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What the hell is going wrong with society:

There is "home" behaviour and "away" behaviour.

Most parents don't believe their little darlings would do that - and most little darlings wouldn't, most of the time. But peer group pressure is very strong, and if alcohol is involved...

Behaviour, whether good or bad, is learned. The only innate behaviour is law of the jungle - clearly this little darling hasn't learned anything else.

They do it for the thrill of power. They do it because the group has nothing much in common, but if they throw out this unfortunate and all pick on her they validate themselves and the group. Adults just get better at hiding it.

Oh, and just to scare the bejaysus out of parents: Almost all kids WILL do something like this at some point. Think back into your own childhood and say you NEVER were nasty to some other kid - for whatever reason. There just weren't videophones around to record it. One of the reasons kids are not responsible under law is that they don't TRULY understand where the boundaries are.

Looks like they're all being tried as adults. I was really surprised that the photos of all the girls were posted. One of them is only 14... I didn't think it was permitted to print the names and pics of minors even if they are being tried as adults. Maybe that's youtube and not the mainstream press.

This is not new. The girl actually got off easy. BC had a big case in 2005 with Kelly Ellard, the leader of a group of kids that murdered 14 year old Reena Virk in Surrey, BC. The group lured her out with them then beat and drowned her. verdict

correction: Virk was murder in 1997 and it took seven years to complete the trials in 2005

Clodhopper;833435 wrote: Oh, and just to scare the bejaysus out of parents: Almost all kids WILL do something like this at some point. Think back into your own childhood and say you NEVER were nasty to some other kid - for whatever reason. There just weren't videophones around to record it. One of the reasons kids are not responsible under law is that they don't TRULY understand where the boundaries are.


I can't completely agree to that. First not all kids are nasty to others. As well, of those who are, I doubt most gang up on one person and repeatedly beat her into submission.

Agreed that some people never do behave remotely like that. I've seen a few. I'm sure old Fuzzy is telling the truth that she didn't, but I notice Fuzzy also commented on the widespread bitchiness she recalls, and that sort of bitichiness has driven kids to suicide in the past....

At some point most have - not as badly as this specific incident, perhaps - but most have. It's at least partly understandable as part of the process of minors discovering what and where the boundaries are, and the parent by the sound of this case is mostly responsible. It can also be part of a cycle of abuse whereby those made to feel powerless assert a sense of self by dominating others.

I'm not saying anything new - read Lord of the Flies.

koan;833535 wrote: Looks like they're all being tried as adults. I was really surprised that the photos of all the girls were posted. One of them is only 14... I didn't think it was permitted to print the names and pics of minors even if they are being tried as adults. Maybe that's youtube and not the mainstream press.
Once the decision is made to try them as adults, they are treated as adults. Names, pictures, delving into their sordid past (she was once accused of cheating on a spelling bee. The accuser suddenly moved out of town and hasn't been heard of since. :yh_think )

This is such a mild version of what happened in Surrey to Reena Virk... and it launched a huge anti-bullying campaign in and out of schools. Bullying as a phenomenon is a well discussed social problem now.

Obviously its not going to halt all eruptions of violence. This girl is quite lucky that her attackers weren't vicious enough to kill her. Yet. I think the publicity around such cases is a good thing. Topics like this get tons of attention then they just fade away. We need to stay vigilant and continue to look for a way to resolve issues of powerlessness in children.

Hiya Fuzzy

Read the article. Not nice. Any racist overtones to this? Assault was by 17 year olds. ie physically adult but in some cases the emotions of six year olds;) bless 'em.

Sigh. But some are just nasty. There's also the question: were the assailants low achieving kids jealous of lads who'd done well? Add a touch of racism and that's a nasty brew.

I think the only thing I'm really seeing in these recent years that I wouldn't say was around 20 years ago is the lethal weapons. They existed, but there wasn't the same willingness to use them there seems to be now. Computer games, tv, the internet...