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Black belt Korean teen strikes back at redneck bully
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mises



Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired

PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 9:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The act in the OP aside, that this made Canada's leading countrywide daily newspaper speaks a great deal to the vapidity of our society.
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Julius



Joined: 27 Jul 2006

PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sleepy in Seoul wrote:
If these were adults fighting then the person breaking a nose could be charged with bodily harm (punishable by up to seven years in gaol) or even GBH (grievous bodily harm - 14 years)


14 years in jail is a ridiculously excessive punishment for a simple fistfight.

What it does is create a system where it is legal to verbally abuse, insult and provoke someone but it is illegal for the victim to defend themselves.
In Korea, apparently someone is legally allowed to call my girlfriend or wife a traitorous *beep*, but if I retaliate then I stand to either pay out my life savings to the idiot or go to jail.

Cases of physical violence should be judged on the basis of who initiated/provoked the fight and nothing more.
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supernick



Joined: 24 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 9:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
If I pick on someone because they are fat/ have a big nose/ ugly/ stutter etc then why is that a lesser offence than racism?

All are criticising someones physical attributes- that is to say, criticising something they have no power to change. Difference is, the race card is the magic word that makes world headlines while the others are dismissed as simple bullying- something a kid is expected to suck up.


This is what bullies do. Bullying goes on and is much apart of growing up. We have all seen it and many of have probably bullied at some time in our lives.

In another article that I read, the cousin of the white guy has now been suspended for making a racial slur to the same Korean boy.

There is a good lesson to be learned here, and the children at the school are on the right track. I really don't think most are looking at this as a racial thing, but more about bullying.

As I have said before to misses, is that it is worthy of national news as that the students and the communty are taking a stand against school bullying and racism. It takes a lot of good to overcome the nasty actions of a couple of individuals. The story goes further to say that a bully can get a licking, and brings attention to some quirks in the justice system. Good for the G&M from carrying the story. It is of interest because this thread is getting a few comments which kind of shows that people are interested in it. If communities don't get involved, situations like this will only get worse.
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mises



Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired

PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 10:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

supernick wrote:
If communities don't get involved, situations like this will only get worse.


Getting "communities" (outside of the school involved) involved is exactly the opposite of what is needed in a situation like this.

Quote:
On Monday, 400 of his fellow students, wearing black in solidarity and carrying signs of support, walked out of Keswick High School to rally in protest in front of their school.

Organizer Mathew Winch, a Grade 12 student, said the school has fewer than 10 Asian students, but everyone wanted to stand up against bullying and racism. The story even hit the front page of local newspapers.


Looks like we're not on the verge of "situations like this getting worse". It was an outlier. Neither national news or suggestive or a larger problem.

A small, two punch school yard fight is at most a suspension. For the name calling, give him an extra couple days. I don't think either kid should have been suspended. 15 year old boys fight and call each other names.

The only reason this is news is because the kid who was racist is white, like the editorial board of the Globe and Mail. It provides Caucasians an opportunity to look down on the ignorance of their ethnic kin and therein demonstrate their loyalty to diversity.

This article has points of contact with 5 SWPL.
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/19/7-diversity/
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/23/18-awareness/
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/02/05/55-apologies/
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/02/20/71-being-the-only-white-person-around/
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/28/101-being-offended/
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Sleepy in Seoul



Joined: 15 May 2004
Location: Going in ever decreasing circles until I eventually disappear up my own fundament - in NZ

PostPosted: Fri May 01, 2009 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Julius wrote:
Sleepy in Seoul wrote:
If these were adults fighting then the person breaking a nose could be charged with bodily harm (punishable by up to seven years in gaol) or even GBH (grievous bodily harm - 14 years)

14 years in jail is a ridiculously excessive punishment for a simple fistfight.

What it does is create a system where it is legal to verbally abuse, insult and provoke someone but it is illegal for the victim to defend themselves.
In Korea, apparently someone is legally allowed to call my girlfriend or wife a traitorous *beep*, but if I retaliate then I stand to either pay out my life savings to the idiot or go to jail.

Cases of physical violence should be judged on the basis of who initiated/provoked the fight and nothing more.

You obviously know nothing of the workings of legal systems. No matter how correct you may think you are, legal systems tend to try to make a difference between what a situation may be and what the result is. I remember a situation in Queensland where there was a fist fight in a pub and one of the participants ended up sent to gaol sentenced with manslaughter. He had punched his opponent once and the other man died because he had a thin skull (which no-one, including him, knew). The man sentenced was a boxer as well and that was a circumstance of aggravation in that he was trained to punch and the other man was not. This obviously didn't happen in the instance quoted in the OP and the matter should have gone no further. However, as I am not familiar with the law particular to that locale, it's not up to me to pass judgement.
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Manner of Speaking



Joined: 09 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sat May 02, 2009 12:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's somewhat understandable, IMHO, that the police would investigate the matter as a broken nose is a potentially fatal injury. But in my book the kids in that school are way out in front of the police and the school on the most appropriate way of handling this issue. The Korean kid doesn't deserve to be suspended. Period.
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ED209



Joined: 17 Oct 2006

PostPosted: Sat May 02, 2009 1:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hater Depot wrote:
Ilsanman wrote:
In Korea, Black Belts are considered some sort of weapon. If they fight and hurt someone, they get charged with a crime more serious than normal people.


