Some believe that the popularity of shows such as “Gossip Girl’’ and the talk radio shout-fests that kids listen to from the back seat of the car have fanned the flames, which are spread face-to-face and through cyberspace.
via Mean girl behavior begins at early ages – The Boston Globe.
Seriously? They are trying to blame bad behavior on TV and Talk Radio? Um… What ever happened to parental responsibility? Seriously people.
My kids listen to Rush Limbaugh and Dana Loesch with me sometimes, when the subject matter is appropriate. My kids don’t run around bullying other kids, because they know that we consider that to be unacceptable behavior.
But out there in Massachusetts, people are pushing for a bill that would require adults in the school to report bullying to the principle, who is then required to report it to the parents of the bully. Of course, critics claim that the bill doesn’t go far enough because it doesn’t “criminalize bullying” or hold the school liable for not protecting children.
Really? I admit, I was not the popular kid in school, in any of the 5 different schools I went to. I was the kid the other kids picked on. I was the one being bullied. I know from experience that simply alerting the bully’s parents isn’t going to change a thing. Do you know why? Because kids learn these kinds of behaviors at home. Not from Talk Radio, but from their parents. I find it funny that this article at The Boston Globe website is linked to another article titled “Parents can help prevent bullying by modeling kindness, empathy” Really? Ya think?
“Parents need to help their kids see that everyone has dignity and worth, that they don’t put someone outside a circle of caring, they don’t make someone an ‘it.’ You don’t have to like every kid in the classroom, but you do have to honor their humanity.’’ (source)
So, it’s parents, and their behavior that the kids will emulate. Huh. Whodathunk?