thug busting 101 part 1

The Nanny State’s approach to preventing people from being bullied is a resounding failure. Bullies can run free without being held accountable and schools are held legally responsible. (Yes, schools are being sued because students are being bullied.)

Bullying usually starts at home. You only have to watch some of the kids’ sports to see how parents threaten and disrespect sports officials, like hockey games. These same parents bully their children if their children perform poorly. Children, in turn, take out their anger on children whom they may intimidate.

When I was in high school, I remember the school’s vice principal raving about a “good hockey fight” during high school hockey games. However, I was sent to the school office trying to defend myself against a bully in the classroom. Even then, the school was fine with fights occurring off school grounds. Then came a change in culture due to imported gangster mentality, low morale and narcissistic attitudes where swarming and open use of guns and drugs was acceptable.

The mass murderer school shooter is NOT a bullied kid (or a goth). In the Columbine shooting, the leader, Eric Harris, came from an upper-class family, with a retired major for a father. Harris planned to kill people a year before the attack.

Often, it is the bullies themselves who want to intensify their display of power. Thug shooters will tend not to shoot other thugs.

Single-parent families are the norm today with a lack of parental or authority figures in many children’s lives. Certain codes of conduct have fallen by the wayside with teachers, religious leaders, politicians, and even some law enforcement. So where do young people turn for protection if their parents are tired from work or too involved in their own activities? Or teachers who are busy with their own weird agendas (for example, cross-dressing workshops).

“Zero tolerance” for violence in schools only gives bullies more freedom. Good students play by the rules, while bullies have a good day. I know of a martial artist whose teenage son was beaten up by a school bully in the school hallway. Rather than fight back, the teen obeyed the school’s rules to put your hands behind your back and walk away. The bully was allowed to walk around and hit other students without fear of being held accountable.

Pink Shirt Day is another futile attempt to control the problem. Public figures like to make a big production by giving speeches and flashing a pink t-shirt to show their support. When, it doesn’t solve the problem.

Self-protection begins with the individual. They need to love, respect and believe in themselves. Physical conditioning and self-advocacy are a good start, as they give the individual the confidence to do other things instead of being afraid most of the time.

Fortunately, it’s a simple process and worth every minute.

To begin with, you have to decide to train, eat and sleep differently. For the next two months, you should treat yourself like an athlete. See the second part to find out how to do this.