Perhaps the girl has been sexually assaulted in the past. That could explain her “overreaction.”
I was mugged once by two men who ran up to me from behind. For years, whenever I heard footsteps approaching me quickly from behind, I reacted in a way you might call overly dramatic - if you didn’t know about my history.
We don’t know if the girl had the scissors in her hand when he lifted her skirt, nor do we know if he has made a habit of similar behavior or if she has been victimized before. We do know she swiped at him multiple times, and if he had backed off, she wouldn’t have been in a position to inflict any injury, unless she followed him, in which case she becomes the aggressor. We don’t even know if the school involved the police, or if one of the students (or their parents) initiated the police involvement. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, if it remains in the national spotlight.
@mycupoftea , the charges against the husband were dropped:
http://abc7ny.com/news/charges-dismissed-against-bronx-man-who-killed-wifes-attacker/1501628/
BTW, back in the day, women used to carry hatpins so that they could stab men who laid hands on them in the subway, trolley, etc. Hatpins are about 4 inches long–or longer–and quite substantial.
I remember being in 7th grade, and having boys snap our bras, or loudly ask us whether we were “on the rag.” Their intention was public humiliation and bullying, and they succeeded. In spades. For young adolescent girls who were trying to deal with the changes in their bodies, this could not have been more effective at making us feel shame, that our bodies were disgusting, out of control.
We tried not to react. That was the done thing. If we had turned around and slapped the bra-snapper, or screamed at him, no one would have defended us. I am VERY HAPPY that at least some young women no longer feel that they have to cringe in fear when some nasty piece of work who is priming himself for a life of harassing women pulls a stunt like this.
“A young woman who responds with such extreme behavior has with all likelihood previously been attacked before.”
Fixed it.
The chances of this altercation finding its way into a courtroom for a full blown trial are close to zero.
It also occurs to me that Tennessee is a “Stand Your Ground” state. My understanding of that law is that it significantly reduces any obligation to retreat if one believes they are facing bodily injury. So perhaps that general culture might help explain her reaction. Most Stand Your Ground states have populations that support the concept of protecting yourself and your family at all costs.
They both have juvenile charges. So that legal analysis doesn’t really apply. Likely the judge will send them both to separate counseling, with maybe a bit of community service hours for the boy as well. Then records expunged upon adulthood. And a lot of time, effort and legal resources expended.
It won’t be, but it could have been a teachable moment for the school…get the kids together by class or maybe by gender and talk about it. Have the girls explain why they are outraged at the conduct, and how would the boys feel if it was done to them, or to their mom? Talk about ways to react and how to address sexual harassment in society. It could have educated some and led to more understanding.
These students have received a juvenile summons or complaint – nothing more. There cannot be any potential “expungement” as at this point in time they have not been convicted of anything nor have formal charges been filed against them. Once the complaint is referred to juvenile court, a prosecutor or juvenile intake officer takes over. They decide to either dismiss the case, encourage an informal resolution or file formal charges.
An informal resolution is how this case should be resolved.
Charges were dropped.
Why should the girls have to explain to the boys why they don’t like having their dresses pulled up? Let’s not pretend that the boys don’t already know the girls don’t like it, and why, or that they’ll empathize with them. If they were concerned with how the girls felt, they wouldn’t assault them in the first place. Making the girls explain how they feel (powerless? violated?) just puts them in a powerless position with their potential assailants. The girls shouldn’t have to ask the boys not to assault them. We wouldn’t have to worry about how girls and women deal with sexual harassment if boys and men would quit harassing them.
^^Agreed. I can’t understand why so many people think that it’s girls/womens job to change the behavior of males. if that were possible, this stuff would not happen with such depressing frequency.
These boys WANT to upset the girls. It’s one more way they can establish power over them so that they can keep the upper hand. It’s depressing that so many adults seem to want to reinforce this dynamic.
Note that the incident referred to in reply #97 and #128 is not entirely analogous, in that the use of deadly force may have been initially seen by prosecutors as crossing the line into a revenge attack/killing rather than resisting or helping others resist a crime. The apparent sequence of events:
I’m a peaceful person who abhors violence. I’ve never been in a fist fight. When someone inappropriately grabbed me in a bar several years ago, my first reaction was to elbow him to get him away. No, screaming was not my first instinct.
The earliest self-defense I remember learning was from my father: kick them in the balls, gauge their eyes, run like hell. Responding violently to a threat in no way means that someone has been violent before.
There have been so many ridiculous, unsubstantiated attacks on this young woman’s character.
Schools are supposed to be educational. That said, they are also hotbeds of adolescent emotions, peer pressure, and poor judgment. Schools can and do engage in character education, and teachable moments like this can be the platform for effective change. I don’t think behavior is set in stone by the age of 15 and the offenders are incorrigible harassers from that point forward. We should be able to articulate in a school setting why and how certain behaviors, of any kind, are unacceptable. If the teacher or principal or coach needs to help the discussion along, fine. But yes, I do expect high school students to be able to discuss it rationally, along with reasons why the behavior might occur (sexism, power imbalances, a dare from a peer, attempts to prove sexual prowess or whatever), and methods to address it. Many schools address racial issues in such a method. It seems helpful.
Quibbling. This whole thread is about quibbling and the underlying message is that boys will be boys and when they try to humiliate a girl, possibly assault her, she’s over-reacting unless she discusses her humiliation and possible assault “rationally.”
The onus is clearly on her. He’s just having harmless fun and – goodness! – what if he had been hurt? What was she thinking? The boy doesn’t have to act rationally, apparently.
And this on a site that supposedly attracts educated people.
SMH.
I remember being shocked some years ago when a mom whose daughters attended the local Catholic elementary school told me that the girls at the school always wore shorts under their uniform skirts because the boys were always pulling up their skirts.
What a total bunch of bs. 
I’m hoping-- sincerely-- that the post you’re quoting was tongue-in-cheek.
It’s not the job of a teenage girl to explain why she doesn’t want her dress pulled up.
It’s the job of parents of a 5 year old boy. Just as it’s their job to explain why you don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t do all those other “don’ts.”
The victims should NOT have to explain why they don’t deserve to be victimized.
I have a son. Had he been so stupid, so insensitive, so cruel as to try a prank like that beyond the age of 4, he would have been grounded for a week, mimimum, in addition to whatever punishment his sister had doled out.
Fortunately, he’s not that stupid or insensitive or cruel.
No wonder the kids can’t discuss this, given that the adults on this thread can’t discuss it without resorting to insults and extremism. That won’t get a lot of progress accomplished, but carry on if you must.