[Mpls] RE: Bullying

[Michael Atherton]

Chuck Holtman wrote:

> Schoolyard bullies are "World Wide Wrestling wanna-be's"?  
> How about kids just living a dream of becoming President one 
> day?
>   
> The fish rots from the head down.  Unfortunately, the head 
> has just been given another 4 years to spread its rot.
> 
> Bullying is not a personal failing of little boys.  Little 
> boys are the vessel through which our culture expresses itself.

I think that this is a misguided concept that permeates
political perspectives in Minneapolis.  Ethics is not
a top-down processes.  It fundamentally grounded in the
actions, behavior, and decisions of individuals.  Believing 
that if you just get the "right" candidate elected or the 
"right" party agenda implemented is a false god.  It leads 
to the conclusion that unethical behavior is acceptable if
executed in support of the right cause.  In a theoretical
sense, the only way that such an approach can work is if
one party dominates the political process and such an
outcome can only lead to injustice for those have been
disenfranchised.

The solution is to ingrain a fundamental respect for the
rights of others and a social requirement for action
in the defense of other individuals.  This is a bottom-up 
process that is the responsibility of all citizens, not only 
the responsibility of our leaders.  This plays out not only
in politics, but also on the playground.  Large evils are
perpetrated by small decisions made by individuals, not just
the actions of governments.

Bullying is both a personal failing of little boys and the 
failure of our culture to actively enforce the rights of those 
who are bullied.  

But if you what to know where to assign responsibility for
the failure of our culture to prevent such behavior look to 
those who have the most power to promote change.  This power 
lies with individual school principals (as someone on the List 
cited) and with district administrators who have the power to 
enforce and defend standards and policies.  And ultimately, 
the responsibility lies with the teacher on the playground
and the individual driving by the school yard and has to make 
a decision whether to take action to prevent injustice.

Michael Atherton
Prospect Park