<p>I got the girls and their ages mixed up. Yes, Guadalupe the 14 year-old appears to be the nastier of the two.</p>
<p>Parents of the bullies will be interviewed on GMA this morning.</p>
<p>Public humiliation; that’s my remedy for little insidious brats like these…in addition to any sanctions the law may apply. And no, I didn’t watch the parents’ interview because I expected that all they would say is how innocent their little darlings are. To paraphrase Professor Charles Barkley, ‘I could be wrong, but I doubt it.’</p>
<p>It’s a shame that their records might be sealed because they are juveniles.</p>
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<h1>1. Since their names and crimes have become public on the internet, the sealed factor isn’t going to help as much as if they committed these crimes before the widespread popularization of the internet.</h1>
<h1>2. If they continue their criminal streak in light of their inclinations…especially the 14 year old, they’re bound to follow in the footsteps of those like the bullies at my middle school who escalated their criminal activities to the point they have/are now still serving long stretches at various prisons for felonies committed during high school/later.</h1>
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<p>Yes, but the whole point of that is to give young people a chance to turn it around. I don’t think we want to give that up.</p>
<p>As noted above, if they really don’t change, there will just be something else criminal in their future anyway. And their names and images are forever associated with this event online.</p>
<p>Well, whether or not we want to give that up, like cobrat stated, the Internet factor has certainly lessened the power of sealed records.</p>
<p>I attended schools on three different continents and in my experience there are vicious little brats like these everywhere.</p>
<p>I think it is the complete opposite of the standard view. So many people seem to think poor bully, low self esteem, must have a terrible life. So it is usually the victim who is punished. Forced to change classes, leave the school etc. This is COMPLETELY WRONG!!!</p>
<p>Bullies have a massively inflated sense of self esteem, and usually a monster sized ego. They spend their entire lives being told how wonderful and perfect they are, and loving mom and dad praise them for their every pathetic action. They get a kick out of being better than everyone else in their feeble opinion, so if they feel even mildly threatened that someone else has some tiny perceived advantage over them, they attack them like a spitting viper. </p>
<p>Given that most bullies will not stop until their victim is dead if they can achieve that, I think lock them up and throw away the key. Torturers are not allowed to walk the streets, so why are bullies? How is this different? Thousands of kids are tortured every day at nearly every school across the world, and nothing is done about it. It is a failure of humanity (and of course leads to adult bullying and crime).</p>
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<p>Public humiliation certainly would be a real punishment for most people, but most people are not bullies. We won’t know until we know, but it seems like some some people crave attention so much that getting in trouble is highly valued to them. For example, I know of many juvenile males who commit crimes because it is exciting and they become the source of conversation in their schools. Public humiliation to them would be a reward. I don’t know how this works for girls, though.</p>
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I was in the same boat and ITA. However, one thing about social media is that it leaves a “paper trail” and provides some proof of what is going on, proof that can’t easily be destroyed (seriously, does this girl really expect anyone to believe her FB account was hacked?). In my day it was all “(s)he said, she said,” and adults either refused to believe what was going on or sided with the kids they liked the most, which was usually the bullies. At least nowadays, adults and others are being made to see what is really going on, not that it always helps.</p>
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<p>Depends on the type of public humiliation for the juvenile males. </p>
<p>For example, I’d doubt most…especially the ones into machismo would feel excited about the attention they get by being forced to wear a pink or frilly Hello Kitty costume or member of boyband du jour while wearing a “I am a bully” sign.</p>
<p>Don’t underestimate the power of disgust; everywhere you go when people find out who you are and what you did…the feeling of trepidation, intimidation and outright fear that some upstanding citizen whom was disgusted by the perp’s horrid behavior might feel inclined to be quite vocal or, dare we say, physical in expressing their objection. For example, look to the recent story of the teenage rapist whom assaulted a 14-year old girl in small town Missouri. Methinks his comfort zone got a lot smaller when concerned people let his university know what he was involved in back home.</p>
<p>This was in the local news long before the recent charges. I am not reading the current details, know enough about it. In my childhood there was the saying “sticks and …but words will never hurt…”. Times have changed. </p>
<p>I am so happy they have found a way to identify and charge these girls. ALL teens will likely learn a lesson from this. It was not enough for the incident to make the news and have people upset, direct consequences of their actions were needed. I believe at least one parent said his daughter was a “good” girl. Not so. </p>
<p>We’ll see how this unfolds. If nothing else these girls will be on the receiving end of some unpleasantness, hopefully learning to be nicer as adults. The ability to legally pursue cyber bullying precedent should be set. No ability to deny what was said as in verbal abuse and a record of this will last somewhere in cyberspace no matter what the results of the legal action.</p>
<p>It’s horrible someone had to die to stress the importance of not bullying. Hopefully nationwide this will change how teens use electronic media. I’m sure there are a lot of kids out there who don’t realize how devastating their cruel words can be.</p>
<p>I think one of the most disturbing factors in this particular case is that the community at large appears to support the bully. Anderson Cooper (whose own brother committed suicide) interviewed the victim’s mother last evening. She stated that her family was basically driven out of the community. What is wrong with these people?</p>
<p>We had a very similar case here in western MA, Phoebe Prince, in South Hadley. Her bullies plea bargained their way into slaps on the wrists. Probably had little effect on their pathetic lives.</p>
<p>I wonder if national attention will mean anything- if it will change things regarding cyber bullying.</p>
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<p>I remember that case very well. The community rallied around the bullies as well, as it turned out that there was a long standing culture of bullying there.</p>
<p>[REBECCA</a> SEDWICK: Stepmother arrested of Florida teen who allegedly bullied classmate to death](<a href=“http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_c_palm_beach_county/west_palm_beach/rebecca-sedwick-stepmother-arrested-of-florida-teen-who-allegedly-bullied-classmate-to-death]REBECCA”>http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_c_palm_beach_county/west_palm_beach/rebecca-sedwick-stepmother-arrested-of-florida-teen-who-allegedly-bullied-classmate-to-death)</p>
<p>saw this stepmother interviewed prior to this arrest, she showed zero empathy for Rebecca’s family, now we learn about her abusing her stepkids.</p>
<p>And the arrest of the stepmother shows the extent of the problem: little kids mistreated then mistreat others … who is to blame? The law has a hard time with this. A kid under a certain age is essentially excused, but there have been 13 year olds sentenced to life without parole for acts they clearly didn’t understand. We can’t have national standards because this is a state and local issue. </p>
<p>When issues arise in schools with kids, they usually track back to the parents. Usually should be read as nearly always. But the parents are usually - as in nearly always - much, much harder to deal with than the kid. (I’m speaking both as a parent and as the spouse of a teacher.) It’s not so much that the sins of the parents are visited upon the children but that the parents inflict their sins on the children.</p>
<p>And the next issue is the usual reasons for punishment in criminal law don’t apply well with underage kids. They aren’t deterred from conduct because they have less control over their actions and emotions and their focus on events is narrowly arranged around their little worlds. This story is repeated over and over: adults who have spent years being punished realize they couldn’t understand the message when they were young and try to teach it kids … who can’t learn the lesson because they’re kids in their worlds. Remember, the recent trend in sociology is toward more emphasis on the importance of immediate peer groups.</p>
<p>^ This is why I am so appalled by the trend of “kid-shaming” of young bullies or otherwise “misbehaving” kids by their parents, either out on street corners, on-line, or both. To me, it’s obviously bullying behavior by the parents–teaching that the way to make an impact is by humiliation. I doubt it works, in the long run, and in the short run, it’s just a cheap way for every one else to feel a little better, or at least, superior.</p>