Nancy by Olivia Jaimes for August 23, 2013

Happy Friday, Everybody!….

I remember when bullying meant physical assault and battery, not controlling people’s thoughts and speech.

I remember school days, they were awful. Public school is not to send kids to if you love them. I had to fight everyday it seems, and I was the one blamed for it. Got suspended 6 times in one year. NO one looked into the problem. And I was a quiet one. I dropped out in 10th grade because they were going to cut my face. I got a job and sent myself to private school to do my high school. Thank God I did. I did go on to college, more than my bullies did.

There will always be bullies. But there should be more intervention. The adults, the ones that administer the schools should find out exactly what is going on and put a stop to it.

it’ll never happen, nancy. there will allways be bullying, it’s much easier to do than being nice to someone.

Dream on!

I was bullied too. For a few years. It didn’t stop on its own, nor because the teachers stepped in, nor because of sensitivity training or consciousness raising. It was always my job to deal with them, and I learned how and that was that. I was suspended only once, as was the kid who hit me in front of a teacher and ran (I caught him before he could get away, which was my offense according to school rules).

Since then I’ve lived in neighborhoods that became gang-infested, and neither I nor even my elderly, disabled mother who was living with me ever had more than a brief annoyance from one houseful across the street; they got evicted and peace was restored. As for the actual gangs, they just plain left us alone.

Kids who learn for themselves how to overcome bullying develop a confidence that is far more effective than bestowed self-esteem or choruses of Kumbaya.

Looks like only Canada is Bully-free…

The problem that most of you never had to face is that most of the bullying is online these days. Explain what happens when a girl is held down in the locker room, pictures are taken of her and spread all over the internet, which leads to non-stop harassment not only at her school but from neighboring schools. Not only was she forced into this situation, but she can’t escape it. She wants only to go to school and be a student, but with all of the harassment, she can’t. She’s also afraid that this will impact her future as this picture is permanently online with her name attached to it. So what is she supposed to do? Beat them all up? Absurd.I could go on and on about people who are harassed to the point where they can’t escape it, and fighting everyone isn’t going to solve it. There needs to be a different answer than what worked when we all were kids. The anonymity of the Internet has changed the game.In my opinion, the problem is teaching people to treat others with respect. If these bullies were raised right, then this wouldn’t have happened. Sadly, people aren’t raised to be respectful and considerate anymore (well, there are plenty of adults who aren’t respectful either, so maybe it’s not such a recent problem). I hope people band together and stand up to bullies and stop encouraging them by participating in the harassment.

What a nice cartoon for the start of the school year

Mr. Gilchrist, I’ve enjoyed all your comics (whatever happened to Mudpie?), and I know you’re a die hard Christian (like me), but what on earth made you think that this comic would make the slightest bit of a difference? Have you see this tactic actually work? What has been YOUR experience with bullies? Or your family’s? What steps did all of you take to solve the problem? Which of them worked?

It won’t end as long as people continue to throw billions of dollars at musical “artists” who “sing” about rape, killing, and humiliation.

I had two experiences of bullying. The first one wanted to take me to the bathroom to settle a score, and I told him if front of others, that he was the one full of $hit, so I didn’t need to go. The second one, I invited to stay after school and I would have a go at it with him. He declined and all was peaceful after that.

What happened to the black kid in the last frame….. he was forgotten. NOT COOL……..

Bullying sucks and the anti-bullying polices in most schools are in-effective. Thanks Mr. Gilchrist for making this strip as a reminder to just respect and be nice to one another.

Homer, who you are referring to, plus Maria, who is Hispanic, plus Jackie, who is Asian, who are all Nancy’s friends……along with every single child in the entire world who is any race, and color…..are in the last panel in the background and all colored light purple. We are always cool.

Unfortunately, that will never happen. Best thing to do is learn self defense and learn how to fight. Kitty cat and here, kitty, kitty used to bother me in grade school until my parents enrolled me in a self defense class. Bullies seem to get away with bullying in school without getting into trouble. When the victim fights back, the victim gets into trouble. When the bully gets beaten, the other bullies hear about it and then start leaving you alone. Tell the principal that unless the bully is punished, you will not be punished.

@The J.A.M. If you read @blunebottle comment (and mine), you’ll see we ARE opposed to physical bullying (aka the crime of assault and battery). However, there’s nothing wrong with children disrespecting each other or not being nice to each other. Children, like adults, have the right to free speech. Children, like adults, have the right to disagree with each other. Children, like adults, do NOT have the right to assault and batter each other. Disrespect: OK, not liking: OK. Hitting: NOT OK.

Bully’s are by nature cowards. Stand up to them and they cave. Sometimes it takes a punch to the snoot, but better that than being a sheep.

@BillWa Names DO hurt, but, unlike with physical bullying, we have the power to ignore them. That’s why we have free speech, but not freedom to hit others.

Well I’m not studing anymore because I’m working but my little brother does and it feels good that he isn’t bullied.

The worst of bulling these days is that it not ends in the school but usually going on the internet.