Kids. We all know that kids can be mean, malicious even with their teasing and bullying like behaviour.
In our day school yard bullying existed but it was kind of looked at it as a somewhat normal trial of childhood that most of us had to endure, something that made us stronger and more resilient as we came out the other side.
But not today.
Schoolyard bullying has reached such shocking level that now kids are being scarred for life or even worse, taking their own lives due to the incessant torment of moronic, out of control children who have no moral compass.
Today’s news that a young child who suffers slight autism has lost both hands after a homemade explosive device was thrown at him just makes me ill.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale this morning said the boy had spoken for the first time since the incident.
He has just come out surgery and he has related he was sitting around the table with a few boys and some young boy … who has always been a bully to him has thrown some sort of golf ball explosive device at him and it has exploded.
All I’m saying is this person needs to have some consequences for his actions because what he has done has sort of destroyed a young 15-year-old boy’s life.
So this doesn’t sound like a random accident, this sounds like a premeditated effort. It comes as no surprise that the alleged offender has form.
Mr Clifton said he was told people in the community knew about the homemade bomb earlier in the day.
“I’d just like to see justice done,” he said. “If he has done wrong punish him (the boy who allegedly threw the device).
“He has been in trouble with the law heaps of times before and they just don’t punish these kids.”
Not only should this “child” be punished, he should be punished as an adult would. Anyone with half a brain knows how dangerous explosives are and what the ramifications of throwing it at someone would be.
Not only should the child have the book thrown at him, so too should his parents. Just who are these people?
Next we will hear that there is some mitgating reason behind this foul persons behaviour, which is just rubbish that enables and excuses young people from their actions.
Regardless of who, what, where and when, these people should be held fully accountable for ruining a young man’s life.
One that was already difficult enough due to his autism but made infinitely more difficult because of one child’s anti-social behaviour and his parents obvious lack of moral guidance
Dacka's Razor 
I feel that a lot of this comes down to a lack of respect. An increasingly individualistic and egoistic culture and collective psyche has created a lack of respect for authority figures, as well as for the feelings and rights of others. I have experienced this first hand, and its so unfortunate the damage that a selfish few can do to many.
A truly sickening attack.
Personally, my recollection of bullying is that yes, it definitely used to happen … mostly and frequently to me (due to my physical appearance, it made me the butt of much schoolkid ridicule). There were ramifications – teachers got to know who the bullies were, and those individuals built up histories of canings and detentions. I was lucky and learned quickly, so one or two episodes taught me all I needed to know. The bullies, once caught out, were usually persuaded to change their behaviour or at least resist the urges.
In other words, everyone knew it was wrong to bully because it was demonstrated transparently to all, and there were real consequences to take into consideration, even if not necessarily immediately but eventually.
I speculate that one problem now is that the age-old notion of crime-and-punishment has been removed from the education system. No-one is seriously punished for wrong-doing. Therefore no examples are held up to the other students to clearly demonstrate the boundaries of right and wrong, and why they should not be crossed. So those boundaries just keep getting pushed.
OK, so crime and punishment might seem a little primitive (though I think this is an overly negative stereotype – it absolutely does not have to be primitive to be effective). So what exactly is the alternative. Well, lets look at the current alternative. Bullies are effectively protected from the ‘primitive’ ways of old (i.e. not punished) so they inflict more bullying … to the point as Dacka describes “Schoolyard bullying has reached such shocking level that now kids are being scarred for life or even worse, taking their own lives”.
So are the old ways primitive or the new? I contend the new ways are turning out more primitive. The unintended side effects are the torment borne by the bullied. Yet another situation where seeming nice has become more important than actually doing good.