Bullying first and then Stupid Rules

As I read today's paper, I thought I might just rant a little about some of the news it contained.  I find some of the things people and organizations do so insane.  Here are two more of my targets tonight . . .

Bullying

Another young teenager takes his own life because other kids were bullying him.  That's criminal.  The 15 year old was tormented by others for being gay.  In other societies, people get stoned or otherwise killed openly for such activities.  Here it seems we just shame them or get them to the point where they feel life is not worth living any more and they kill themselves.  Both approaches are just out and out wrong -- wickedly, immorally, and feloniously wrong.  Have I made that perfectly clear.  I say track these bullies down and make them never forget what they have done and force them to pay a heavy and memorable price (perhaps of service or loss of privileges) to society and/or the victim's family.  Maybe it's time we started forcing them to wear a scarlet letter "B" for bully on all their clothes, and if their victim ended up committing suicide, we need to add an "MA" to designate "murder abettor" to the B.

I still believe practicing homosexuality is wrong and moral sin against God.  You don't have to agree with me.  But you need to know that I believe no teenager, no adult, has the right to take a person's life because of that or to cause the person to take their own life because of the agony caused by the bully.  For me, the task is to love that kid and to show him/her that God loves them and so do I.  And instead of condoning his/her behavior, I honestly share with them that I distinguish them from their actions.  In short, I love the sinner, but condemn only the sin.  He/she doesn't have to accept it, but he/she should know beyond a shadow of a doubt by my words and actions, that I do indeed love him/her.

And as for the bullies, there is a sure way to cure them from their bad habits.  I remember being a young kid and a newcomer to Canada with a long funny and difficult-to-pronounce last name.  When the kids also heard my parents call me by my Greek first name, "cool-eee", that even made matters worse.  It was easy and great fun picking on me.   I remember one day I came crying all the way home after school, screaming because a considerably older boy was chasing me and kicking me -- right up our driveway.  Only to be met that day by my father as we rounded the corner of the house.  Dad went after him with the broom he was holding and gave him a few good hits (lightly) across the legs.  He then grabbed him and almost shook the living daylights out of him, giving him the sternest of warnings which included being dragged both to his parents home and to the police if this ever happened again.  It didn't.  And to boot (no pun intended), this young man became my protector at school.  Go figure.

Maybe there's a lesson here for the authorities as to how to deal with bullies.  But then again, back in 1953, there were no laws against disciplining a neighbor's kid.  The authorities (and most parents) saw it as "correcting a child" who otherwise would err as an adult.

Stupid Rules

Now, get this.  An 82 year old lady visiting her dying husband in a hospital, is leaving with her adult son to go home.  She falls and actually breaks her hip in the lobby of the hospital and there's blood all around.  And what is she told?  You guessed it (or did you?) -- "no one can help you until you call an ambulance".  Wow.  Stupidity plus.   Top marks for that.  Of course, the hospital said it was poor communication (and I'd add poor training) among staff who were still using old rules.  Really?   Don't get me going.  If you want the details, they're in the link below.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1071790--elderly-woman-breaks-hip-at-niagara-hospital-told-by-staff-to-call-ambulance

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