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The Forum > Article Comments > It's time to confront the deadliest demon of them all > Comments

It's time to confront the deadliest demon of them all : Comments

By Dan Haesler, published 4/11/2010

One Australian boy or girl suicides every four days and another ten to twenty try.

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Having volunteered on school councils and the like over many years what I have heard about and witnessed time and time again is youth exhibiting problems early in schooling (eg years 3-5), but the inadequacy, lack of continuity and often unsuitability of the 'help' offered inevitably resulting in the youth falling through the cracks, being lost to education and in some cases becoming a social recluse or a suicide statistic.

I do not believe that the sort of counselling offered in most schools is at all successful and in some cases is probably counterproductive. Lateral thinking is required because most of what has been attempted or set in place over the years is a waste of money. To be frank, I am sure that hiring some trained young people to be big brothers/sisters, visit, sit, walk with and just be an ear (as needed) for many of these young students would be infinitely better than what is offered at present. Subject of course to professional (medical) case management as required.

As well, there needs to be schools where the academic factory production line is not the first concern but rather good people making and encouragement to enjoy life are the aims instead.

I do not believe that a solution will be found in the departments of education because of the politics involved.
Posted by Cornflower, Thursday, 4 November 2010 3:34:50 PM
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The answer to 'deadly demons' is the name/power of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps our traditional 'values' have been emptied out into the sewer and replaced by decaying rotting ideological tidbits** which seem fine to those who are scrounging around to find replacements.

Such as....this:

** http://www.marcuse.org/herbert/pubs/60spubs/65repressivetolerance.htm
Posted by ALGOREisRICH, Thursday, 4 November 2010 5:41:29 PM
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It's sad to see the vultures circling a situation as horrible as this, hoping, of all things, to take advantage of the victims to advertise their religion.
Posted by King Hazza, Thursday, 4 November 2010 11:24:39 PM
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Political correctness and the absence of the practical, male teachers who can bridge, are missing in action as those who know better under government dictate, contraire.
Posted by Dallas, Thursday, 4 November 2010 11:34:59 PM
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First of all, I'd like to applaud the author for recognising a problem and taking some action to draw attention to it and, hopefully, to fix it. While I don't entirely agree with his proposals, at least he's putting something out there for discussion. That's more than I've done.

I think the teenagers of today face some interesting issues that are unprecedented, at least in recent history. For all the easy means of communication available to them - SMS, MSN, Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, etc. - there seems to be a great shortage of meaningful communication going on. Friends fight over the internet rather than face-to-face. They flirt over the internet. They gossip over the internet. They do so much from a distance that, in many cases, they seem unable to do much face-to-face at all. Despite all the avenues of communication available to them, the kids I see every day seem more isolated than any I knew when I was at school.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not blaming social networking for youth suicide - far from it. I'm a big fan of the opportunities afforded by these online networks. The difference, though, is that I had a childhood before the world went online. When I had a problem with someone, I had to face up to him or simply avoid him. False bravado would be punished with a bop in the nose - put simply, I didn't have an elaborate online world in which to compensate for my own shortcomings.

I learnt to accept myself for who I am, and I learnt to understand others for the people they were. Kids these days (hmm, saying that makes me feel rather old) are able to avoid such realities. They are able to create new selves, all the while comparing the real thing with the false creations of their friends and rivals. The result, as with electronic communication, is an enhanced sense of isolation. Teenagers are often the only people who know who they really are. How depressing that must be!
Posted by Otokonoko, Thursday, 4 November 2010 11:38:43 PM
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Dear runner,

Homophobic bullying is a real problem in the schools, and Scripture Union chaplains can only make the problem worse because their type of religion is homophobic. However, all Christians are not blind to the problem. The following is from a Christian source:

http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=23926

…The reality is that education against homophobic bullying cannot be isolated from prevailing attitudes in the wider community. As with any social value that we hope to instil, children take their cues from adults, of whom their teachers are merely a subset.

The idea of an education-oriented advocacy to support gay young people is not new. The Washington-based Safe Schools Coalition has existedfor 20 years, and is part of a national network in the United States. Around 120 organisations are also dedicated there to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual rights. Yet, in the past few months there have been disturbing reports of a rise in violence against gays, even in liberal New York. In separate incidents, two young men committed suicide due to the pressures of being gay in their communities. Commentators draw links between these and recent developments such as the gay marriage debate, the right-wing politics of the Tea Party movement, and homophobic language used by high-profile Republican politicians.

Principals and teachers can keep gay young people safe at school only to the extent that they are also safe in the wider community. The discussion around bullying often overlooks the ways in which perceptions of power are being fed. Bullies like power, and their sense of power is fuelled by the notion that others are inferior. As long as specific groups of people at school or elsewhere are regarded as inferior simply because they are different, bullies will find targets...
Posted by david f, Friday, 5 November 2010 5:55:31 AM
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