<p>"A male student at Oak Park-River Forest High School has been suspended for distributing a list of girls at the school based on their physical attributes and promiscuity.</p>
<p>Officials say the students conduct amounts to cyber-bullying.</p>
<p>The list ranked 50 girls on their physical appearance and promiscuity, among other descriptions. It appeared in the school on Friday, according to a notice to parents and guardians on the schools website."</p>
<p>Free speech, libel, or bullying? Time for the ACLU?</p>
<p>It shows a complete lack of respect for the female students. Perhaps part of the student education should be how to conduct one’s behavior in a way that treats others with dignity and respect.</p>
<p>When a boy did something very similar at my son’s school, there was no need for the school to punish him. His punishment was social ostracism, which lasted for years.</p>
<p>Our middle school had a recent similar issue with a list that was circulated of the Most *****y girls. Not known who the author was, or whether it was a group who produced it. My friend’s dd was #1. She bought dd a tiara with “#1” on it from the local party store and she wore it to school. Just saying, I don’t think this kind of bullying is new, just same crap we all dealt with, sticks and stones not breaking news, or time to get a lawyer.</p>
<p>Have any of you seen the movie, “The Social Network”? Perhaps this student was taking ideas from that movie and went further steps down the road of degradation. Even as portrayed in the movie, the first attempt (FaceMash) which was designed to allow rankings of girls went over like a lead balloon.</p>
<p>This scenario repeats itself over and over…it has happened elsewhere many times before…when will these students learn from the mistakes of others? And, how do we instill respect in these young people?
I think that we all need to have a little talk with our students…again…sigh.</p>
<p>For me, it’s hard to say. Rude? Sure. Immature? Sure.
Bullying? Not so sure. Illegal? Quite a stretch.
Remembering sex harrassment(for example) isn’t defined as anytime anyone ever says something out of line but is knowingly repeating unwanted advances, I hesitate to call a one-time incident- if it is that- and group it under such a broad umbrella.
Is bullying to be defined as any time any one teases someone else? Is it that broad and sweeping?</p>
<p>Stupid/unlucky enough to get caught with doing this, he deserves to get in trouble. But when I chaperoned sports teams some years ago, the girls on the long bus trips would make trading cards out of index cards with each one describing some guy and they would sit there amusing themselves with games with those. Also slam books as they were called, made the rounds. </p>
<p>I’m surprised the kid actually distributed paper these days, It’s usually on Facebook or email or some website or blog.</p>
<p>Who knows the label but it is a huge lack of respect and degradation of women. Anyone who wants to defend it is a jerk in my books and I feel bad for his daughters if he has any. In the ideal world, the student body itself would find this disgusting and respond as such (and Hunt’s kids sound like they went to a fabulous school!).</p>
<p>Younghoss, are the only kinds of bullying you understand the ones that include a physical punch or a wedgie or a swirly? How is this NOT bullying?</p>
<p>If any of you had read the article, you would know that this is the third time the kid involved has done this, and the second time he has been suspended for it. It sounds way, way over the line in terms of offensive treatment of classmates. But in any event it was a deliberate provocation, widely distributed through multiple channels by its author, not an impulsive prank or something intended to be among friends that went viral.</p>
<p>And in the Duke case it was 20±year-old demi-god lacrosse-playing frat boys who actually slept with the author. Thereby at least implicitly volunteering for a mention in her autobiography, should she write one. Some of them even knew about her “research”, no? And didn’t she use pseudonyms (albeit easily decodable by people who knew everyone)?</p>
<p>This case involved 15 year-old girls who generally seem to have had nothing to do with the author besides going to the same school and having a role in his fantasy life.</p>
<p>I think there’s a pretty meaningful difference in vulnerability and risk of harm there, a different balance of truth and fiction, and a total difference of intent. Duke Woman was pretty misguided, but at least somewhat close to the line for me. I wouldn’t throw her in jail or anything. The boy in this case deserved serious discipline.</p>
<p>This is a good example of why parents should not allow their minor children to use FB without parental supervision. I hope his parents are sued for libel.</p>
You’re completely right. I just glanced at the title and skimmed the article. Didn’t really realize these were high school girls who hadn’t all been involved with the author. What seems worse to me is that a number of other students cheered him on, and that he had done something similar before without serious repercussions. The Duke case doesn’t come close to what happened here.</p>
<p>The list is stupid, adolescent and disgusting. Kids have been doing dumb things like this forever, but without the ability to post it on an internet forum where it can be seen by millions.</p>
<p>But the comments on the website in response to the article are so vile that it really makes me despair. My favorites include those who say that the complaints about the list must have come from the girl ranked lowest! </p>
<p>I would hate, really hate, to live with a mind like that.</p>
<p>Certainly not, inparent. Why would you think that? Was my post 8 that unclear? I have trouble defining a one time tease as bullying(my example, post 8). I had hoped that was clear.
Repeated teasing can certainly be bullying. As JHS has pointed out, more careful review of this exact occurrance shows it isn’t a one time thing.
Picture a high-schooler bowling with friends. One steps on the foul line. His buddy says: “Stumbelina!” Shall we have that kid arrested? A one-time tease is not bullying. Repeated, and unwanted it sure can be.
Some here might defend the boy had a right of free speech, but that his speech was rude. If that occurred, starbright tells us they’d be a jerk. Should starbright be arrested for the insult then? Inparent might think so, if inparent calls that bullying, but I’d disagree. Hope this clears up what I see as a difference between systematic verbal put-downs and a one-time tease.</p>