Reflection Over Reflection

Relation to the ASTI Constitution


Within the ASTI Constitution, a set of guidelines that the student body to overwhelm the bullying on campus, we have made rules we have yet to follow.We have become accustom to the joy and pride of being able to put someone else down. This can be completely illustrated by a quote from Max Rohde's Blog:

 The feeling of getting teased is pretty bad, though what I believe is worse, is making someone else feel bad. To actually say something that hurts someone else, even if playful, is cruel and demeaning. The way our society is modeled into making fun of our friends(playful or not) is irresponsible, and quite frankly, wrong.

Whether an insult is just playful, or intentional, they will always hurt. Yet most have given up and just decided to play along. And when the time came to write up the ASTI constitution, the majority didn't want to give up the joking insults that were tossed around day after day. The student body wasn't dedicated to the constitution. With the guidelines just made to impress the staff, the students simply thought of it as a homework assignment rather than a set of rules.

Without the right attitude when constitution was made, it cannot be seen as an accurate view of the students, whether a view the students wanted the staff to percieve. So it only acts as a smokescreen where teachers beleive we are angels while behind the scenes, bullies can uninterruptedly insult others; to a point where the insults have no longer become stunning to hear and are mere thrown back at the bully, making everyone a bully. The constitution, with all intentions, was originally made to prevent what it has created, a society of tossing insults and accepted bullies.

Who's your daddy

As I waltzed off to lunch today with my regular group, I was shocked at the attitude of some of our fellow ASTians. A war of insults went back and forth between John and Keiland, occassionally from Pedro, and it was as if they only knew one word: son.

Using their artsy skills, they slid the joke into far more than just son. Ranging from, "Sorry, but your going to bed at 7:00 tonight, son" to, " I'll get a number five, and a happy meal for my son here", the insults were endless. And these jokes didn't just happen, today, they happen everyday.

They're completely disrespecting each other, and more importantly, they're disrespecting ME. Isn't that right my sons?

This burn was in dedication to

John Hamilton, Keiland, and Pedro (A.K.A. my sons)

‘Just kidding’ and ‘Ganging Up’ from Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simons

Rachel Simons writes about how building alliances not only bring you up, but also tear you down. To her, this method of supporting oneself, or “ganging up”, remains effective only when conflict is outside the group. But when it hits the internal atmosphere of the alliance, people will separate from one another, and the relationship will be lost. Ganging up is only temporary and when problem strikes within it, the alliance is gone.
    During my earlier years as an obnoxious elementary student, I strived to make an appeal to as many people as possible, whether they are different in terms of age, thought, or sex. This was partly due to my personality, but mostly from my father’s horror stories where if you didn’t fit in, you would be left behind.
    But as I strived to make so many friends, I lost a chance to allow the relationships to grow between me and my peers. And by the time I learned that a friendship is more than just fitting in but growing together as well. As a result, when Junior High hit my generation, I was tossed aside for better and more interesting friends. I felt the very pain I strived so hard to run away from. A newly realized outcast, I became the target of insults and bullying alike.
    Feeling rejected, I looked for friendship among the mentally ill, the obese, and the weak; people just like me, except with a legitimate reason for being an outcast. Yet surprisingly, these are some of the most interesting people you will find. Their lifestyles gave them a reason to be generous and caring to others. They were zealous in every shape and form. And though at first I tried to convince myself I wasn’t one of them, when I looked into myself, I discovered no reason why not. And at that, I wondered, why is it that the loners, the outcast, and the ‘picked on’ were the nicest?
    In our society, the arrogant and ignorant have become the desired – the goal. Those who are genuinely nice and interesting have become the weak. They have become the target of insults and bullying because they are too genuine and too nice to fight back in any way. And when it comes time to pick a side, most people choose the confident, funny, bully, instead of the student who is too nice to even say anything back. This is our society; where only the liars, cheaters, and bullies survive.
    This pattern continues to this very day. But no one stops it, and no one ever tries. Who would? So why would anyone sacrifice their status to protect the outcast? Since anyone who even thinks of doing so, is already one of them.