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USNews: Bullied Gay Student Who Fired Stun Gun Expelled

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by Pret Allez, May 8, 2012.

  1. Pret Allez

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    U.S. News - Bullied gay student who fired stun gun is expelled

    In before the following: violence is never the answer; while I feel sympathetic for him, he should have known not to do that; his mother is crazy for giving him the stun gun; he should have talked to an adult first; he's making the gay community look bad.
     
  2. BradThePug

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    I'm still not sure where I stand on this...

    Yes, weapons are not good to have at school. But that being said, I went to a school where you had to "secretly" carry a knife just so people would not jump you. My mother knew that I had my pocket knife too. I never had to use it, but I had friends that were jumped and had to use their knives. People knew not to jump me. I had quite a reputation at my school.

    Next, adults don't always help. I was bullied for years. I went to teachers and principals about it, but they did nothing. Sometimes you have to take a stand to show the bullies that you are not taking them anymore.

    Now, was the stun gun the right option?? I nobody was doing anything and he was in danger, then yes it was. However; if his live was not in danger, then it was wrong.
     
  3. Kidd

    Kidd Guest

    Better expelled than violently assaulted, killed, or driven to suicide by these animalistic bullies. He stood up for himself because no one else would--not even the school would. I, for one, commend him for it.

    EDIT: Like Cat, I too, went to a rough high school. It wasn't unheard of to hear of people selling cocaine out of their lockers between classes and after school. I don't know what his high school is like, but schools definitely aren't what they used to be. That's something to keep in mind before anyone jumps this kid and his mother for anything they did..
     
    #3 Kidd, May 8, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: May 8, 2012
  4. TheEdend

    TheEdend Guest

    Might have been a bit much, but I can't say that I wouldn't have done whatever was in my power to defend myself if I were ever in that situation.

    I'm pretty sure that we don't have one single representative. If the rest of the world wants to blame a whole community for someone's actions then they can go ahead and do so. I don't think we have to make every single gay person uphold certain "rules" because of it tho.
     
  5. Danielle

    Danielle Guest

    Violence is violence.

    I do think that the school was right to expel the student.

    I do get that the student would have been feeling quite afraid but that does not mean that he has the right to turn up to school with any sort of weapon and especially a weapon such as a stun gun.

    Two wrongs do not make a right.
     
  6. Zontar

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    Symptom of a problem.
     
  7. lilyoflife

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    isnt it a wonderful world we live in, only when we know where the better community lies.
    but it sucks when we are too young to choose. bad people are scattered everywhere among us and the minority must fight for survival.
    makes it harder to have harmony, especially when all the leaders such as abraham lincoln, william cooper, John Lennon and all have been assassinated when they tell people to live in peace. ironic world we live in. and yet we wonder whats wrong with this world.
    im a cynic, i see the ugly truth. but i also see hope, dim it might be. we just gotta embrace one another more and share affection love and intimacy. not the one night stand sexual intimacy. human to human love intimacy. so we dont have to feel alone and so peace and love can really grow instead of people complaining that we need more of it.
    WE MUST ACT DAMMIT!
     
  8. sanguine

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    no, he doesnt make the gay community look bad, if anything he makes us look stronger cause we already have the stigma that we are weak because we are GAY with all the flaming stereotypes to boot.

    i think its good it happened because it will teach this bully a valuable lesson.

    kudos to him, i would have done the same thing, heck i can only imagine how exhilarating it would have felt to aim down the bully with the stun gun, LOL CoD style.


    amen

    ---------- Post added 9th May 2012 at 11:10 PM ----------

    better this than the poor kid killing himself, better this than being another LGBT suicide statistic, schools need to be better at preventing bullying rather than expelling victims because they were very poor in doing their jobs
     
    #8 sanguine, May 9, 2012
    Last edited: May 9, 2012
  9. sguyc

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    How does firing a stun gun "save" him from bullying? It will probably only get worse now.
     
  10. Steve712

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    I certainly sympathise with him and I can see how he felt he had to use the stun gun and how his mother felt she should give him one, however misguided it was. Still, I don't think his actions are something we should endorse, especially not because of the system's shortcomings. That's the same logic that justifies violent vigilantism, nativism and even bullying itself in cases where the bully is acting out from neglect and ostricism.
     
