DAMIAN LILLARD TAKES A STAND AGAINST BULLYING

[BoBoBREWSKI]

www.trailblazers.com/respect

DAMIAN LILLARD TAKES A STAND AGAINSTBULLYING​

Lillard encourages everyone to take thepledge: Respect, Pass it On.​

PORTLAND,Ore.(March 4, 2013) – Rookie guard Damian Lillard, along with thePortland Trail Blazers and their partners Les Schwab Tire Centers and adidashave tipped off a regional anti-bullying campaign that encourages everyone tostand up for the rights of others and formally pledge to show respect for allpeople.



“Weall come from different backgrounds. I think it’s important for everyone,especially kids, to show respect to each other,” said Lillard. “I’ve lived inthree completely different communities and have seen bullying firsthand. If Ican make a difference and help kids be more aware of their actions, that’s abig deal for me. I want to be a part of that.”



Thefirst in a series of a 30-second television and radio public serviceannouncements featuring Lillard began running regionally today. The first spotfeatures more than 20 local youth from the Portland mentoring non-profit Friendsof the Children reciting the respect pledge, encouraging everyone to joinby signing the “Respect, Pass it On.” pledge.



“Westrongly believe that showing respect for all people is the most importantingredient for any successful business, school and community. We are pleased topartner with adidas and the Trail Blazers to raise awareness of the bullyingissue in schools. Our employees will be taking the pledge and we will encourageothers to join this campaign,” said Gary Wanderscheid, Regional Manager,Les Schwab Tires Centers, lesschwab.com.



ThePSA directs viewers to the website trailblazers.com/respect,where the visitors can take the pledge digitally by using their Facebookaccount, or by printing and signing a paper copy of the pledge. Those who takethe pledge will be offered a token of gratitude on behalf of Lillard, the TrailBlazers, Les Schwab and adidas.



“Bullyingis one of the largest growing issues we face in our nation today,” said TrailBlazers Vice President of Community Relations Traci Rose. “The TrailBlazers want to call attention to the devastation these acts are having on ourkids and our community. We understand we have the opportunity to get peoples’attention and who better to lead this charge for us and our entire communitythan Damian Lillard.”



Therespect pledge is attached and can be found online here.The PSA is available online hereand can be made available in additional formats.

 

[Natebishop3]

This crap never works. Do they actually think that "taking a stand against bullying" will stop kids from doing something that has been going on forever? Kids pick on other kids. Adults pick on other adults.

Bullying has to stop from the top down, and that means parents need to teach their kids it's not okay. It's that simple. Unfortunately, some parents are assholes.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

I took a stand against my bullies by trying to strangle them. Best move I ever made. I gained a ton of confidence in knowing it took five people to pull me off the little shits, and they never bothered me again.

 

[HailBlazers]

www.trailblazers.com/respect

Bout Time he did something useful!

 

[Natebishop3]

I took a stand against my bullies by trying to strangle them. Best move I ever made. I gained a ton of confidence in knowing it took five people to pull me off the little shits, and they never bothered me again.

Don't you think it's a little absurd for a grown man to strangle little kids though?

 

[SlyPokerDog]

They never stop being bullies, they just become mods on internet basketball forums.

 

[Spud147]

I took a stand against bullying when I ran away from the Tourville Twins in the 2nd grade. 15 years later at my class reunion one of the sisters hit on me in a different way and I had to tell her I was straight. True story. It was the weirdest thing to remember being so afraid of them (okay they were some bad ass sisters and I was a strange only child who had no friends) in school and then she was just so sweet all those years later. She was still a bad ass but I didn't fear for my life anymore.

Okay, I know that was random but this is a board full of testosterone and you boys do love a good story about girls doing it.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I took a stand against my bullies by trying to strangle them. Best move I ever made. I gained a ton of confidence in knowing it took five people to pull me off the little shits, and they never bothered me again.

Pretty much this. You want people to stop talking shit, or testing your toughness -- what "bullying" on the playground really boils down to -- then you then pop them in the throat 1 or 10 times and it's funny how the bullshit just sort of evaporates. Going into youth wrestling when I was 11 didn't hurt either.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Don't you think it's a little absurd for a grown man to strangle little kids though?

