Archive for April, 2009

Boyfriend Bullies and Controls a Willing Victim

Monday, April 27th, 2009

Sometimes, even successful women give up their own identities and slowly accept boyfriends controlling their lives.  These women give up their independence and become willing victims.  A mild example was described by Dr. Irene S. Levine.  The bullying may start immediately, but usually there’s a step-by-step process of boundary pushing and giving in.  The bully’s [...]

Eric Harris, Dylan Klebolt, Columbine and Jackie Robinson

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

In the space of five days, we honor Jackie Robinson’s finally breaking into the major leagues by having every baseball player wear his number and we also memorialize Eric Harris and Dylan Klebolt’s massacre at Columbine High School ten years ago.  Looking at the similarities and differences between the three people is instructive. They each [...]

Whose Fault was the Columbine High School Massacre?

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Whose fault was the killings at Columbine High School?  And how can we help our children resist bullies, not become bullies themselves and thrive after horrible killings?

Teach Empathy in Middle School? Can we? Should We?

Friday, April 10th, 2009

A recent article in the New York Times illustrates attempts of one middle school of privileged kids in Scarsdale, New York, to teach empathy for those less privileged.  The less privileged included examples from great literature, of old, disabled and autistic people, and even of those students who didn’t get invited to last weekend’s social [...]

Sexting, Harassment, Bullying and Suicide: Is the Solution More Laws?

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

When the parents of teenage suicide Jessica Logan called for new laws to stop “sexting,” and said that the school was responsible for stopping their daughter and her ex-boy friend and the other bullies who continued harassing her, the focus of discussion shifted from sadness about her suicide to the question of what to regulate [...]