Hi there POIROT...

Talk about rekindling fond memories of school? You played kick-to-kick footy with the boys? I don't recognise the game as such, but in NSW we played (usually in the street) a thing called 'forcing back' with a rugby league footy! It sounds very similar to your 'kick-to-kick'? Essentially there were no rules, nor minimum or maximum numbers on each team.

Each team had to gain as much distance as possible with a single kick. Thereafter the opposition had to return the kick, wherever they (first) retrieved the ball. By taking the ball on the full, reduced the distance thus proved a distinct advantage. We generally commenced roughly in the middle of the street, and off you went, taking you life in your hands as you had to dodge the odd car in the process. Many a passing vehicle had the occasional football bounce of their roof or windscreen!

I guess anybody who played Aussie Rules would be far superior with their kicking skills, over us Rugby League guys. Gee they were great times I reckon. Imagine playing such a game today in a public street?

And you're right, those at school who tended to excel at sport were rarely the subject of bullying, whereas those poor buggers who were academically gifted, occasionally copped it for no other reason they did well in class? Golly we humans are a funny lot with our petty jealousies and stupid juvenile designation of schoolboy superiority.

Bugsy:

For someone who claims to have done nothing wrong you are going to a lot of trouble to defend yourself!

Poirot:

“We have to ask: "What is your problem?" - that you can put the rhetorical boot into a young man for bringing school bullying to wider attention.

Weird!”

What is weird is that you ‘have’ to ask what is my problem. The forums exist to debate issues and present arguments and counter arguments in the hope of getting nearer to the truth. All you need to know is what my arguments are. The forums do not exist to pander to your voyeurism.

my daughter was actually bullied/harassed into homeschooling by an Indigeneous boy who no one wanted to deal with for the fear of being labelled racist. He bullied a number of girls and I know the problem now is a lot worse than it was back in the early 2ooo's. It seems that sometimes racism triump over bullying or sexism triump over dv or whatever the social engineers want to highlight on the day.

phanto,

What is wrong with any of this? It is called argument...."

It's not called argument.

It's called "supposition".

That is what it is when you make-up your own scenario - a scenario that doesn't tally with the known facts.

Like these facts:

"In a letter entitled "ongoing bullying of Nathan Whitmore" seen by the ABC, Mr Lloyd stated the school "dealt with a number of incidents over the last two years involving 'harassing and bullying'."

"Ms Whitmore went to police and eventually took out an intervention order against her son's tormentor."

That evidence points to this young person as being the victim of bullying - not the perpetrator - as you are surmising...and also suggests that the mother had to seek recourse "outside" the school to stop the torment.

.....

runner,

You finish your rant on this note:

"....Usually the dogma and Christophic natures require turning their hatred and bigotry on anyone standing for any decency. They are in fact the bullies."

What's your excuse then? If you're so imbued with Christ's message - why do come onto this forum and regale us with the antithesis of his ethos?

There are myriad reasons why our school system and societal paradigm fails our young people - why do you put all the blame on progressives?....as if belting kids with a cane is the answer to the problem?

You rant and blame and accuse...there is no wisdom or humility in your own message.

.....

o sung wu,

Yep...kick-to-kick was just that. A group stood on one side of the oval and another group stood on the other...and there would be several balls and you'd all try and get one so you could kick it back. All of which was quite fun, at least until the boys got bigger and I was still quite wirey and small - and they landed on me one day when we all went for a mark - and I realised I'd have to stop playing or I was going to get hurt.

'There are myriad reasons why our school system and societal paradigm fails our young people - why do you put all the blame on progressives?....as if belting kids with a cane is the answer to the problem?'

still in denial Poirot. One does not need to be Einstein to see the decline in every standard in schools and the increase in bullying since the regressives influence increased more and more. Your rant certainly displays zero wisdom and certainly no humility as usual.

phanto,

You have a right to go off on a tangent on this subject - and I have a right to pass judgement on your conjecture.

For instance:

"... Perhaps he was the real problem. Maybe he was such a bully that the other kids did not know how to deal with him so responded in kind. The school may not have been able to handle him. There are lots of possibilities that could have occurred and need to be considered...."

Pure supposition on your part...not even an "inference".

Not anywhere near a working hypothesis - as you are not drawing your data from the known facts included in the article which "you" submitted for discussion.

By all means present an "argument" - not a pile of confected rubbish that you make up to support your penchant for attacking this young victim....if you don't wish to be taken to task