Going by what's in the article, I can sort of understand where the parents are coming from but I still don't agree. They think that because the kid called other kids names, he should suffer the consequences. However, there are two holes in this logic: 1) The parents don't understand Aspergers (and frankly, nor do I) so they can't condemn the child for a social faux pas, and 2) they ignore the fact that violence was involved. Despite the ill effects of verbal bullying, violence should never be tolerated. To put it blankly, I don't think the parents are right but I don't have all the facts.
Frankly, the one thing that actually properly appalls me is the Principal's response. Do teacher's have no power in social matters anymore? He said that it's up to the children to react to the cases and stand up for kids who can't stand up for themselves. Does he have ANY understanding of children?! Not only is it a ludicrous idea to encourage kids to get involved in cases of bullying, or even expect that any of them will, but to impart any kind of onus on CHILDREN for situations that even some ADULTS find impossible to act sensibly in, is completely barmy! And do you know why some adults still bully and react irrationally to social situations? Because they weren't taught properly about how to act as a child because none of the teachers could tell them NOT TO DO IT!
Bullying is one of those things that is impossible to prevent 100% and people have taken that to mean that there's no point in fighting it, which is wrong.
As a side note, the number of people on any website that have Aspergers, I believe, is due to the ease with which people with Aspergers find social interaction over the internet when compared to real life. Not to mention, many of them would stay home and play video games rather than play with friends outside. So yes, the percentage of people with Aspergers on this site, and the internet in general, will most likely be higher than you might expect.
Frankly, the one thing that actually properly appalls me is the Principal's response. Do teacher's have no power in social matters anymore? He said that it's up to the children to react to the cases and stand up for kids who can't stand up for themselves. Does he have ANY understanding of children?! Not only is it a ludicrous idea to encourage kids to get involved in cases of bullying, or even expect that any of them will, but to impart any kind of onus on CHILDREN for situations that even some ADULTS find impossible to act sensibly in, is completely barmy! And do you know why some adults still bully and react irrationally to social situations? Because they weren't taught properly about how to act as a child because none of the teachers could tell them NOT TO DO IT!
Bullying is one of those things that is impossible to prevent 100% and people have taken that to mean that there's no point in fighting it, which is wrong.
As a side note, the number of people on any website that have Aspergers, I believe, is due to the ease with which people with Aspergers find social interaction over the internet when compared to real life. Not to mention, many of them would stay home and play video games rather than play with friends outside. So yes, the percentage of people with Aspergers on this site, and the internet in general, will most likely be higher than you might expect.