Deterring Bullies: The “Karate Kid” Program

The Obama Administration has declared war on school bullies. The Department of Education recently issued guidelines to prevent what Secretary Arne Duncan called bullying’s devastating impact on schools. Conferences have been called, grants awarded, at least eight other federal departments have joined the crusade, and 45 states have already passed anti-bullying laws.

No matter that this enterprise is blatantly unconstitutional and guaranteed to fail given the nation’s 100,000 K-12 schools with 55 million students. Countless schools struggle to impart basic literacy. No matter that this project will generate more noxious, nearly impossible-to-implement rules and spark yet more litigation. And who cares that financially pressed school districts will have to hire more drones to create thousands of little police states called “schools”?

So where’s the conservative outrage? After all, the anti-bullying campaign embodies every aspect of government gone wild. Silence.

Today’s conservatives are terrified of opposing policies that ostensibly rescue any officially certified victim. What sort of Neanderthal wants to live in a world where classmates taunt an effeminate little seventh-grade boy who dresses as Elizabeth Taylor? No modern conservative is that heartless.

“Teaching deterrence would be far more effective—and less expensive—than trying to train bullies to ‘respect differences.’”

 

Cowardice acknowledged, let me suggest a more practical “conservative” anti-bullying campaign, one that will be just as virtuous (and politically alluring) as Obama’s scheme but will promote self-reliance and individual initiative over Washington’s heavy-handed intervention. Here are the key elements.
Begin with the premise that the first and most effective line of defense against the schoolyard bully is deterrence: “Hit me and you’ll be sorry.”

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