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This argument entitled "Dealing With Online Bullies Outside the Classroom", was found in
the New York Times, Room for Debate online. This originally October post is full of debaters
comments based on a Facebook post created by Room for Debate and includes regulated
responses by Kevin Noble Maillard. The Facebook post was created for the purpose of
addressing the online bullying of students outside of schools and to take public thoughts and
comments on the regulation of such online behavior of students by schools. The audience
directed in this post could be considerably general, but I feel it is mostly veered toward the
parents (or guardians) of school-aged children. I also think that the editors on Room for Debate
were reaching out to education employees such as teachers, administrators, and school board
personnel. The issue requires the input of various backgrounds, genders, ages, professions, and
authorities of people in order to obtain a legitimate response. This conversation is actually
designed along some of their personal comments and feelings, specifically about the way they
think schools/society should handle increasing off-campus online bullying.
The issue of this debate is 'Should schools regulate the off-campus, online behavior of
their students?' There is truly no general consensus concluded in this article, however the
most-often given answer is to better educate our children. This idea seems to be a reasonable
enough answer, however even the direction of the education seems to be a hot debate in itself.
Ideas range from Internet safety and decorum courses to teaching social skills that empower
students when they are caught in a bullying situation. Among the various given solutions to the
issue, only one user felt that schools should not be involved in any way.
All of these users are examples of people who hold the burden of proof. Though the New
York Times employees, specifically the Room for Debate editors, posed the question, they are
not required to substantiate their position on the matter. In fact, they are in no way related to
the interpretation or consciousness of the matter beyond their debate column. The parents,
administrators, teachers, school board personnel, and even students who claim a position on
the matter are the ones who hold the burden of proof. There are no prevailing presumptions on
any of the conclusions of this issue. It doesn't follow a pattern or history, as the digital age is up
and coming. It also is not being presented to an assumed audience with a general and specific
mindset, such as if it were being presented in a conference room full of parents who lost their
children to bullying. Because there is no general consensus or history, I believe that each
individual who proclaims a position holds their own burden of proof.
consider the expert principal's argument where we as society should consider bullying our
issue as a whole and work to stop the epidemic. But Joy, what about the rioters bullying our
police officers? Who will stop their behavior? Obviously not Mia because she thinks we should
just empower the officers and give them more guns and allow them to shoot at the bullying
rioters. What is next Mia? We give officers permission to kill, then they start murdering their
disobedient wives, then bullied students start mass genocides on their classmates. We certainly
hit the jackpot with all of these overly opinionated, undereducated folks.
schools, nothing is truly confidential. What one person knows today, everyone will know
tomorrow. The perpetrator will only have more reason to retaliate. This retaliation may be
directed toward the same student, or may create a whole new situation in addition to the lack
of resolution of the first.
I am also convinced that schools taking away extracurricular activities and slapping two
week detentions on students who are bullying will not have any sort of lasting effect on the
number of dead teenage bully victims. I believe that taking away the bullying students prom
is a weak punishment, as would be most any so called age-appropriate punishments.
Especially in the case of students old enough to have a prom! If you are a high school student
bullying online, you should be taken up with charges by the police. That is a meaningful
punishment that I would find appropriate for a high school aged bully. However, schools would
not create that as a policy. Online threats, intimidation, humiliation, coercion, and abuse are
very serious matters. So serious in fact that those things account for over half of teenage
suicides in the United States. Activity online, specifically online bullying in all forms, should be
regulated by the police or another specified official.
There are professions and degrees built around handling these sorts of issues in adults,
and I do not see why, if students are creating adult-like serious situations, those same
professionals should not be the ones to handle and regulate those situations as well.
Red Herring A comment that is intended to be misleading or distracting from the topic
of the argument.
o
But Joy, what about the rioters bullying our police officers? Who will stop their
behavior?
Appeal to Pride Persuading someone to agree with your opinion by flattery in a way
that is irrelevant to the argument.
o
Khalilah, your name is so unique and you have such good ideas.
Appeal to Fear Persuading someone to agree with your opinion by threat or terror in a
way that is irrelevant to the argument.
o
You better believe that more than my fist will make you bleed if you think you can
punish me!
Appeal to Pity Persuading someone to agree with your opinion by guilt or sympathy in
a way that is irrelevant to the argument.
o
What about his possible scholarships through football? You will take his whole
future away from him?
Allison we all know that your salary will raise if they start requiring students to take
your Social Conflicts course.
False Appeal to Authority Fails 2nd The expertise of the person does not actually
determine whether the claim is true or false, in this case the expert is not speaking for a
general agreement of the field.
o
Maybe we should take time to consider the expert principal's argument where we as
society should consider bullying our issue as a whole and work to stop the epidemic.
My cousin got shot in her High School English class by a bullied kid that once signed
a paper saying he would not bring weapons to school.
Fortunately she can't prove that doing what is best for children creates welladjusted, productive citizens, so obviously it doesn't.
Affirming the Consequent A logical fallacy that confuses the directionality of if-then
arguments, recognized by its form.
o
if consequences are age-appropriate then they are not meaningful. Being removed
from band is obviously not meaningful, so it must be age-appropriate.
empower the officers and give them more guns and allow them to shoot at the
bullying rioters.
Slippery Slope Fallacy A domino effect where a series of causal effects lead to a final
extreme conclusion.
o
We give officers permission to kill, then they start murdering their disobedient
wives, then bullied students start mass genocides on their classmates.