Political Correctness going to far?

DocBot

Administrator
Staff member
Will you please stop fighting the straw men? They aren't real, you know.

[...]obligation to ensure that there is no discrimination. <- the rule. Exemplified by an example like in this case.

"Everyone must be invited to everything" <- not the rule. Your straw man.
 

Dragon

Well-Known Member
[...]obligation to ensure that there is no discrimination. <- the rule. Exemplified by an example like in this case.

"Everyone must be invited to everything" <- not the rule. Your straw man.

Hmm imo that is EXACTLY the rule as stated above. As otherwise you "discriminate" everyone you don't invite, regardless of how many people there are left over.
 

Nanor

Well-Known Member
Hmm imo that is EXACTLY the rule as stated above. As otherwise you "discriminate" everyone you don't invite, regardless of how many people there are left over.

I agree, the second is a sub rule of the first, surely.
 

Macca

Member
I think people are arguing 2 different things here. Docbot is arguing that, the rules are rules, no matter how stupid or daft they are, and so the consequence's for breaking them are justified seeing as there rules in the first place.

Most other people are arguing that, the rule is so stupid that It shouldn't be there in the first place. I am personally inclined to say that I agree with everyone else in the sense that it is a rediculous rule to have. A child should be aloud to invite whoever they want to their birthday party - so long as he has good reason for it - In the class or out the class.

I don't know how they work it in Sweden, however when I was at primary school I didn't have everyone's phone number, or address, and If I suggested to my parents that we get everyone's address/phone no from public listings they would say "Don't be bloody rediculous, hand them out at school"

However I do also see the fact that rules are rules, and the teacher is only doing his job. Maybe the fact that this has went public will make the school review it's rules on the subject.
 

DocBot

Administrator
Staff member
Right, okay, a bit of language befuddlement there. Let's add some words, then, for those who can't deduct it from the reasoning in the thread:

Discriminating/excluding one or a few people. I really think you would have understood that. If you're only interested in discussing semantics there are better avenues than this thread.
 

DocBot

Administrator
Staff member
The rules beasically say "You can't be mean to other people, while in class". This is one way of being mean. It seems to me like "everyone else" think it's a fundamental right to be mean to whoever you want, whenever. I disagree.
 

Dragon

Well-Known Member
The rules beasically say "You can't be mean to other people, while in class". This is one way of being mean. It seems to me like "everyone else" think it's a fundamental right to be mean to whoever you want, whenever. I disagree.

I don't see what is "mean" about not inviting someone to your birthday party. Lets say you wouldn't want not to invite them in public ... not later than when the party had taken place everyone from the class (except the teacher probably) would have known that they weren't invited.

But I agree that "rules are rules" and you have to stick too them (otherwise they aren't of any use). But I also think that you should (by the use of you own sane mind) know when "bending" a rule is better than actually sticking to it. And imo this is one of those cases.
 

Macca

Member
The rules beasically say "You can't be mean to other people, while in class". This is one way of being mean. It seems to me like "everyone else" think it's a fundamental right to be mean to whoever you want, whenever. I disagree.

If It was me, I'm not going to go out of my way to ensure that everyone I want gets an invitation without the 2 people I don't want knowing. In which case the 2 are eventually going to find out and feel that you've been "mean" to them anyway. So if what your defining bullying to be is that if people think you've been mean to them by excluding them from something, Then your bullying them regardless of whether your doing it in a classroom or not.

To be quite frank I'm not going to get upset about them feeling that you've been mean to them. They should have thought about that before they were mean to you or upset you into the situation where you have fallen out with them.

If I was the boy I would do the exact same thing.
 

BiG D

Administrator
Staff member
Again, the issue here is with the numbers. He is inviting the class to his birthday party, not a group of his close friends. When you run your birthday party via a blacklist (YOU and YOU aren't allowed to come!) you're being a spiteful asshole.

If he had invited only half of the class, this would be a different situation.

As an aside, what do you want to bet that rule is in place BECAUSE of an overreacting parent just like the father here? Someone pissed because all the kids in the class got an invite to a party except their kid. I bet that this father would have been screaming even louder if it was someone else's party and his kid didn't get an invite when the rest did.
 

Traxata

Junior Administrator
I believe one of those kids didn't invite the kid in question their party thus didn't get an invite, D :)
 

Silk

Well-Known Member
Dear God..

To me it doesn't matter how the invites were handed out. That's not bullying. Bullying is calling someone names day in day out, or phsyical assault.

I mean really.. bring equality into things like this and children will grow up thinking the world is perfect, everything is always fair, and they'll always get to partake in something they want to, invited to everything they have an interest in and earn friendship by doing nothing.

Give them that illusion and they're in for the ultimate fall once they reach adulthood and real life(tm). Suicide rates during adolescent ages would probably go up.
 

BiG D

Administrator
Staff member
Or maybe it would allow the children to enjoy (or at least not dread) their time at school?
 

Silk

Well-Known Member
Or maybe it would allow the children to enjoy (or at least not dread) their time at school?

Yeah.. not being invited to parties, gosh that was terrifying for me as a child. I'm now a very disturbed adult.
 

DocBot

Administrator
Staff member
This is a public service announcement:

Starting now, any straw man arguments in this debate will be pointedly ignored.

*pointedly ignores silkth's argument*
 

Pubic_Warrior

In Cryo Sleep
well DocBot can ignore this but if you don't like somebody why spend time with them, its like jumping into the deep end at the swimming baths when you can't swim, its not fun and its just really uncomfy.
 

BiG D

Administrator
Staff member
well DocBot can ignore this but if you don't like somebody why spend time with them, its like jumping into the deep end at the swimming baths when you can't swim, its not fun and its just really uncomfy.

Yep, Docbot is going to ignore you. The kid was hardly spending time with all 30 people at the party. Again, this is an issue of numbers. Had he invited 60% of the class rather than 95%, things would be different.
 

Wraith

Active Member
Yep, Docbot is going to ignore you. The kid was hardly spending time with all 30 people at the party. Again, this is an issue of numbers. Had he invited 60% of the class rather than 95%, things would be different.


Actually, the article says "must ensure there is no discrimination". Strictly speaking (given the situation as it was reported) anyone who was not invited could claim they were discriminated against whether it was two of them or all except two.

The article doesn't say whether the kid flaunted the fact that those two particular kids weren't invited or if he just passed out invites to those he wanted there without being obvious about "discriminating". If it was the former then yes it is bullying (albeit a minor case in my opinion) and should be dealt with. It could however have been handled better by the teacher. If it was the second then it's likely the kid just saw an easy opportunity to pass out the invites while all his friends were in easy reach and took that opportunity. At the most that's a case of the kid being too self-involved (a.k.a selfish) and excited about his party to consider the feelings of those few not invited. That's not bullying - that's just being a kid.
 

Pubic_Warrior

In Cryo Sleep
is calling people straw men when they put their views across not bullying?? :p

i think this thread is old now we havnt got anywhere other than we all have different views
 
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