The Bullying of Phoebe Prince Case

[Coito ergo sum]

In what appears to be a terrible story out of Massachusetts, a bunch of high school teenagers are being charged with relentless bullying, including statutory rape, stalking, criminal harassment, and other such things.

It sounds horrible - it sounds like this poor girl from Ireland got a less than warm welcome in the US, and was stalked and harassed, among other things, for months and finally killed herself. I haven't seen any specifics on what the kids did to this poor girl, but I'm assuming its horrendous. Some sex was involved, due to the statutory rape charge - I'm not sure how that works since Prince was 15 and the defendants were 17 (maybe one was 18).

Anyone have any details? Anyone know the status of this? What are your thoughts?

[Valden]

A 15-year-old girl named Phoebe Prince killed herself on Jan. 14 after what authorities in Northampton, Mass., describe as months of bullying, stalking and harassment. Now, prosecutors say that nine teens have been indicted in connection with the suicide. No charges for the school officials, though they were aware that Prince was being harassed, the AP says. If you feel the charges are overkill, then you need to read this piece from the Boston Globe about the case, written a few days after Prince died:

Read more: http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene ... z0jbQ7XzGP

Disgusting.

[tattuchu]

It happened in Hadley, only a short distance away from me. I don't know the specifics. Not sure if the details were ever released. But the whole thing seems really strange to me because I live in very liberal and tolerant college town area. I wouldn't think this sort of thing would happen here. Also, I'm not sure if the bullying had anything to do with her being Irish. If it did, then that's also puzzling to me. There's no prejudice against the Irish here. Maybe a hundred years ago there was, but not anymore. In fact, anyone from the U.K. is automatically considered kinda cool. At least I think they are. Maybe I'm just projecting...

[Toontown]

Socialite punks suck big time. Undeveloped assholes who typically mature into developed assholes.

But gangster punks probably suck worse. Hopefully the 21st century has something for all their primitive hypothalamus-driven punk asses.

[Trolldor]

American Culture at it's highest.

The main problem with America's highschools is how segregated they are, and the administration is too much of a pussy to put the boot down because parents are too fucking stupid to realise that they shouldn't sue a school for forcing their child not to be a dick.

[charlou]

School culture too often resembles Lord of the Flies. The system of formal education itself and its environs nurtures dog eat dog competitiveness, with superficial character evaluation and oppressive stigmatisation, degrading the humanity within. I hate seeing so many kids destroyed by it.

[Coito ergo sum]

Some specifics:

Phoebe, ostracized for having a brief relationship with a popular boy, reached her breaking point and hanged herself after one particularly hellish day in January — a day that, according to officials, included being hounded with slurs and pelted with a beverage container as she walked home from school.

the events before Phoebe’s death on Jan. 14 were “the culmination of a nearly three-month campaign of verbally assaultive behavior and threats of physical harm” widely known among the student body.

School officials won’t be charged, even though authorities say they knew about the bullying and that Phoebe’s mother brought her concerns to at least two of them.

Damn - I think that if my 15 year old daughter came home with stories of being assaulted, pelted with beverage containers, and hounded with slurs, I'd find out who it was and show up at their house personally, with a bat. Either the punks' parents would take care of it, or I would.

Fucking scum.

[Bruce Burleson]

School culture too often resembles Lord of the Flies. The system of formal education itself and its environs nurtures dog eat dog competitiveness, with superficial character evaluation and oppressive stigmatisation, degrading the humanity within. I hate seeing so many kids destroyed by it.

Correct. But if I am this girl's father, she would have been pulled out of this school at the first sign of this level of bullying. Everyone failed her.

[charlou]

School culture too often resembles Lord of the Flies. The system of formal education itself and its environs nurtures dog eat dog competitiveness, with superficial character evaluation and oppressive stigmatisation, degrading the humanity within. I hate seeing so many kids destroyed by it.

Correct. But if I am this girl's father, she would have been pulled out of this school at the first sign of this level of bullying. Everyone failed her.

Same, and yes.

