|
I was bullied in school. In the 5th and 6th grades, I was harrassed and bullied almost everyday on my way home...social outcast was my reputation...all because I wasn't wearing the newest style, make-up and had the latest hairstyle. I was shy, angry, desperate to have people like me. Due to being a complete outcast, as well as dealing with a few personal factors, my self-esteem and confidence was shot. I was held back in the 6th grade, partially because my grades reflected my feeling secure and safe. My dad put me into a martial arts class and things improved - my grades went from F's and D's to B's and C's my second year in the 6th grade.
In the 7th grade, I made a joke about a girl who basically had some issues and was a delinquent...she got wind of my joke and began to harrass me to the point where I wasn't sure how far she would go to hurt me and "make an example" of me. After being chased one day by her and 25 "friends" of hers, afterschool, in which my dad and I went to the cops and pressed charges, she became more livid. She told "stories" to everyone about my deceased mother and my "hippie" dad - I confronted her and was just about to swing when we were separated and she was publicly chastised and warned she would be sent away if she didn't watch herself.
The next morning, she spotted me and my dad as he was dropping me off at music class (held at the high school), to which my dad and I both flipped her the bird. As I walked to class, she raced across the football field to me, ready to kill, and I had had enough. In front of our classmates and several high school students, I tore her shirt, fattened her lip, ripped out her hair and pushed her into a wall, before we were pulled apart by a few members of the school's staff. I had red marks on my arm and face where she swung blindly or tightly gripped me, during the fight.
My principal was shocked to see me in his office, commended me for standing up for myself (he'd seen and heard about my rough adjustment since I had started at his school) and sent me to my teacher/class to wait for the rest of my class to join me after music/art period ended. She was sent home (no suspension - as that would have placed her back into the family welfare system, where she might have been placed in juvenile prison).
I was no longer teased, made fun of, harrassed, jumped or threatened by any of the students.
Some of us don't like conflict - but we all have a breaking point. We react on instinct - fear or aggression - when we've had enough. How much was he supposed to tolerate? How many times does he have to see teachers and other students witness his treatment - to which they obviously don't do anything about, on any level - before his actions are justified??
However, he is not a hero. He didn't prevent someone from harm - he caused harm. As his first offense, I believe the courts judgement against him is absolute bullshit. He should have been ordered to attend counseling sessions and/or self-improvement programs.
__________________
For example, I find that a lot of college girls are barbie doll carbon copies with few differences...Sadly, they're dumb, ditzy, immature, snotty, fake, or they are the gravitational center to orbiting drama. - Amnesia620
|