You have got to be kidding me with this shit.  (« Link)

     So, here’s the story: Karen Klein, a bus monitor in NY, is going to receive a monetary donation of around $100,000 due to an online fundraiser. 
     Why was the money raised?
     Because a bunch of middle schoolers insulted her, calling her a “fatass” and so on, to the point where she was in tears. The kids in question are being severely reprimanded, including being brought in front of a disciplinary committee, which will likely expel them. 

     The money is being raised, in hopes that she can either retire early, or that she can at least take a vacation. She has gone back to work, but refuses to ride on a bus with any of the kids in question. 

 … America, are you goddamn serious? 

     FIRST OFF, let’s talk about the little delinquents in question. The children — mostly boys, from the looks of it — are probably around 14 years old, just hitting that lovely time where you’re a total doucher just because you can be.
     These kids need a good, old fashioned ass kicking. Period. At the very least, they need to be ridiculed until the point gets across. I am NOT a proponent of treating them with the kindness and respect they don’t allot to others— not until they can be humbled and brought down a few notches. Every kid that age has something that tears them off their pedestal, and usually it’s in the form of verbal insults by another student calling them on their bullshit, and maybe throwing a few punches (because mild physical violence makes an impression). 

There is nothing wrong with this.  

     These kids are at a point where they don’t give a damn about whose feelings they hurt, including their parents. It’s their inherent nature to be selfish, so an infliction upon their pride is going to cause the biggest wounds, and help them realize their mistakes. That’s one good thing this publicity does — they’ll understand the severity of their actions. Apparently 4chan got ahold of names, addresses, phone numbers, etc of some of the boys in question, and I’m sure they’ve unleashed a personal army strike against these kids that they won’t forget any time soon. 
     It is after this point, when they truly understand what they have done and why it is bad, that a healing process involving reeducation can begin. It’s at this point that these kids need to go to “kindness camp” or whatever (don’t ask me, I heard it mentioned. It’s stupid that we need it in the first place) and can truly appreciate why being nice is a good thing. There’s no use sending someone there who is rolling their eyes, and going “Ugh, whatever, I just want to get this over with.” 


      Now, let’s move on to all the accusations that this is their parent’s fault for not raising them right. 
      Where does the line between “child” and “parent” end? I highly doubt these kids’ parents were running around, calling people fatasses and being mean to people, just for the sheer fun of it. That’s what this is — insulting because it’s FUN. Not because of some religious belief or claim, or some moral reasoning, or some personal dislike… they’re doing it because it’s FUN. Because they are TWEENS AND THIS IS THE CRAP THEY DO. The parents might be total douchers, but these kids still have to take full responsibility for their actions. This is (likely) not the fault of bad parenting overall, but more likely a lack of monitoring and communication. 

     And where the hell was the bus driver in this situation? And the principal? And the rest of the damn transportation department? I know they likely have cameras in that bus — mine did and I live in IOWA — and I’m sure the bus driver had to hear some of this… so why wasn’t action taken before it got to this level? If it’s as bad as Klein is claiming it to be, she had to have said something before this. So where is all the precaution and “zero tolerance” school districts rave about? 

     But that brings us to Klein’s part in this matter, now. The part that I have a beef with. The part that I have the least amount of information on, but can’t help taking issue with.
     Since when did grown, adult women decide their self-worth based on the petty comments of 15 year olds? Seriously. You are a bus monitor. Your job is to stifle the shenanigans of hormonally-instable children. For lack of better, phrasing, what the hell did you expect?  They are going to hate you and think you’re a bitch, even if you’re the kindest woman in the world. They don’t know you as grandma, they know you as “my bitchy, fat bus monitor.” And as wrong as that might be, surprise surprise — the world isn’t just rainbows and kittens. Let’s be realistic here for a second and remember that on every school bus, everywhere, there are a handful of douche rags who will treat SOMEONE like shit. Someone who will take it, who they know won’t give them consequences. 
     In short, why didn’t she either buck up, do something about it sooner if she couldn’t handle it (for whatever reason), or why didn’t she let these kids know she was boss? Partially, it’s because school districts are stupid and have a problem with enforcing natural order, so I get that. But honestly, SOME of the blame has to go on Klein — a minute percentage, but it’s definitely there. She didn’t deserve any of this, of course, that’s not what I’m saying. She didn’t even “have it coming to her.” But she DID fail to be realistic and drop the proverbial banhammer on these kids before things got so wildly out of control. And that is the only way in which I say, “learn from this mistake and be the bitch they will always think you are.”


   This “fundraiser” for her is a noble cause, but honestly, let’s donate the money to some place that actually deserves $200,000 for being “picked on.” Like the WWF, ASPCA, or some other major cause that affects multiple people/animals, not just one woman with her feelings hurt. 

     Media, go report something worthwhile and stop raking in the views and ratings with the most insignificant emotional appeal possible. I’m sure if you talked about a bigger problem, with just as much heartache and waves flowing off of it screaming “give me a hug, I’m in a big awful pickle and it’s not my fault,” you’d still get great reviews.
     Quality, not quantity, thanks (I say as I finish typing the 1,118th word on this post). 

     So there you have it. Another fine example of the degradation of America as a whole. From our youth to our geriatrics, we’re a nation of total wimps. And our media feeds off it.

‘Murica.