[FBM]

I think I would have identified the bullies' parents and given them a 'social visit', including a Louisville Slugger.

[Trolldor]

School culture too often resembles Lord of the Flies. The system of formal education itself and its environs nurtures dog eat dog competitiveness, with superficial character evaluation and oppressive stigmatisation, degrading the humanity within. I hate seeing so many kids destroyed by it.

One of the things we're addressing as the 'transitory' gen of student teachers (Course programmed for the HSC syllabus which won't be in effect when we graduate, so we're doing 'unprogrammed' courses) is the way schools are built around the principle of exam results. Get a high mark and then move on. You're not our problem anymore.

[Animavore]

Bastards. Just 'cause she was foreign and alone.

[tattuchu]

Bastards. Just 'cause she was foreign and alone.

And she had the nerve to date a popular boy. I guess that's what set the others off.

Phoebe's mother complained to the school several times about the bullying. Nothing was done. And yet no charges are being brought against the administrators, who are complicit in the crimes

Poor girl. It's too bad he felt so helpless, and that there was no other recourse but to kill herself. I woulda been her friend And I don't mean that in any way improper. It's just...I'm sure there are so many people, myself included, who could have cared for her, who would have valued her life.

In interviews with local high schoolers, the kids expressed some confusion as to why charges were being pressed against the bulliers. It's not they didn't think what was done wasn't wrong. It's more that (according to them) this sort of thing goes on all the time, every day, and so is not anything out of the ordinary or in any way unusual. This is kind of scary.
Just how prevalent is bullying in schools these days, I wonder? When I was kid, it wasn't that bad. Sure, you always had an asshole or douchebag here or there. I was bullied by one boy, for instance. But I wasn't aware of any other bully in the entire school. Just the one. It wasn't like there was this relentless onslaught of bullying or anything.

[Trolldor]

It's not 'common' in the way that there's a lot of people who suffer it, but that there's always one person cops it badly. It's a make-or-break sort of situation. Family, in these situations, don't count as support. In the mindset of a victim, family cares for you out of obligation. Without friends you really are alone, and when the only emotion you experience from people is hate...

[rab]

And she had the nerve to date a popular boy. I guess that's what set the others off.

Phoebe's mother complained to the school several times about the bullying. Nothing was done. And yet no charges are being brought against the administrators, who are complicit in the crimes

Poor girl. It's too bad he felt so helpless, and that there was no other recourse but to kill herself. I woulda been her friend And I don't mean that in any way improper. It's just...I'm sure there are so many people, myself included, who could have cared for her, who would have valued her life.

In interviews with local high schoolers, the kids expressed some confusion as to why charges were being pressed against the bulliers. It's not they didn't think what was done wasn't wrong. It's more that (according to them) this sort of thing goes on all the time, every day, and so is not anything out of the ordinary or in any way unusual. This is kind of scary.
Just how prevalent is bullying in schools these days, I wonder? When I was kid, it wasn't that bad. Sure, you always had an asshole or douchebag here or there. I was bullied by one boy, for instance. But I wasn't aware of any other bully in the entire school. Just the one. It wasn't like there was this relentless onslaught of bullying or anything.

The other assholes were jealous of her. I was the victim of bullying by 3 girls, all sisters from a poor white trash family and my parents had a nice house and my dad was just retired from the navy. And like Phoebe, I was new in town and those bitches wanted to show me who was boss. I was in 6th grade and the youngest sister was a Freshman. The problem started on the school bus and just escalated until my sister, who was a senior in high school, started kicking the shit out of her after she pulled my hair and pushed me down when I was getting off the bus at school. The pussy bus driver had not choice but to kick them, and us, off the bus after months of ignoring the bullying.

Yes, I've been there and seen this type of behavior. These girls parents were assholes just like them and I have no doubt that these kids have assholes for parents too. At the very least, they arent' aware of what punks their kids are. And the staff at the school are cowardly pussies and that is why the kids didn't think the bullying was any big deal.

End of rant. This story really got to me.