POV: High School Drama - Was what I did right?

[XxLegitSaixX]

They didn't really want the reciept they where just trying it on with you. Trying to see how much they could get away with.

1) They had a lame reason to claim the ipod was theirs (his friend lost one just like that)

2) They where hoping you'd do nothing, some people do not keep reciepts.Therefore
in his eyes its a screwed up case of finders keepers.

3) If it hadn't have been yours it would have been someone elses.

4) Report these idiots because just like answer 3 unless they're disiplined by the authorities the bully will go from one victim to the next. Unfortunately they'll get an ipod one way or the other.

5) Make sure you get YOUR property back.

I don't even feel that I need to give him the receipt, I feel like gathering my friends, marching our way to the office, telling them what happened with WITNESS my fake receipt and seeing what they say about it. [My friends probably would whimp out before we got to the principle's room.]

[ConnorMacLoad]

6) Stop bringing expensive electronics to school (or anyplace with immature ***holes) that you have to deal with everyday.

I could not disagree with this more. It has little to do with fixing the issue and just makes you more of a punk. It not only allows bullies to thrive, it forces you to have a life without the things you want in it. You are doing nothing here but allowing bullies to win.

You take whatever you want, wherever you want. Just have the knowledge (or stones) to stand up for your rights. At the end of the day, it is your right to have these items, it is also your responsibility to keep that right. Do not turn yourself into a victim.

[JustWinBaby]

Sounds like robbery. I would have called the police.

Not really. It's only an Apple product

[Kistilan]

After an experience like this, I would buy a less expensive MP3/MP4 player to listen to. If that won't work in your social circle, make sure that if/when you bring it back to school that you have a copy of the serial number.

This too! /signed

Your nano is cool for trips on planes, family vacations, etc.
Get a cheap one. If it has to be ipod for "school rep points,' get a darn shuffle -- they're like $50-$70 pending on where you get it, and if you find a used one for sale you can probably poach it for a cool $30. Keep the nano at home once you get it back or the bully replaces it.

Note: If the nano is broken if/when it's given back, you're gonna have to report the kid and have your friends back you up that he took it against your will. Giving it back broken to you is the same as if he didn't give it back at all.

[XxLegitSaixX]

This too! /signed

Your nano is cool for trips on planes, family vacations, etc.
Get a cheap one. If it has to be ipod for "school rep points,' get a darn shuffle -- they're like $50-$70 pending on where you get it, and if you find a used one for sale you can probably poach it for a cool $30. Keep the nano at home once you get it back or the bully replaces it.

Note: If the nano is broken if/when it's given back, you're gonna have to report the kid and have your friends back you up that he took it against your will. Giving it back broken to you is the same as if he didn't give it back at all.

So many darn choices...

[Marcus-Hawkeye]

I was going to write a large post about what I would do but a lot of what already has been said would be in it.
First, next time you don't let it happen. Get in his face about taking your stuff. Use intimidate on him... with twelve friends there, it wouldn;t have been a question... I would have gotten it back no matter how much bigger they were.
Second, don't bring expensive things you love to school.
Third, talk to your parents and get advice from them. If they feel they should intervene make sure they let you do the talking unless it gets out of hand... don't let your parents control the situation once you've told them. Tell them you want to see this through yourself but need their help.
Fourth, call the police. Theft is theft, and it is a crime.

[XxLegitSaixX]

I was going to write a large post about what I would do but a lot of what already has been said would be in it.
First, next time you don't let it happen. Get in his face about taking your stuff. Use intimidate on him... with twelve friends there, it wouldn;t have been a question... I would have gotten it back no matter how much bigger they were.
Second, don't bring expensive things you love to school.
Third, talk to your parents and get advice from them. If they feel they should intervene make sure they let you do the talking unless it gets out of hand... don't let your parents control the situation once you've told them. Tell them you want to see this through yourself but need their help.
Fourth, call the police. Theft is theft, and it is a crime.

Man.. A small stupidass joke to take my iPod and he said they would give it back if my friends weren't yelling, which I highly doubt, but a joke turned out to be a serious issue on their part of the problem.

[Trillea]

I could not disagree with this more. It has little to do with fixing the issue and just makes you more of a punk. It not only allows bullies to thrive, it forces you to have a life without the things you want in it. You are doing nothing here but allowing bullies to win.

