On Oct.2 a very close friend of my youngest daughter put a gun to his head and ended his painful life.This young man was only 26 years old and was constantly the target of bullies in and out of school.My daughter befriended him in school as she saw the beautiful person that was inside this tormented young man.He often came to our home with her and although very shy and introverted was exceptionally intelligent-ironically another reason for the bullying as he was labled a nerd.Strangely enough his twin brother was quite the opposite-always surrounded by friends and very outgoing and gregarious.This young fellow had emotional problems as he was bipolar and had talked of and even attempted suicide before and on Saturday all his inner pain culminated in him taking his own life. My daughter is devastated as she is 1,200 miles away and hadn't been in contact with him for some time.I'm writing this to impress upon people that there are many young people these days leading tortured lives that exacerbated by cruel and thoughtless bullying and if someone expresses to you a desire to commit suicide take it very seriously as this is the way they first cry out for help.If someone brings up the subject of suicide with you please do everything in your power to get them to the professional help they need-you may be saving their life.

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Thanks Guitslinger for bringing up this subject. I restrain myself for talking more than twice a year about blood donations because I know that most people don't see the link with a music forum, and in fact, they deserve to have a place free from these stories. I wouldn't hang around very long myself if the forum was a constant mix of horor stories and music. But the truth is that sometimes, life catch up with us and a friend, a family member, a coworker and even a long time Pet friend can go through harsh times and if it is possible for us to do something to help, then why not? Posts like this one are just a reminder for everyone to act before it is too late. Don't make the mistake to think that the relatives and close family members of a person who suffer will handle the situation, because sometimes, when they see it , it is too late. Anyone can help. In fact the very person that is living on a volcanoe right now is often ourself and we are the first to deny it. Take care of yourself guys and do the right thing.
Claude.

Unfortunately it does not stop at bullying. Apparently it is uncool to have manners and to use common courtesy these days.

I do not confess to know what is wrong with humanity, but I do know it needs to be fixed.

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

As a middle-school teacher (6th graders) I unfortunately have to deal with it on a weekly basis. We have a zero-tolerance for bullying in my school and the rest of the county(Broward, the 5th largest system in the country with approx 260,000 students). Any sign of it and the students end up in the assistant principal's office for a talk; the guidance counselor is also there. The students doing the bullying do stretches of internal suspension and worse. Their parents are notified immediately.

We also do diversity training (one of the main causes of bullying is racially motivated).

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I have strong feelings about this subject, and certain laws make the problem worse. Young kids who constantly bully others should get detention/suspension, and older teens in high school should be expelled. BUT, the law says that taxpayers must then pay for "special" schools for the bullies and juvenile delinquents. These laws also protect the bullies by calling them "special needs" students instead of the criminals that they are. School administrators do nothing because they are afraid of lawsuits from parents of bullies.

I say toss the bullies out on the street, or in prison if the crimes are serious enough to warrant it. I'm sick of society protecting and catering to those who refuse to follow the rules of society!

i am a constant victim of bullying at my school cause of my past

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riley

+1!

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Sorry to hear about your loss Guitslinger. Unfortunately there are people out there that like to insult other people or harass them to make themselves feel better. I've never understood it myself.

Bullies are actually cowards, Kids. It's a fact. They bully others because they are insecure, themselves.

I was never really bullied, but I did have bouts of depression. Music was always my out, when I was a kid. I think it was Steve Vai that said, the best thing about playing guitar is being able to loose yourself in playing, or something like that. It's an escape from all your worries.

I usually avoid commenting on off topic issues like this but like others have said bullying can illicit a strong response.

A relative of my partner suffers from aspergers and up till the point he grew big and strong he suffered from the jerks who thought it cool to harrass him.

Part of the problem is the PC brigade making it hard for those in schools to crack down, the present gang in government have proposed a change in the law to give teachers etc more leeway. Not before time.

Sad for your loss guitslinger.

I'm' sorry to hear this, but I agree that it's becoming a very widespread problem. Not just the physical aspect of it, but also cyber-bullying. It seems that every week I'm hearing of another case of some type of bullying and at first I thought it was just more heavily media coverage, but your post and current events now make me believe that it's our society and the social networking, along with people of all ages that just don't care about their fellow human beings.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Bullying has become a huge issue and I don't think schools are doing enough to stop it. While I am sure some are better than others, most don't actually enforce the zero tolerance policies that are on the books. We have had to hold more than one school principle's feet to the fire to get them to act...

My daughter is 14 now and in high school but she endured more than her share of teasing and bullying because of her ADHD/Aspergers. Fortunately she has a few really good friends that have been with her for years. So far she has just shrugged it off although I know it affects her deeply.

Fortunately she in high school now where momma bear works as the school receptionist. Trust me no one messes with momma bears cubs and gets away without claw marks

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Bob

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Make that +2!!



Jim

I'm very sorry to hear this tragic story guitslinger, one that we hear all too often.
Bullying or victimisation is something most of us go through at some stage in our lives. I can recall my younger days have some bad memories for me. Victimisation is nasty and has to be addressed without delay.
Nobody should allow themselves to suffer.

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Thats truly awful guitslinger.

I take my hat off to you for bringing this to the forum. Well done mate. Awareness is everything.

CC

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Thats truly awful guitslinger.

I take my hat off to you for bringing this to the forum. Well done mate. Awareness is everything.

CC

_________________
Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5