Your thoughts on bullying

[Leon]

Though I'd give another crack at the ID forum.

Anyway, I've been thinking about this today. What are your thoughts on bullying? Have you ever been a victim of bullying? Have you ever bullied someone? And, since most of the bullying -- if not all of it -- takes place in school, do you think parents are to blame for letting it happen? Or maybe the teachers? Who's really at fault?

Too many questions, I know. Truth is, I got picked on a lot in school, since 4th grade. I was a weird kid, which is probably why I was a victim most of the time (now I just respond with a sarcastic remark). I was miserable in school, and I don't have many people I would actually call "friend".

Because of all that, I strongly oppose bullying. Doesn't matter who you are, if you pick on someone, you won't hear the end of it from me.

Now, when I look at all these news about teens killing themselves because of bullying, it makes me wonder who's at fault. The bullies themselves, especially if they are at the age they can tell right from wrong? The teachers, who only warn the bullies to stop with the verbal abuse? Or the parents, who don't raise their children right?

Sometimes I don't think it's the parents, since some kids can grow to be pretty rebellious. And teachers have never been much help to me. I recall a time in my senior year (even then I was bothered) when three students couldn't stop tormenting me during one of my classes. I remember crying that day when I was alone, and the teacher from a different class told me to go to a counselor. It took a counselor to have those guys stop (she mailed the teacher who had those guys in his class, the same class where they picked on me).

Sorry if I keep mentioning what happened to me, but I think it's best to describe my feelings from personal experience. So what do you think? What are your thoughts on bullying and any form of it, like verbal abuse and just plain violence?