Bullying is nothing new. It's been more than 30 years since Arnold undertook learning Kung Fu in an effort to defend himself against "The Gooch". The 90's were marked with Jenny Jones episodes of the bullied seeking to rub any and every ounce of "success" they've experienced since high school in the face of anyone who bullied them. Recently, a light was shone on bullying when video of Nadin Khoury being hung from a fence by a group of older, bigger misfits went viral. It is evident that the internal scars of bullying need a salve deeper reaching and longer lasting than a bag of frozen peas.
As the 2011-2012 school year began, I as a parent was inundated with updated bullying statutes. We were told by those in charge that these statutes were inspired by the suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers student who was secretly and illegally taped and having gay sex.
I think that labeling these discussions as bullying is a misnomer. While the bullying discussions cover topics like "mutual respect", there is also an onus on topics such as "dealing with same sex attraction." I see it as a direct affront to me as a parent. I am supposed to ensure that my children watch age appropriate television, listen to age appropriate music, read age appropriate books, but I have no say on them having an age appropriate discussion.
What adults do in the privacy of their own homes is not the business of my five year old regardless of sexual preference. I would not be accepting of the school discussing a heterosexual sex, attractions, positions, or fetishes with my children, so why should I feel any different about homosexual themed discussions.
What bothers me enough to write a blog about it is the misleading nature. These bullying discussions were structured with an agenda in mind. Some have been bothered by the epidemic of bullying. Others however have found it to be an opportunity to spread their own agenda.
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