Terminal Velocity

Like many others, I have marvelled at the viral video of Casey Heynes responding to the latest episode of bullying that he has allegedly been experiencing for over a year. After being on the receiving end of several blows and repeated taunts by the younger and smaller aggressor, Casey lunges forward and grabs him in a front face lock before lifting him into the air and slamming him face down into the concrete. A classic case of reaping what you sow.

As a community, we have an expectation that justice will prevail. The public’s response to the video has been of overwhelming support for Casey, more so because the school suspended him and not the bully. It wasn’t until the mainstream media picked up the story that the bully was also suspended. Many approved of the retaliation as natural justice.

An expert on bullying, Professor Kenneth Rigby of the University of South Australia, said he was worried about the possible effect of this incident in terms of thinking that the only way to deal with bullying is to come down very heavily on everybody involved. He said suspending the youth who had reacted to the bullying was the wrong course of action because it risked punishing the victim and feeding the unwillingness of victims to come forward. “He should have gone for help - told a teacher. The problem is that about half of those who do that end up feeling that the situation has been made worse, not better. People don’t tell because they’re not confident that the school will do something.”

A wise man once said that evil prospers when good men do nothing. Notwithstanding the complexities of the case at hand, clearly there has been a failure in the school to appropriately deal with this particular situation from the outset. For an issue to go so long without action is an obvious failing of the policies of the Education Department of NSW, the school administration, and the staff employed there. There is only so long that the victim can be expected to turn the other cheek or to report the incident to teachers. The video shows that the bullying incident was premeditated and co-ordinated with a number of students. They just did not expect the outcome that followed.

Of course, there has also been plenty of PC crap that has been splashed about in response to the video. John Dalgleish, head of research at Kids Helpline and Boys Town, said, "We don’t believe that violence is ever the answer. We believe there are other ways that children can manage this." He went on to say, "The longer term way is about developing better relationships between kids in the school, that will then empower young people to not be passive bystanders when these acts occur but to stand up and say this is wrong. The short term solution is to have individual counselling with each of the children." Inspector Jason Green from NSW Police said posting the video had the effect of glorifying violence in schools. "Whether it causes other incidents or not I don’t know but it seems to be a trend of late," he said. "It may incite other violence but that’s something that we can’t comment on." A NSW Department of Education and Training spokeswoman said the school "does not tolerate any violence and deals with all cases according to its community-agreed discipline code."

I found a rather interesting definition of “violence” in the online dictionary I consulted. It defined “violence” as, among other things, “an unjust or unwarranted exertion of force or power, as against rights or laws.” The video showed the bully use an illegal, unjust and unwarranted exertion of force several times. The victim, acting in self defence, used an act of force sufficient to end the assault on his person, a seemingly just and warranted exertion of force, which I understand is defensible in the court. Casey certainly had the opportunity to stick the boot in while the bully was trying to extricate himself from the pavement, but chose to leave it at that, giving further creedence to his actions being of self defence.

Putting this debate to one side and looking at it in its most appropriate context raises one simple question. Why is this news? This is basically an event that takes place in schoolyards all over the world every day. I was party to a number of schoolyard brawls during my school years, some spontaneous and some organised. Those I wasn’t in, I watched and cheered the participants on. Bullying wasn’t a major issue where I went to school and perhaps this was because we were quick to sort it out. Nowadays, it seems the gentle touchy, feely approach of pacifist do-gooder social work types is the accepted method. Perhaps this is why bullying is so rife today. This is not to make light of bullying in any way. Yes, bullying is a major issue in schools and one hopes that the situation is appropriately managed in the vast majority of them. Anecdotally, one does wonder though.

Sometimes, the bully gets what is coming and natural justice prevails. The bully rarely, it seems, comes back for round two. I do not think that Casey will have any more problems with his particular bully. Even if he returned with reinforcements, the bully would be uneasy in the knowledge that his mates would not be around 24/7. As it is, Casey no doubt has newfound self esteem and a whole lot of respect.