You take whatever you want, wherever you want. Just have the knowledge (or stones) to stand up for your rights. At the end of the day, it is your right to have these items, it is also your responsibility to keep that right. Do not turn yourself into a victim.

For most places that you can go I would agree. If this was a mall, or other public place I would agree 100%. But this is a school, and such things should not be there in the first place.

I know that they are, and are not probably going anywhere anytime soon. But in a place like a high school, the bullies know when/where they are not likely to be caught, or if they are, know that the consequences are/were not likely to be severe. (I know they weren't in my high school). I was one of these targets in high school, and know his pain well. If I ratted out one bully, he'd get suspended and his friends made my life even worse later. This happened several times, and made my life in highschool almost hell.

If his school is anything like that, I feel for you LegitSai. I hope it is not.

[ConnorMacLoad]

This too! /signed

Your nano is cool for trips on planes, family vacations, etc.
Get a cheap one. If it has to be ipod for "school rep points,' get a darn shuffle -- they're like $50-$70 pending on where you get it, and if you find a used one for sale you can probably poach it for a cool $30. Keep the nano at home once you get it back or the bully replaces it.

Note: If the nano is broken if/when it's given back, you're gonna have to report the kid and have your friends back you up that he took it against your will. Giving it back broken to you is the same as if he didn't give it back at all.

I do not get this..... We are advicating him buy less nice things, cause someone might victimize him, and we do not want to lose nicer things?

While your at it, do not buy a nice car in life, just get crappy second rate ones, cause there are car jackers out there. Also, never carry cash or credit cards, cause people steal wallets. Probably should have a crappy TV/home theater system and computer too. cause people break into houses.

Why don't we all just buy second rate stuff so that we will never have to worry about the nice stuff getting taken from us........ or

Do not drive in south central LA with you phantam. try to put your wallet in palces that are safer than your back pocket, when at a soccer game. And get a better home security system. You do not shelter yourself from maybes. precautions are one thing, but never self victimize yorself into a life of less pimpin, just cause some bully punked you.

Just my opinion

[XxLegitSaixX]

For most places that you can go I would agree. If this was a mall, or other public place I would agree 100%. But this is a school, and such things should not be there in the first place.

I know that they are, and are not probably going anywhere anytime soon. But in a place like a high school, the bullies know when/where they are not likely to be caught, or if they are, know that the consequences are/were not likely to be severe. (I know they weren't in my high school). I was one of these targets in high school, and know his pain well. If I ratted out one bully, he'd get suspended and his friends made my life even worse later. This happened several times, and made my life in highschool almost hell.

If his school is anything like that, I feel for you LegitSai. I hope it is not.

Nah regardless of my 12 friends, I have 100s more that group up and we always have fun and enjoy, 3 months old to the school and I feel like i've a really good connection, my high school is calm and mellow and forgiving, but this **** just makes me go ballistic.

[Marcus-Hawkeye]

Man.. A small stupidass joke to take my iPod and he said they would give it back if my friends weren't yelling, which I highly doubt, but a joke turned out to be a serious issue on their part of the problem.

I've been in the same situation n high school... I was the geeky kid (surprise!).. I was cornered more times than Andy in Shawshank... Then one day I fought back. I was seriously beaten. The school didn't do much. suspended them every tenth time or so. Every time they came at me I got more and more vicious... I had it all typed out what happened but I'll spare you the details... suffice to say, one day i beat them and they never bothered me again... I asked my parents to let me handle it since the school was useless and they did. Made me a much stronger person by doing it myself.

EDIT: please keep in mind I'm in a small 75k population town.... not inner city... I didn't have to worry about weapons...

[ConnorMacLoad]

For most places that you can go I would agree. If this was a mall, or other public place I would agree 100%. But this is a school, and such things should not be there in the first place.

I know that they are, and are not probably going anywhere anytime soon. But in a place like a high school, the bullies know when/where they are not likely to be caught, or if they are, know that the consequences are/were not likely to be severe. (I know they weren't in my high school). I was one of these targets in high school, and know his pain well. If I ratted out one bully, he'd get suspended and his friends made my life even worse later. This happened several times, and made my life in highschool almost hell.

If his school is anything like that, I feel for you LegitSai. I hope it is not.