As I recall that's why Nicolas Cage went to jail at the beginning of Con Air.


Then it must be true.
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RJjr



Joined: 17 Aug 2006
Location: Turning on a Lamp

PostPosted: Sat May 02, 2009 2:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

When I was a teenager, a white guy on my bus who actually worked on my family's farm called a soft-spoken black guy a nigger and the black guy kicked his ass quickly. I thought the bus driver did the right thing by not reporting it to the principal, because it would've been a shame for either kid to have gotten in trouble since the black guy was only standing up for himself and the white guy ended up apologizing to him.
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Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee



Joined: 25 May 2003

PostPosted: Sat May 02, 2009 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hater Depot wrote:
Ilsanman wrote:
In Korea, Black Belts are considered some sort of weapon. If they fight and hurt someone, they get charged with a crime more serious than normal people.


As I recall that's why Nicolas Cage went to jail at the beginning of Con Air.


In korea they'll give a blackbelt for just coming to class. It is not any sort of an achievement.
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Ilsanman



Joined: 15 Aug 2003
Location: Bucheon, Korea

PostPosted: Sat May 02, 2009 7:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Only if your mother complains a lot.

Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee wrote:
Hater Depot wrote:
Ilsanman wrote:
In Korea, Black Belts are considered some sort of weapon. If they fight and hurt someone, they get charged with a crime more serious than normal people.


As I recall that's why Nicolas Cage went to jail at the beginning of Con Air.


In korea they'll give a blackbelt for just coming to class. It is not any sort of an achievement.
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postfundie



Joined: 28 May 2004

PostPosted: Sat May 02, 2009 10:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
The only reason this is news is because the kid who was racist is white, like the editorial board of the Globe and Mail. It provides Caucasians an opportunity to look down on the ignorance of their ethnic kin and therein demonstrate their loyalty to diversity.


WRONG! The reason it's news, is because it's like every movie I've ever seen. First, we have an Asian kid who has been trained in the martial arts. He was taught not to fight back because his families honor was at stake. Now he's persued by the authorities. Next he'll be in jail and make friends with a loveable down-on-his luck con who will also be attacked and the Asian kid will again be forced to defend something he holds dear. Then he'll escape from Jail and rejoin his uncle, who is in Asian running his own cornerstore shop.
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wesharris



Joined: 10 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Mon May 04, 2009 3:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sleepy in Seoul wrote:
mises wrote:
The police are for catching rapists, robbers and the like. Not for 15 year old two punch "fights".

The police are there for everyone and for every offence. If these were adults fighting then the person breaking a nose could be charged with bodily harm (punishable by up to seven years in gaol) or even GBH (grievous bodily harm - 14 years) depending upon the severity of the injury. I agree wholeheartedly that the boy should not have been charged and I can only assume that Canadian law provides an exculpatory provision for self defence in their legislation. Why it was not used I don't know, but I doubt that any police officer would take kindly to mises telling them what their job is.


He did what he had to, he stopped the fight, and defended his honor. No greater thing came of this. But the ignorance of a noble savage being opined as virtue by the school board.
_+_+
Wes
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some waygug-in



Joined: 25 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Mon May 04, 2009 6:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The kid has a black belt, he should have been able to defend himself without breaking the other guy's nose.

I think it's also true in Canada that people who have black belts are considered to be using weapons according to the law.

That is why he is being charged.

I am no legal expert, but I have heard of Karate experts having to register their hands as lethal weapons in Canada.
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djsmnc



Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Dave's ESL Cafe

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2009 8:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Man, none of this would have happened if that Asian family just stayed back in their homeland!
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mises



Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2009 11:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I feel a congratulations is in order to the Canadians of the 'cafe for maintaining a thread about Canada for more than one page.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090504.wkeswick0504/BNStory/National/home
Quote:
A 15-year-old black belt who was suspended for breaking the nose of a classmate who racially abused him will return to school Tuesday after a sudden change of heart at the York Region board.

The reversal represents a dramatic victory for the Asian student, who was suspended a maximum 20 days last week. He had received a letter from the school board � later retracted � that said his principal recommended he be expelled from all schools in the region.

The 15-year-old will return to Keswick High School this morning with the suspension removed from his academic record and his upcoming expulsion hearing cancelled, the boy's father said Monday.
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