Jump to content

Bullying incident - need advice


Recommended Posts

11 hours ago, sst3rd said:

He is "impowered" and he knows it. 

There it is.  Empowered.  Along with "bullying", the words "empowered" and "empowerment" are perhaps the most overused and annoying words used by social activist types over the past decade.

Edited by David CO
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 50
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

On the occasions when I've had to address these kinds of situations, I do my best to steer the conversation away from the semantics of whether or not the behavior should be labeled as "bullying" or "h

I agree. I think we should try to avoid labeling a behavior as "bullying". It is far better to identify the actual behavior.

One big challenge you may face is getting agreement on what bullying is.  Too often resolving situations like these is hard because of differing perspectives and opinions.  I'd work to build consensus

DavidCO,

The word "empowered" may be over used elsewhere, but it's the word I wanted to use in this response. The SPL knows that his circumstances currently makes him the boss. He likes it and isn't going to change. Sure, he will grow up and be able (hopefully) to control his "empowerment",  but in this situation, he knows he's in the "catbird's seat." 

Unless adult leaders figure it out and present a unified answer and solution to this conflict, the ASPL needs to find another troop.

EMPOWERED, EMPOWERED, EMPOWERED. Just what I wanted to say. Take a chill pill. They still make those don't they?

sst3rd

 

  • Downvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

In an attempt to redeem this discussion, @MarkBrownsky, I would suggest that your SM has two courses of action.

First, the bully could be asked to correct whatever he has been doing wrongly. It is often the case that SPLs don't get everything right from the start. They come in with blind spots to their un-scoutlike behavior. Training might help them see what they are missing, but the fact is that most scouts' flaws don't become apparent until they are put into a demanding position of responsibility. The SPL might be asked to apologize for whatever clique he's created that makes another scout feel excluded, and given a chance to work on being more of a friend to all.

Second, the bully could be suspended from the troop for a while. This recourse is necessary when the SM has tried to point out how the scout must change, but the scout has not responded positively. The suspension helps give the scout a chance to think if he really wants to live up to the Oath and Law. Also, it helps the troop determine if the problem is one scout, or if some character flaw in the other scouts (including the victim) is also at play.

None of this is official policy. It's just what I find to be intuitively the corrective actions available.

It's not entirely clear which course of action is appropriate in your context. Needless to say, we'd all like the first strategy to work all of the time, but we would not be having this discussion if that were the case.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...