I see where you are comming from, and I understand. I just hate seeing people give up something that is their right to have, cause some twit needs to work out his daddy issues.

I am the opposite of you. I was the guy that took the ipod. I was a total d-bag in highschool, and now I hate when I see kids let people like myself get away with stuff like that. I may not have the best answer for him, but in the end I want to see him live his life and not be the victim. 99/100 times, it is the person that allows himself to be victimized, that ends up being the victim.

In my mind, bringing the ipod to school does not make you the target. allowing someone to take it from you does.

[Kistilan]

I do not get this..... We are advicating him buy less nice things, cause someone might victimize him, and we do not want to lose nicer things?

While your at it, do not buy a nice car in life, just get crappy second rate ones, cause there are car jackers out there. Also, never carry cash or credit cards, cause people steal wallets. Probably should have a crappy TV/home theater system and computer too. cause people break into houses.

Why don't we all just buy second rate stuff so that we will never have to worry about the nice stuff getting taken from us........ or

Do not drive in south central LA with you phantam. try to put your wallet in palces that are safer than your back pocket, when at a soccer game. And get a better home security system. You do not shelter yourself from maybes. precautions are one thing, but never self victimize yorself into a life of less pimpin, just cause some bully punked you.

Just my opinion

Accepting risk is part of life. The fact that the bully took his first ipod doesn't bode well for his risk factor.

If it were me, I'd be walking around tall and proud, but that's because this guy wouldn't ever take anything from me and if he tried he would have several dislocated joints and some broken fingers or fractured ribs. At least, if I were fighting anyone with mediocre to no training in grappling/martial arts.

His risk factor is higher currently. I'm advocating the safer way for him to achieve his "popularity" and desire to listen to music without pushing his risk envelope. If this turns out to be a bully that is flexing his might and indeed does return the ipod in working/as-was order, then his risk factor should go down and I would say by all means bring your ipod if you don't have fear of another kid doing the same stunt.

It's all a matter of risk. In downtown Seattle I refused to leave my GPS or anything of value in my rental car. On my Air Base I don't even lock my vehicle and leave the keys on the floor mat. It's all pending on the risk environment.

And yeah, I don't drive South Central LA, period, if I have a choice. I have no reason to go there and wouldn't in a 1989 Ford Pinto.

[Bladecutter563]

People stopped messing with me in school once I hit high school. I was the creepy quiet guy with a look of pure pent-up rage in his eyes all the time.

All I did during school was ignore the bullies. And I'm pro at ignoring. I could ignore being dead and resurrect myself. Mmhm.

But if anyone tries to take anything valuable from me, all that pent up rage will connect with their face several times. They can be the school hardass all they want, I doubt they've dealt with a ****ed-off weightlifter before.

Lift weights and scare people with silence and you're good to go.

[XxLegitSaixX]

I hope he gives it to me back in one piece when I show him his receipt, otherwise...

I'm going to destroy these bullies, snitching style...

[Kistilan]

I hope he gives it to me back in one piece when I show him his receipt, otherwise...

I'm going to destroy these bullies, snitching style...

Go Harry Go! Go, Harry, Go Go Go!

Harry be Good!

[Mockduck]

Theft is theft, the dude stole an expensive piece of electronics from you. I would report it to the school as a theft, if they don't do anything then report it to the cops. Although I love the idea of showing him the receipt, theoretically getting the ipod back and then punching him in the face. Bullies like this guy rarely learn, no point trying to play his game, IMO.

[XxLegitSaixX]

Dad just got home..

Any idea how i'm going to break him to him...

"A 163$ ipod got taken.."

LOL

[Mockduck]

Oh, and LegitSai - High School sucks. Always has, always will. Life begins AFTER high school. Other than getting decent grades and hopefully having fun with a few friends (oh, and I suppose a significant other can be good too), NOTHING that happens to you in high school really means that much. When I think back to how much agony I went through and bullying I experienced, and how much it hurt me at the time, I just have to shake my head and think, "If only I'd known how irrelevant they and the entire system really was."

[Kistilan]

You know your dad better than the rest of us.

Let him get settled in, then tell him how it went down.

I'd tell a joke to get things started, but that's my style.

"So two bullies walk into an ipod store. They realize they don't have $163 so they take mine. Isn't that funny?"