I had a colleague who went to the principal and told him that he paid his taxes and as far as he was concerned, his 11-year old child and his child’s safety was the school’s responsibility during school hours, that they both worked and that his child was returning the following day. When the principal tried to stand his ground, my friend (who was a bit of a hothead) told him that any option other than his child attending classes was out of the question, and if he was refused that, or if any harm came from retribution, he was going to hold the principal personally and physically responsible. The principal sputtered something about ‘threats’, to which he replied: Go ahead and call the cops, and call an ambulance while you’re at it. I’ll be out of jail in a day, you’ll be out of bed in a few weeks. Wouldn’t have been my way of doing things, but it worked for him.
That might be true in many cases, but in this case there’s video. What happened is not in dispute.
Bully for you, Casey.
Enjoyed the video. Haven’t read any articles about it yet – if the guys with the camera were friends of the bully, how did the video end up on Youtube?
It’s hilarious so they sent it to at least a few friends. One of which uploaded it.
I like the Zangief from Street Figher II version sooooo much.
Couldn’t agree more. Perfect execution. I especially liked the switch to the ‘round’s about to end’ music right when Casey snaps. Makes me hope that Casey’s a gamer so he can appreciate it. 
Because they are little shits, just like the protagonist little shit. Actually, they are probably even more insidious little shits. They probably encouraged the protagonist to do what he did while being cunning enough not to participate (and risk getting in trouble).
Their shitness just manifested itself in a new and unsurprising way, namely that they were about as loyal to the protagonist as you would expect a bunch of little shits to be.
John Birmingham is an Australian author and columnist who is a personal favourite of mine. He is the Australian heir to Hunter S Thompson. Here’s what he has to say, and it is as usual well worth a read. I have every sympathy for Casey, but tempering his experience is probably a good thing for him in the long run.
Walking away gets you punched in the back of the head. Been there, regretted that.
Thing to note is that they wolf packed him. By that I mean they cornered him when no other boys were around. That shit doesn’t fly around other kids who would care enough to intervene. You don’t have to win for the bully to stop the behavior. He just needs to know it’s going to hurt and that you have friends too.
Reposting:
God, the bullying nowadays makes the bullying I endured look like a cakewalk. I realize now I didn’t have it that bad.
can someone please explain to me why this incident is considered “bullying”?
Yes, there are a few bullies here…the kid holding the camera , the kids standing around and encouraging it…They are all being nasty bullies, making fun of the chubby guy in the schoolyard.
But that skinny kid who wants to be the star of the film isn’t commiting an act of bullying–he’s committing a violent crime.But everywhere I’ve seen it discussed, on the net and on television, people casually refer to it as “bullying”, as if it is somehow forgiveable.
That kid proudly grabs the victim by the throat and then punches him in the face.Twice.
Why is this considered some kind of childish prank or bullying?
It is outright criminal assault and battery with intent to cause physical harm.
I thought that was particularly on point article and expresses exactly why, although I sympathize and understand Casey’s position, I am not comfortable with the turn the situation has taken on the internet.
The working definition of bullying has changed over the years. As far as I can tell it simply refers to a particular pattern and context of assault and/or battery. A school administrator is ill-advised to treat it as a silly prank or rite of passage anymore.
I just read through the YouTube Terms of service and I cannot for the life of me see how the video was in violation.
Can someone clue me in to the part of the terms of service that the video is in violation of? Cite specifics please.
I saw no part of the ToS that said anything about violence, or controversial subject matter. If that were the case then there would be almost no content on the site.
In modern educational circles, “bullying” is, and I’m really not making this up, loaded with more negative connotation than “assault”. It’s a major national scourge, and we teachers are made very aware that we’re personally responsible for ending bullying. Don’t get me wrong–that’s a good thing–but I just want to correct your impression that calling it bullying is somehow trivializing it.
The Zangeif remix makes me so happy.
He’s always on point. In reading JB’s columns and articles for years I’ve disagreed with him precisely once.
Here is a video that provides more background, including an interview with Casey’s sister and father.
The most distressful thing about the whole incident is how everyone including Casey’s family thinks Casey did the right thing. What he did was excusable, but it was far from the best way to deal with the situation.
The best thing for Casey’s parents to do right now is to teach him how ask for help whenever he is bullied. They need to teach him to go to teachers, and if that fails to go to the police. And to always tell someone in his family when something is wrong.
I’m glad things went well for Casey in this situation. But by fighting back he risked going to jail, and risked a retaliation from the bully’s friends. It just so happens that the bully’s friends were a bunch of cowards, but that’s not always going to be the case.
Everyone is using this opportunity to live vicariously through Casey’s actions, instead of doing anything productive about bullying.
One telling thing about the difference between Australia and the US was the video I saw of a reporter interviewing the little bully’s mother. She bluntly acknowledged that her son started it and that he got what he had coming. And she said she had a few words for him herself when she learned what happened.
An American mom, in my experience, would be trying to blame everybody else.