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[blackmagechill]

Yes, the reasons usually don't make sense. If I asked someone WHY they called me gay,stupid, or an atheist they would usually just get quiet. Usually if you point out that it's looking pretty dumb for someone to pick on you for that reason, they stop. If they don't, then at that point you should just ignore them because they don't have a grasp on what logic is.

• We're talking about kids here. Kids do not respond to that as well as adults do, and adults don't respond well to it in the first place.
• Kids also don't exist in a vacuum. There's a social context to all of this that simply ignoring an individual won't solve, like being ostracized from the peer group as a whole.

Yes, we're talking about kids. If you haven't seen my age, I'm still considered pretty young for someone using the internet. If I could learn this, and I'm pretty thick with life/social lessons, then I'm pretty sure most kids could learn it. It's easy to avoid people, even in a class of 85 kids I can avoid entire groups of people that make fun of me, and, due to a scheduling quirk, I have had at least 2/3s of my classes with for the past three years. If you don't initiate or react, then they lose. It's the same concept as not "feeding the trolls".

[Darkmere]

Adults? Kids?

Take a second and skim this.

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-11/entertainment/avatar.movie.blues_1_pandora-depressed-posts?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ

People get suicidal over CGI puppy-eyed elves.

What state does that put the culture as a whole in -- bullying, politics, subcultures, whatever? Outcry is just an extension of existing social ills. The internet's a huge, public, accessible target for everyone because it's an unprecedented step away from cultural isolationism. And that's terrifying, because it's wholly unlike anything previous, so we have no frame of reference for coping with this. Bullying, depression, hostility, cultural dissonance, gender issues, the nature of social relationships, etc. are all cast into a different light in a new media format. And new media is evil.

The hype, paranoia, and fear will die down in a generation or two, and something else will be evil. Remember, the Catholic church used to despise forks. It just takes time for something worse to come along, and no one will care about the big mean internet anymore.

[G-Flex]

If I could learn this, and I'm pretty thick with life/social lessons, then I'm pretty sure most kids could learn it. It's easy to avoid people, even in a class of 85 kids I can avoid entire groups of people that make fun of me, and, due to a scheduling quirk, I have had at least 2/3s of my classes with for the past three years. If you don't initiate or react, then they lose. It's the same concept as not "feeding the trolls".

You're committing the mistake of allowing your own personal experiences to judge what others should do, experience, or are capable of. Things aren't as simple as "if I can do it, so should other people". Circumstances and personal inclinations aren't the same across the board, and I'm willing to bet even your own circumstances are more complex than you're implying.

Also, when I say "kids", I mean younger kids as well.

In the cases it just is a online bully, the block button helps. If it's not, then that comes under bullying, and we already have people doing things against bullying. I don't think any school at this point has a policy not against bullying.

First off, even someone you only know online might know other people you know online, and belong to the same groups, which still can pose a problem. Secondly, a lot of manipulative, dickish things can be done in such a way as to abuse someone in a manner that discourages them from ignoring you or cutting you out from their life (I'm not going into details, but pretty much the entire concept of an abusive relationship revolves around this, and kids/early teens are VERY susceptible to that kind of manipulation).

Also, existing policies and techniques against bullying don't necessarily apply to the online world very well. Even if a school has a "no-bullying" policy, the new context/medium poses unique threats and benefits that need to be considered.

People commit suicide over tonnes of different things, and some deaths are practically suicide. It's not just cyberbullying that's a problem, I mean tonnes of kids get submitted to hospital under anorexia, drinking, wrist slitting. This problem is rather minor and something that can be stamped out online for a while, but the real life counterpart is much harder to handle.

There is no distinction between "online" and "real life". Sorry, but that's a lie.

Adults? Kids?

Take a second and skim this.

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-11/entertainment/avatar.movie.blues_1_pandora-depressed-posts?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ

People get suicidal over CGI puppy-eyed elves.

A single mid-sized webforum of nutjobs does not imply a greater social problem at work. No matter what strange niche group or psychological delusion/problem you think of, you'll be able to find some group of them on the Internet, no matter how poorly they represent society as a whole or how much of a minority they are.

