to resolve the issues in the best interest of students. We have programs in place to prevent, report and intervene to keep our students safe and protected,” he wrote in a statement.

That sounds to me like the spokesman was saying that he can’t comment on what happened to the bullies, but that there are programs in place to deal with them.

Peace

Tim

 

[EIF5A]

That poor kid has some emotional attachment to MLP, and the bagpack is a physical connection to it. Who knows why he’s attached it?

Why take away something that gives him a bit of happiness?

When he grows up, there will be much to be sorrowful about…

It really is something to read people so adamantly claim to know that the parents somehow have an agenda.

 

[Just_Lurking]

It really is something to read people so adamantly claim to know that the parents somehow have an agenda.

Between being grossed out that a boy would wear a “girl’s” backback, and speculating about the sexual orientation of his parents, I think some people doth protest too much, to quote Shakespeare.

 

[JimG]

I had no idea what a “My Little Pony” backpack is, so I went to the Hasbro website, and it says this:

“Welcome to the My Little Pony Website! Find great toys for girls with all the My Little Pony characters.
Have fun with all these wonderful pony girl toys from Hasbro.”
I’m not sure why a mom would even allow her son to use this backpack.

 

[Deus_tecum]

I still haven’t seen anyone blame the victim,

Blame the parents, the backpack, the bullies, the school but no one has blamed the victim.

He truly is the victim by more than just the bullies that’s what is truly tragic.

 

[HappyCatholic01]

My thought is certainly for him to change backpacks, that’s what I would do if he somehow ended up with a backpack like that. If he liked it, I would just explain that other children do not always understand these things and so we could just keep the backpack he likes at home, and take a dumb backpack to school.

I would also teach him about the sin of human respect… but unfortunately not all children have Catholic parents to teach him that.

That being said, however, I think it is the school’s job to do something about the bullying instead of suggesting that the boy change his backpack! Is he just supposed to go along with the crowd forever to avoid being bullied? Like when they are passing around a joint, is he supposed to just go along? Well, maybe the school won’t care about that, but suppose it is a cigarette they are passing around!?!?!

What about the next child, who might be bullied for wearing a crucifix? Is the solution really to get the victim to fall into line, or is the solution to teach all the students not to bully people?

Seriously, that is the bigger point.

Whatever the easy solution is, the school’s response was lazy and pathetic, and did not serve to help the child whatsoever.

Somehow, I doubt they tell him to “act less gay” if he was being bullied for being homosexual. They’d run the bigot flag up the flagpole faster than you can spell “agenda.”

 

[lax16]

I don’t know why we let androids who clearly have no capacity for human interaction become our educatuonal specialists!

There is a target on the victim’s back because bullies put it there. A different child or a different year, a boy could use a Little Pony backpack and the next day all the kids would have one.

Bullies have an infinite number of targets they toss one at a time at tgeir victims until one sticks. Then they hammer on that target. This is the way of bullies.

The ones who need to be dealt with are the bullies. They are the ones doing the wrong thing. Telling the victims they have to change a possibly unchangeable aspect of themselves helps no one and validates the bullies’ actions.

Ugh! I shudder at what our society is becoming…

I agree that bullies are bullies because they will continue to look for their infinite number of targets.

The problem is research is showing that trying to sensitize the bullies is not effective. Therefore, they are trying to help victimized kids get out of the line of fire.

I have to say, the gentleman who ran the seminar is knee-deep in trying to help problem kids in the school and in the detention facilities as well.

Let’s face it, sometimes we have to teach our kids to be street smart and not just right.

 

[HappyCatholic01]

I say he should be able to use the back pack and the bullies should be suspended or expelled. To blame the back pack is to blame the child that chooses to use the back pack.

Yes, in a perfect world, you are correct.

Likewise, women should be able to travel alone down dark inner city streets wearing provocative clothing while intoxicated without fear of rape of assault too, but guess what? The world conforms to the rules of reality, not ideals (sadly).

As my mom used to tell my sisters about the way they dressed and acted when they left the home, “do you want to be right, or do you want to be alive?” Not that we can justify scandalous clothing as Catholics regardless of repercussions (nor would my sisters ever dress provocatively), but the point is what should happen and what does happen are rarely the same thing.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t teach kids not to bully, or to improve society’s attitudes and behaviors, I’m just saying while I am doing that, I’ll take off the Applejack backpack and leave my Strawberry Shortcake pencil pouch in the car in the meantime. A nine year old should not be the petri dish for anti-bullying crusades.

 

[lax16]

Yes, in a perfect world, you are correct.

Likewise, women should be able to travel alone down dark inner city streets wearing provocative clothing while intoxicated without fear of rape of assault too, but guess what? The world conforms to the rules of reality, not ideals (sadly).

As my mom used to tell my sisters about the way they dressed and acted when they left the home, “do you want to be right, or do you want to be alive?” Not that we can justify scandalous clothing as Catholics regardless of repercussions (nor would my sisters ever dress provocatively), but the point is what should happen and what does happen are rarely the same thing.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t teach kids not to bully, or to improve society’s attitudes and behaviors, I’m just saying while I am doing that, I’ll take off the Applejack backpack and leave my Strawberry Shortcake pencil pouch in the car in the meantime. A nine year old should not be the petri dish for anti-bullying crusades.