Taking The Sheen Off

They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. --2Timothy 3:3

Charlie Sheen has been a permanent fixture in the news in recent weeks. It seems that every police visit, every court appearance, each trip to rehab, and now every rant is a headline creating event requiring the attention of every news outlet in the western world. Clearly, the 45 year old actor has some serious issues in his life that he needs to address if he is to have any chance of a future in Hollywood, or indeed anywhere.

As I write, Warner Brothers have announced that they are terminating Charlie Sheen from the hit series “Two And A Half Men” after an anti-semetic outburst directed at the shows producer, Chuck Lorre. A letter from law firm Munger, Tolles and Olson, Warner Brothers lawyers, published by celebrity website TMZ said: "Let us state the obvious: (Sheen) has been engaged in dangerously self-destructive conduct and appears to be very ill. For months before the suspension of production, Mr Sheen's erratic behavior escalated while his condition deteriorated. His declining condition undermined the production in numerous and significant ways. Now, the entire world knows Mr Sheen's condition from his alarming outbursts over just the last few weeks," it said, lamenting "the public spectacle of his self-inflicted disintegration."

And self-inflicted it appears to be. While his addiction to drugs and alcohol is well documented, it is only now that we are beginning to see his carefree attitude to the situation that he finds himself in. "It's like, I heal really quickly. But I unravel pretty quickly. So get me right now, guys," Sheen said, suggesting he should return to work while he still could. A fortnight ago, he lamented, "I was sober for five years a long time ago and was just bored out of my tree. It's inauthentic - it's not who I am.”

Sheen went on to say that crack cocaine was bad, but not for everyone. "I said stay off the crack, and I still think that's pretty good advice, unless you can manage it socially. If you can manage it socially, then go for it, but not a lot of people can, you know?" He was unapologetic about his drug use, calling his parties "epic.'' The last time he took drugs, he stated he had probably taken "more than anybody could survive.'' Sheen earlier claimed that he had cured himself of his addiction. "I closed my eyes and made it so with the power of my mind."

Even more painful is the toll that his behaviour is taking on his family. Just days ago, his father Martin and brother Emilio Estevez appeared in an interview where clearly they are distraught at having to watch Charlie Sheen’s televised destructive ways. Martin Sheen stated, “If he had cancer, how would we treat him, you know? The disease of addiction is a form of cancer and you have to have an equal measure of concern and love and lift them up, so that’s what we did for him.” Charlie Sheen called his fathers prayers “the gibberish of fools”.

Then there is the children who have been exposed to alcohol and drug fuelled violence directed at their mother, the bedhopping by the porn star girlfriends that Charlie Sheen has stated he wants a polygamous marriage arrangement with, and of course the upheaval of having child protection authorities forcibly removing them to a safer situation. In defending his living arrangements, he stated, "There is more love, compassion, support, child care and everything else you could possibly want for a child in this lovely home. It's not a house. It's a home."

His estranged wife in her court brief claimed, "I am very concerned that (Sheen) is currently insane. I am in great fear that he will find me and attack me and I am in great fear for the children's safety while in his care." She further alleged that on a previous occasion, she had been threatened by Sheen, who allegedy said, "I will cut your head off, put it in a box and send it to your mom."

There is no doubt that there is a lot more heartbreak to come in this situation. In a business where all publicity is good publicity, how much to blame for this situation are we who readily consume celebrity gossip? The media is having a feeding frenzy because there is value in them covering this story and the public is proving insatiable for the next morsel. The proof is in the 2.1 million followers that Charlie Sheen amassed inside a matter of days from launching his twitter account.

Clearly, Charlie Sheen needs immediate help. Whilst he denies this obvious fact, one wonders if he would reassess his situation if the publicity wagon were to come to a halt. As long as his every move is published and he is paid by the tweet, there is no incentive to turn his life around. Many of his adoring fans want to see him come back better and stronger than ever. Unfortunately, that is simply not going to happen while the monster is being fed. The best thing that could happen is for the media spotlight to switch off completely, ignore all the rants and goings on, and let the medical professionals do their thing when he decides that it has to happen for his star to shine again.