[EmperorNuthulu]

A single mid-sized webforum of nutjobs does not imply a greater social problem at work. No matter what strange niche group or psychological delusion/problem you think of, you'll be able to find some group of them on the Internet, no matter how poorly they represent society as a whole or how much of a minority they are.

 What like how it's actually only a small "group" of people who commit suicide over cyberbullying. It's not armies of children jumping off bridges, it's a small group of people.

There is no distinction between "online" and "real life". Sorry, but that's a lie.

 Online, If I insult someone I can basically do it with minimal retaliation. If I do it in real life, they can punch me in the face. Online, if I pirate something, there's not a huge chance of being caught and arrested. In real life, If I go into a store and take something, I get arrested. There's a serious distinction.

[Bohandas]

Adults? Kids?

Take a second and skim this.

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-11/entertainment/avatar.movie.blues_1_pandora-depressed-posts?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ

People get suicidal over CGI puppy-eyed elves.

To be fair, Avatar was a thinly veiled metaphor for Real-life atrocities.

[Scaraban]

Adults? Kids?
Take a second and skim this.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-11/entertainment/avatar.movie.blues_1_pandora-depressed-posts?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ
People get suicidal over CGI puppy-eyed elves.

To be fair, Avatar was a thinly veiled metaphor for Real-life atrocities.

What is "Avatar"? All I remember seeing that was anything like this was that "Dances with Wolves" remake that came out- WAIT

[blackmagechill]

I'd like to lock this before it gets really bad, but people would get angry, so someone should really shift the debate towards piracy, or something.

[EmperorNuthulu]

I think raiding ships for booty and treasure in this day and age is no longer a viable criminal tactic. Yes it was useful back in its day, but the only people who have moderate success are somalian pirates.

[G-Flex]

What like how it's actually only a small "group" of people who commit suicide over cyberbullying. It's not armies of children jumping off bridges, it's a small group of people.

Okay, fair enough, but bigotry and marginalization against (in this case) homosexual kids is a serious problem that shouldn't be taken lightly and isn't easy for the kids themselves to just grow thicker skin against, especially in areas of the country where it still basically alienates you from society-at-large.

Online, If I insult someone I can basically do it with minimal retaliation. If I do it in real life, they can punch me in the face.

Punching people in the face is not the only form of retaliation, especially if it's someone you actually know and not just a stranger: Socially speaking, there can still be something at stake. Also, I'm willing to bet that the majority of problematic bullying done online is by people they know locally.

I'd like to lock this before it gets really bad, but people would get angry, so someone should really shift the debate towards piracy, or something.

Eh, this forum has had that debate many times, and recently. Not much to be gained by repeating it.

[EmperorNuthulu]

Alright, I agree with you on the first part, the whole anti homosexuality thing is a serious problem. And that bullying online is mostly local people. Actually I think I agree with you on all points... huh I think the debates over anyways unless someone else wants to call something up.. 

[G-Flex]

I could always start disagreeing with myself, then we'll reach a singularity of G-Flex pedantry and the thread will collapse on itself, never to be seen again.

[Bdthemag]

Cyber-bullying is pretty serious, its not like being trolled on the internet. Alot of people have commited suicide over constant cyber-bullying added in with real life bullying.

[blackmagechill]

I always tell people who make fun of me to get creative- I'm secure with my sexuality, and just because you aren't doesn't mean you have to push it on me. The weakest part of someone is their ego.

[EmperorNuthulu]

I am one of those few people who have somehow landed in a school without Large cliques of horrible people. It's pretty sweet.

[Bohandas]

What like how it's actually only a small "group" of people who commit suicide over cyberbullying. It's not armies of children jumping off bridges, it's a small group of people.

Okay, fair enough, but bigotry and marginalization against (in this case) homosexual kids is a serious problem that shouldn't be taken lightly and isn't easy for the kids themselves to just grow thicker skin against, especially in areas of the country where it still basically alienates you from society-at-large.

That is true, but what may be easier to learn is that society-at-large is obsolete. The web is its replacement. Local prejudices will no longer affect them if they break their addiction to geographically local friends.