Yesterday, between sixth and seventh period, I broke up a pretty brutal fight. During the 20 seconds or so for the whole situation to play out, I noticed three groups of people: the fighters, the bystanders, and the entertained.
There is all kinds of gossip going around about the causes of the fight. The common denominator seems to be a scorned lover; I don't know who or what to believe, so I'll just leave that one alone. Either way, I was sad to know that the students felt the need to punch it out, make threats, and cause all sorts of havoc for purposes that will seem petty to them in a year or two.
I suppose that as long as we view the world differently, there will be conflict. Heated conflict, even. Conflict so blinding that you make rash decisions to assault another person.
During the brawl, there was a great deal of ooh-ing and ah-ing as punches were thrown. There was even fighting advice amid laughter as these two beat on each other. Plus, there's a video of the brawl circulating the campus. Encouraging violence between two people is completely inexcusable, and on a larger scale, that shows a greater evil than the fighters themselves.
The bystanders had mixed reactions; some simply watched and some responded quickly by informing teachers. I am aware of the Bystander Effect; it's hard to know how to react in a situation in which you are completely unprepared.
I hope the fighters learn their lessons as they're under some pretty stiff suspension rules. The bystanders are still talking among themselves. The entertained...yeah, I don't know. It seems like a good opportunity for all of us to push against the seemingly growing desire to be entertained at almost any cost.
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