Suspended?!?!
- Thread starter ~Janessa
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That works really well . . . . in SOME schools. In the high school I went to, it would have ensured that you got beaten to a pulp on a weekly basis, or depending on who you reported, quite literally run over in the parking lot.
It happened. More than once. There are "In Memoriam" pages in my yearbooks.
And, just so you know, ANYTHING can be defined as a weapon if it is used with the intent to harm another person. By the time you're in high school, very few people are still wearing flame retardant clothing . . . By legal standards, you're entitled to defend yourself. The OP didn't use deadly force. And I don't find it terribly odd, if the flamer was a prominent member of one of the popular cliques, that no one "saw" her try to burn the OP. THAT happens all the time too.
It happened. More than once. There are "In Memoriam" pages in my yearbooks.
And, just so you know, ANYTHING can be defined as a weapon if it is used with the intent to harm another person. By the time you're in high school, very few people are still wearing flame retardant clothing . . . By legal standards, you're entitled to defend yourself. The OP didn't use deadly force. And I don't find it terribly odd, if the flamer was a prominent member of one of the popular cliques, that no one "saw" her try to burn the OP. THAT happens all the time too.
I think she was saying that the rest of the class is friends with the girl that tried to burn her.
And, I think she was on the stage because it was a drama class or something.
I know how she feels, and I've had that happen to me before actually.
I was sleeping in art class, it was the end of the day, and we were finished with our work thirty minutes early. The teacher said we could do what we wanted until the bell rang. I chose to sleep. A student sitting near me decided it would be funny to heat up a clay sculpting tool with a lighter (one of those butane ones) and stick it to the back of my hand. Apparently it was red hot. I don't know, I was sleeping. Anyway, he stuck it on my hand.
I jumped awake, because it hurt, it felt like he had pinched me really hard on my hand. I looked at my hand, saw the blister forming (2nd degree burn) realized what happened, and I punched him. I barely hurt him (come on, I'm a whopping 105 pounds, soaking wet with rocks in my pockets) but there is still a scar on my hand. He knew he deserved being punched, he saw my hand.
I reported it, both the burning and the punching, and the teacher told him he was lucky all I did was punch him. All that happened to him from reporting it was a talk with the counselor. Big punishment there. And, strangely, only my friend seems to have saw him do it. She was too far away to do anything about it, but the rest of the class was friends with him, and therefore, "didn't see anything, honest!". However, my hand told a different story, and I was not, nor am now, prone to hurting myself for attention. So, there are always a myriad of sides to any story.
And, I think she was on the stage because it was a drama class or something.
I know how she feels, and I've had that happen to me before actually.
I was sleeping in art class, it was the end of the day, and we were finished with our work thirty minutes early. The teacher said we could do what we wanted until the bell rang. I chose to sleep. A student sitting near me decided it would be funny to heat up a clay sculpting tool with a lighter (one of those butane ones) and stick it to the back of my hand. Apparently it was red hot. I don't know, I was sleeping. Anyway, he stuck it on my hand.
I jumped awake, because it hurt, it felt like he had pinched me really hard on my hand. I looked at my hand, saw the blister forming (2nd degree burn) realized what happened, and I punched him. I barely hurt him (come on, I'm a whopping 105 pounds, soaking wet with rocks in my pockets) but there is still a scar on my hand. He knew he deserved being punched, he saw my hand.
I reported it, both the burning and the punching, and the teacher told him he was lucky all I did was punch him. All that happened to him from reporting it was a talk with the counselor. Big punishment there. And, strangely, only my friend seems to have saw him do it. She was too far away to do anything about it, but the rest of the class was friends with him, and therefore, "didn't see anything, honest!". However, my hand told a different story, and I was not, nor am now, prone to hurting myself for attention. So, there are always a myriad of sides to any story.
Uh...if someone tried to set me on fire with a lighter (assuming this was the case) you can be assured that I would definitely have thrown that person up against the wall, IF I didn't grab her by the head and punch her. But that's me.
Do any of you KNOW how FAST hair can burn??????
A lighter IS a weapon, as ANYTHING can be a weapon, it's ALL in the intent behind the USE of the item as to whether or not it is a weapon.
