It's gonna cost you

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

This is not the image I wanted to post. The one I want, which I am not posting, contains a far stronger F word than forget. You get the idea now.

Today's topic is brought to you by the My Little Pony crew and Grayson Bruce.

Opinion on Mr. Bruce and his choice of luggage is pretty much divided into three camps.

1) You da Man (aka Bronie). They have a movie now. This is the biggest group.

Bronie. Note lack of girlfriend and sentiments in this column.

2) Yer a total wuss. (Smallest group)

3) Do your thang, but understand the world is not a forgiving place, it ain't fair and some people are just looking for people like you to abuse.

I am firmly ensconced in this third camp.

I firmly support Mr. Bruce and his decision (group 1). He's not the same kind of rebel I am, but he's a rebel (group 3).

He's standing out from the crowd, being his own person and trying to send a message that yes, we all can get along. As I understand it, the My Little Ponies show is strong on friendship et al. I've never watched it and don't plan to, but I do not criticize it.

Some of the Camp 3 crowd are faulting Mr. Bruce's parents for not preparing him for the backlash that he's apparently encountered at school. Maybe his parents did brief him, maybe they did not. If they did, more power to 'em as parents. Support your child! If they did not tell him what to expect, then they made a parenting mistake. All parents make mistakes. All. Parents. Let ye who is without sin cast the first stone.

Mr. Bruce now knows the world is not as accepting as he wishes. I hope this does not dampen his ardor to continue to go his own way and invite others to tag along.

In case you were wondering, the world is under no obligation to be fair. The world is under no obligation to provide justice. See group 2. The world operates under modified Darwinian rules. Modified, because things like charity, apathy, compassion, compersion, hate and love exist.

Some people in groups 1 and 3 say the school should do more to stop the bullying Mr. Bruce is experiencing. This assumes the school has not taken steps to stop it. It further assumes the school hasn't done all it can.

If you are in those categories, i.e. the school should do more, I'm going to step into group 2 for a moment. I must repeat something:

In case you were wondering, the world is under no obligation to be fair. The world is under no obligation to provide justice. The world operates under modified Darwinian rules. Modified, because things like charity, apathy, compassion, compersion, hate and love exist. However, you are still going to get clobbered and sooner or later, no one will be there to help you get back up.


Bullying is going to happen. Teachers cannot be the NSA, or Big Brother if you prefer, and put school kids under constant immediate and continual surveillance while the kids are in school. Nor should they.

Yes, we should teach kids bullying is wrong. Modification: Parents should be doing this, school teachers to a lesser extent. However for some parents bullying is way of life and they see nothing wrong with it. For that matter, some teachers are bullies.

It ain't fair. It's called life. Kids need to learn to cope with life. Completely removing all bullying from school, removing all the negative stuff, means kids leave school ready to be annihilated by the real world.

In other words, do not stop all the bullying. It hurts kids down the road when they have to encounter it in the workplace and the real world.

Getting picked on happens. 

So, we, that is parents, should be teaching our kids the world is gonna be mean. We should give them coping skills, self defense skills. Teachers need to back up these lessons.

Learn how to deal with the bad stuff. Get used to the idea that the cavalry is not just over the hill. The bomb expert is not going to clip the wire to stop the countdown with three seconds left. Roll up your sleeves, grab a shovel and start shifting manure.

For that matter, we need to teach kids things like charity, apathy, compassion, compersion, hate and love. Yes. We do.



"But teach 'em hate? Baker, you've lost your mind."

Pay attention. I said teach them hate. I did not say teach them to hate. Teach them hate. What is it? Why does it exist? What is it a symptom of? Can it be overcome? Is it necessary? How should it be dealt with? You get the idea.

That's me. Standing out and being happy. Really.

This is teaching is nothing more that a proper education on how to be a human. Education is a constant and continual process. Every child can learn and every child should be taught.

So yeah, I'm also in group 2. Don't whine if the world doesn't live up to your rose-colored glasses view expectations. People are mean. I'm mean. You're mean. We're all mean. Even Jesus had a mean streak. Cope.

Reality is not going to reorder itself because you don't like it.

Put another way, if the truth hurts, yer living wrong.

In case you're wondering, I'm also a part of group 1, except I know next to nothing about My Little Pony. But I do know about other nerd things that make me and folks like me the subject of ridicule.

Chances are extremely good that you too have something in your life that caused you to be ridiculed, like Mr. Bruce. Betcha didn't think of that. Chances continue to be good that you too have ridiculed others. Why?

If the truth hurts, yer living wrong.

Like Mr. Bruce, you got stung, hammered, beat, etc. What did you do then? Some people got mean. Some people got their game face on and muled ahead.

Some people caved and became drones. Wuss. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. And I mean that sincerely.

Some peoplelike Mr. Bruce stepped up and tried to change things.

You may being saying "Alas old Sisyphus, we know ye well."

I ask again, what have done? What are doing? What are you gonna do? How about it? What are you going to do now?

As for me? You can push that great damned rock all you want to. Me and Pancho, we gotta ride. There's dragons over that hill.