 

[Deus_tecum]

Between being grossed out that a boy would wear a “girl’s” backback, and speculating about the sexual orientation of his parents, I think some people doth protest too much, to quote Shakespeare.

The primary protest seems to be against the school’s decision. Interesting!

 

[child_of_God85]

I had no idea what a “My Little Pony” backpack is, so I went to the Hasbro website, and it says this:

“Welcome to the My Little Pony Website! Find great toys for girls with all the My Little Pony characters.
Have fun with all these wonderful pony girl toys from Hasbro.”
I’m not sure why a mom would even allow her son to use this backpack.

Because its a good show that actually teaches kids values. Putting a gender label on toys and cartoons is so stupid. Let the child play with what he wants.

 

[Back2Church]

Yes, quite easily. That backpack could be the one thing that gives him happiness in his otherwise miserable life. Certainly his life while at school was miserable.

If this bag is “the one thing that gives him happiness in his otherwise miserable life,” then bullying is simply one small part of a much larger problem (or set of problems) that needs to be addressed.

Suicide is the exact opposite of the other actions you mention in this paragraph. Changing things about yourself is acknowledging that bullies are right, and that until you change you deserve to be picked on because of who you are. Suicide is saying that being true to yourself is more important than fitting into a world run by bullies. Choosing to keep the backpack is closer to the suicide end of the spectrum than the changing yourself end.

Suicide is never a statement about being true to oneself. That’s perposterous. People commit suicide to escape the suffering and hopelessness they find themselves in.

 

[Just_Lurking]

If this bag is “the one thing that gives him happiness in his otherwise miserable life,” then bullying is simply one small part of a much larger problem (or set of problems) that needs to be addressed.

This latest statement of yours seems somewhat off-topic to the point we were discussing, which was whether it was likely that the boy himself preferred the backpack.

Suicide is never a statement about being true to oneself. That’s perposterous. People commit suicide to escape the suffering and hopelessness they find themselves in.

Suicide can be about escaping suffering and hopelessness, and also about being true to oneself. The two are not contradictory.

 

[ServusHumilis]

So its wrong for this little boy to like a wholesome show? I dont get the mentality that its wrong for boys to like things like My Little Pony. The show teaches good values. Isay let the poor kid like whatever he wants. Its ok for girls to like action figures and things aimed at boys, but god forbid a young boy likes my little pony. With all the violent and pointless shows aimed at young boys these days, I would rather my son like a show like my little pony. My fiance is a brony by the way.

Yeah… 'cause there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this picture.

 

[St_Francis]

I agree that bullies are bullies because they will continue to look for their infinite number of targets.

The problem is research is showing that trying to sensitize the bullies is not effective. Therefore, they are trying to help victimized kids get out of the line of fire.

Well, I have to admit that I have problems with the whole concept of how we as a nation (US) educate our children, and this just seems like one more bad fruit of the insanity.

(Lest anyone think I have no admiration for teachers, I think that they are often wonderful generous souls who are trying to make the best of a bad situation.)

I have to say, the gentleman who ran the seminar is knee-deep in trying to help problem kids in the school and in the detention facilities as well.

Let’s face it, sometimes we have to teach our kids to be street smart and not just right.

I have no problem with that. I think it is a shame that that 9yo boy has no man in his life who will explain that his job is to grow up to be a man, and that part of being a man is setting aside certain comforts. But to me, that’s a separate issue than how to schools deal with bullies.

I have seen so many anecdotes about dealing with bullies in the old-fashioned way–I wonder if anyone has done research on that?

 

[Geist]

We took our young kids to Build-A-Bear recently, one of my daughters got a Fluttershy stuffed animal and my then 3 year old son wanted a Rainbow Dash one; we wouldn’t let him have it.

Curiously he is a typical boy in every way (cars, trains, toy guns, etc.), but despite his tantrum there was just no way we were letting him have an essentially feminine toy that especially when we couldn’t understand why he wanted it.

IMO parents are duty bound to step in when kids do stuff like this to help them back on the proper path.

 

[livingwordunity]

I would have told the boy long ago that a girl’s backpack was inappropriate for him and not allow him to have it. Parents dictate haircuts, and clothing to their kids all the time, but this misguided mom in the story wants to make a stand over a backpack? She probably encouraged him to like the dumb backpack in the first place. I suspect there is no father in the home. Two “moms” maybe, but no dad.

That would be my guess, too.

 

[josie_L]

I don’t believe it was mentioned anywhere on this thread but there was another case of a boy being bullied for being a “brony” (nickname for a boy who likes “My Little Pony”):

11-yr-old Boy Bullied for Being A Brony Fighting for Life After Suicide Attempt

chicagonow.com/portrait-of-an-adoption/2014/02/11-yr-old-boy-bullied-for-being-a-brony-fighting-for-life-after-suicide-attempt-how-you-can-help/

I think this may be the reason why the school banned the backpack.

 

[child_of_God85]

Yeah… 'cause there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this picture.

http://oi61.tinypic.com/alsqs0.jpg

My fiance is a my little pony fan. Thats how we met. There is nothing wrong with it.
My brother played with dolls growing up. He is now an Air Force captain and happily married.
Parents are too afraid of their sons turing out homo if they play eith a girl toy. Its a barbaric concept.
And as for that picture, poor example. You have weirdo fans of any series. That is not a person a true brony would even associate with.