Now I don't know the other side, but if the story happened as the OP said, I think she was well in her rights to protect herself.
You all can attempt to skip away and cry to an authority figure, but I'd do that AFTER I kicked her butt for attempting to set me on fire.
Do any of you KNOW how FAST hair can burn??????
A lighter IS a weapon, as ANYTHING can be a weapon, it's ALL in the intent behind the USE of the item as to whether or not it is a weapon.
Now I don't know the other side, but if the story happened as the OP said, I think she was well in her rights to protect herself.
You all can attempt to skip away and cry to an authority figure, but I'd do that AFTER I kicked her butt for attempting to set me on fire.
She burns you with a lighter and that's not a reason to "go at her?" ROFL. How about if she cuts you with a knife...? Or hits you with a stick? The fact is, it is not only a physical attack - and a f#cking dangerous and painful one at that (I'd prefer a stick to a lighter, personally) - but it's a very violent one, and since clearly no one else is stepping in to protect her, why shouldn't she protect herself? Trust me when I say the girl would have tried it again if the OP just shrugged it off and did nothing... she may still try it, or something even more dangerous, again despite the OP's actions.
:hail:
:hail:
I'm not sure how many people here have actually HAD a lighter put close to them, but I have and it does sweet FA.
You could blow the thing out - move their hand - you don't have to push them up against a wall.
Unless she was covered in flammable material or they tried to set fire to her hair, then it was an unnecessary way to handle the situation.
You could blow the thing out - move their hand - you don't have to push them up against a wall.
Unless she was covered in flammable material or they tried to set fire to her hair, then it was an unnecessary way to handle the situation.
M
I don't know. I think it's hard to judge what is appropriate, as we were not present at the time. For example, if the girl walked up behind me and burnt me with a lighter, I would have turned and slugged her. But if she approached me and I knew she was trying to burn me, I'd have slapped the lighter out of her hand and seen where it went from there. If she stopped, no harm done. If she came after me, the fight would be on. So, since we don't know what EXACTLY happened, we can't say the OP was at fault. Besides, some people get a bit hot-headed when pain is inflicted. Fight or flight, right? lol
Personally, it someone got close to me and then started a lighter with the intention to burn me my knee jerk reaction would probably be to shove them away from me. If there was some distance between the us I might try to swat it away, but if they were already close to me before I noticed the lighter they'd definitely get a shove. There are two sides to every story though. It's hard to judge when you didn't see what happened.
Some of the adjustable lighters will throw a flame 4 inches high. Get that near hair with any kind of gel or spray in it . . . . or most clothing . . . . and human beings, by and large, are hard wired (we ARE animals, you remember) to have an immediate, primitive reaction to flame. Some of us have got that under control better than others.
Yah, both girls should have to deal with consequences. But the instigator should have the harsher consequences than the person reacting defensively. THAT would be justice.
But most of us who live in the harsh, real world know it ain't gonna go down that way.
Yah, both girls should have to deal with consequences. But the instigator should have the harsher consequences than the person reacting defensively. THAT would be justice.
But most of us who live in the harsh, real world know it ain't gonna go down that way.
Meh, I don't know. Not matter what has happened to me I have never had a knee jerk reaction to physically harm someone.
I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one.
My response was mainly due to the large amounts of unhealthy anger she showed in her post. Venomous is the only word I can equate to it.
I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one.
My response was mainly due to the large amounts of unhealthy anger she showed in her post. Venomous is the only word I can equate to it.
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Ditto... this did not seem to come from someone who was unjustly accussed of something...rather it seemed to come from someone who has anger issues to begin with.
The story could have been relayed without the use of "ho" or "retards" or various other terms.
I am not saying that one should never defend themselves and should sit back and take physical attacks however, sometimes you need to know when to not react and aggravate the situation even more... like others said knocking the lighter out of her hand would have been sufficient... however, SLAMMING AGAINST A WALL seems harsh.
The story could have been relayed without the use of "ho" or "retards" or various other terms.
I am not saying that one should never defend themselves and should sit back and take physical attacks however, sometimes you need to know when to not react and aggravate the situation even more... like others said knocking the lighter out of her hand would have been sufficient... however, SLAMMING AGAINST A WALL seems harsh.