  11. Pret Allez

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    I agree with you. I was merely writing that as a way of saying that's an unacceptable response. However, I have seen this response in a number of places, including Queerty.

    I disagree with that I think your view is, so let me state what it is I think you're saying. Please tell me if I am wrong, because I don't want to be seen misrepresenting you. Being charitable, I am going to guess that your view is that people have a right to self defense, so that maybe if these kids were actually trying to beat this guy up or kill him, then you would not have said the school was right to expel him. On the other hand, you don't believe that fear, even sheer terror is enough to justify a violent response.

    If that is your view, I can sympathize, but I think that sets the bar unfairly high. It's also not clear what kind of a fear actually justifies the use of violence in response to oppression. I guess that's my issue.
     
  12. bdman

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    Maybe I'm misremembering, but I thought that both the student and the mother sought help from the school through normal channels. But the principle told the student to essentially stop acting so feminine. There was nothing done and eventually the mother gave her son a stun gun as a last resort to protect himself after he was threatened.

    Fact checkers?
     
  13. Pret Allez

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    I am assuming that the story was fact-checked. If there is a correction or a contradicting story that appears later, I will post it here and then reassess my views. Right now, it looks like what you said: the student and the parent tried to go through the proper channels, and there was no remedy available to them. It's not like the kid is crazy and the mother irresponsible and they jumped to violence at the first sniff of homophobia.
     
  14. Danielle

    Danielle Guest

    That is my opinion. He has a right to self defence but from what I read from the article a stun-gun is a major over-reaction to the problem. My opinion most likely would have been different if this kid had not had a weapon of such force.

    A stun-gun is a serious weapon that should only be handled by those in law enforcement.

    The fact that the student was gay had nothing to do with the issue. People are picked on for everything but those children would be condemned for bringing a stun-gun to school and so should the student in question.
     
  15. Pret Allez

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    Is the "such force" part or the weapon part? I worry about how weak students might defend themselves without a weapon.
     
  16. DryOasis

    DryOasis Guest

    High school can be an awful place for a gay teen. I don't think he did the right thing but he must've taken it to school for a reason, sometimes relying on teachers is useless . But weapons and school are a lethal mix. The film 'Elephant' comes to mind.
     
  17. Alexandria

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    I call BS on this notion that a stun gun is an 'over reation'. When one is out numbered, 5 or 10 or 20 or more, to ONE, no amount of self defence training (shy of being bruce lee or blade or such) will be effective. I know. I've BEEN there. Too damned often. Taking a machine gun to school, yes that'd be over reacting. A stun gun? Those are designed to be non lethal.

    But, of course, in our western society, the victims have no bloody rights; the bulleys do. -_-;
     
  18. Alex94

    Alex94 Guest

    I heard about this on my radio a couple days ago...I don't think a stun gun is all that bad, he felt that he needed it to protect himself, would they rather he had an actual gun?!?
     
  19. HunterN95

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    I'm sorry, but i FULLY endorse him bringing the stun gun to school! It's not like it could have killed anyone, if anything, those fucking bullies are the ones who could have killed him (yes, driving him to suicide would pretty much be killing him in my opinion). I honestly don't see what is wrong with this. His mother was only helping her son defend himself and it resulted in HIM, not his bullies, getting expelled. Really boils my blood :bang:
     
  20. Danielle

    Danielle Guest

    I am sorry but if you think that someone is entitled to bring a stun-gun to school under any circumstances then your morals are messed up.

    The fact that this student is gay changes nothing. A stun-gun is capable of killing someone and people seem to think that is ok to just take it to school because this student is facing homophobic bullying. I honestly fail to see how that is reasonable reaction.

    The fact is that straight students and even homophobic students kill themselves due to bullying but does that mean that straight and homophobic students who are bullying should bring a stun-gun to school?

    The answer is no and the fact that this question even needs to be asked makes me quite disgusted at some of the views represented in this thread.

    ---------- Post added 11th May 2012 at 10:23 PM ----------

    I see your point but a stun-gun is capable of being lethal and has no place near a school and should only be in the hands of law enforcement.