Writer's Block: Back off!
May. 18th, 2010 12:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Last summer, I worked on the 1920s Midway at Fort Edmonton. One of the rides (the iconic one) is a Ferris Wheel from the 1940s (but it looks accurate to the 1920s). It goes pretty fast; it's got like room to seat 40 people on it, and you go around like once every ten seconds, maybe fifteen. It personally makes me nauseous, especially on hot days, but when there's a slight breeze, and it hits you just right? It's a fun ride.
One day, sometime in June, I saw a group of schoolkids get on the thing. I had to run to the carousel for a few minutes, but when I returned, they'd gotten off the ride. Nothing unusual... except they were all clustered around one person, jeering. I came up (I was heading in that direction anyway, and curiosity killed the cat and all that), and they were actually surrounding one kid. Everyone was probably like twelve or something, and this kid had just thrown up (he'd clearly eaten bubblegum icecream - I remember the vomit being blue). All of the other kids were laughing and taunting him.
I just went right up and was like "HEY" in a very angry voice. I said something to the effect of "What the HECK to you think that you're doing? Stop this right now!" Because I was so much "older" than them (I was twenty at the time, which is like ancient to kids at that age), I was thus an authority figure (that wouldn't have flown if they had been teenagers). In fact, I have no idea where their teacher was (they looked like a schoolgroup), but they often ditch kids of that age and older on the Midway to have fun while they go have a smoke or a snack or whatever.
Anyway, I got them to stop, I told them that they were being stupid, and I took the kid who had thrown up aside and asked if he wanted to come with me to get some water. Really, it was just an excuse to get him out of there, but he took it. I took him to the employee breakroom, which is air-conditioned, and got him a glass of water and a few kleenexs to clean himself up. There were a few other Midway-types in there, and we all spoke with him for like five minutes while he calmed himself down. I told him that even I got nauseous on that Ferris Wheel, and the other carnies backed me up. We generally just tried to make him feel better.
I think that embarrassing incidents like this really stick in the minds of children. I still remember the day that I was chewing on the end of a white-out pen in grade six, as was my habit with stationary, and having it burst in my mouth. It got all over me and everybody laughed. That kid is probably going to remember this day for the rest of his life, and I wanted to make sure that he remembered that not everyone is a mean little insensitive asshole. Well, his classmates might be, but at least the museum ladies in the funny outfits were nice, right?
I also think that somebody in authority needs to stand up to bullies for kids like him and tell them that they're being insensitive and stupid. If nobody confronts them about their poor behaviour, where do they get any incentive to change from?
So there's my two cents on bullying. What say you, guys?
Last summer, I worked on the 1920s Midway at Fort Edmonton. One of the rides (the iconic one) is a Ferris Wheel from the 1940s (but it looks accurate to the 1920s). It goes pretty fast; it's got like room to seat 40 people on it, and you go around like once every ten seconds, maybe fifteen. It personally makes me nauseous, especially on hot days, but when there's a slight breeze, and it hits you just right? It's a fun ride.
One day, sometime in June, I saw a group of schoolkids get on the thing. I had to run to the carousel for a few minutes, but when I returned, they'd gotten off the ride. Nothing unusual... except they were all clustered around one person, jeering. I came up (I was heading in that direction anyway, and curiosity killed the cat and all that), and they were actually surrounding one kid. Everyone was probably like twelve or something, and this kid had just thrown up (he'd clearly eaten bubblegum icecream - I remember the vomit being blue). All of the other kids were laughing and taunting him.
I just went right up and was like "HEY" in a very angry voice. I said something to the effect of "What the HECK to you think that you're doing? Stop this right now!" Because I was so much "older" than them (I was twenty at the time, which is like ancient to kids at that age), I was thus an authority figure (that wouldn't have flown if they had been teenagers). In fact, I have no idea where their teacher was (they looked like a schoolgroup), but they often ditch kids of that age and older on the Midway to have fun while they go have a smoke or a snack or whatever.
Anyway, I got them to stop, I told them that they were being stupid, and I took the kid who had thrown up aside and asked if he wanted to come with me to get some water. Really, it was just an excuse to get him out of there, but he took it. I took him to the employee breakroom, which is air-conditioned, and got him a glass of water and a few kleenexs to clean himself up. There were a few other Midway-types in there, and we all spoke with him for like five minutes while he calmed himself down. I told him that even I got nauseous on that Ferris Wheel, and the other carnies backed me up. We generally just tried to make him feel better.
I think that embarrassing incidents like this really stick in the minds of children. I still remember the day that I was chewing on the end of a white-out pen in grade six, as was my habit with stationary, and having it burst in my mouth. It got all over me and everybody laughed. That kid is probably going to remember this day for the rest of his life, and I wanted to make sure that he remembered that not everyone is a mean little insensitive asshole. Well, his classmates might be, but at least the museum ladies in the funny outfits were nice, right?
I also think that somebody in authority needs to stand up to bullies for kids like him and tell them that they're being insensitive and stupid. If nobody confronts them about their poor behaviour, where do they get any incentive to change from?
So there's my two cents on bullying. What say you, guys?