Gotta do whatchya' gotta do.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Pretty much this. You want people to stop talking shit, or testing your toughness -- what "bullying" on the playground really boils down to -- then you then pop them in the throat 1 or 10 times and it's funny how the bullshit just sort of evaporates. Going into youth wrestling when I was 11 didn't hurt either.

That is fine if you are a boy, but what about little girls? We were brutal on fat, ugly, stupid girls. And I am not proud of it. Creating awareness can't hurt.

 

[mook]

This crap never works. Do they actually think that "taking a stand against bullying" will stop kids from doing something that has been going on forever? Kids pick on other kids. Adults pick on other adults.

Bullying has to stop from the top down, and that means parents need to teach their kids it's not okay. It's that simple. Unfortunately, some parents are assholes.

I think this kind of thing does help. It forces kids to confront their own thinking. It redefines the role of "jock" in a school.

Personally, I've long since forgotten about any bullying I had done to me (or might have done) in school. But campaigns like this and subsequent discussions have driven home to me how important it is.

I think I already told this story, but I think about it a lot. I caught my younger son (age 5 at the time) bullying a little girl at McDonald's once. My wrath was swift and merciless. Probably the angriest he's ever seen me. I threw his barely eaten dinner in the trash, made him apologize, and we left. Both my sons were too scared to say a word on the way home. (I wasn't really as angry as I presented myself. I almost never am. I display anger to get the result I want from my kids at times, but I almost never let myself get truly angry with them.)

I'm like everybody else--I think PR and advertising doesn't work on me. But if I look at myself honestly, I suppose a big part of how I handled this bullying episode was probably molded by PR campaigns like this. It would've been much simpler to blow it off or just have a sharp word and carry on.

 

[Natebishop3]

I think this kind of thing does help. It forces kids to confront their own thinking. It redefines the role of "jock" in a school.

Personally, I've long since forgotten about any bullying I had done to me (or might have done) in school. But campaigns like this and subsequent discussions have driven home to me how important it is.

I think I already told this story, but I think about it a lot. I caught my younger son (age 5 at the time) bullying a little girl at McDonald's once. My wrath was swift and merciless. Probably the angriest he's ever seen me. I threw his barely eaten dinner in the trash, made him apologize, and we left. Both my sons were too scared to say a word on the way home. (I wasn't really as angry as I presented myself. I almost never am. I display anger to get the result I want from my kids at times, but I almost never let myself get truly angry with them.)

I'm like everybody else--I think PR and advertising doesn't work on me. But if I look at myself honestly, I suppose a big part of how I handled this bullying episode was probably molded by PR campaigns like this. It would've been much simpler to blow it off or just have a sharp word and carry on.

See, but that's just good parenting. I wish more parents were like that, but a lot actually think it's good and healthy for their kids to establish some form of dominance.

 

[crandc]

Thank you mook

Bullying is not about schoolyard spats - it's targeting a person for abuse, day after day, over and over and over and over.
Some kids are literally murdered. Some kill themselves. Some spend their lives in abusive relationships, convinced they are worthless. Others shut out the world.

Damian may not be able to make a bully not bully, but I think the point, as mook and others have said, is awareness. Too often authorities side with the abuser or just say nothing to be done or treat abuse like a rite of passage.

Check out this video. Then tell me this is harmless kid behavior.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Good point about awareness (especially parental awareness - we begin to forget after we've left school about the persistent bullshit we generally went through)...

 

[BlazerWookee]

I think this kind of thing does help. It forces kids to confront their own thinking. It redefines the role of "jock" in a school.

Personally, I've long since forgotten about any bullying I had done to me (or might have done) in school. But campaigns like this and subsequent discussions have driven home to me how important it is.

I think I already told this story, but I think about it a lot. I caught my younger son (age 5 at the time) bullying a little girl at McDonald's once. My wrath was swift and merciless. Probably the angriest he's ever seen me. I threw his barely eaten dinner in the trash, made him apologize, and we left. Both my sons were too scared to say a word on the way home. (I wasn't really as angry as I presented myself. I almost never am. I display anger to get the result I want from my kids at times, but I almost never let myself get truly angry with them.)

I'm like everybody else--I think PR and advertising doesn't work on me. But if I look at myself honestly, I suppose a big part of how I handled this bullying episode was probably molded by PR campaigns like this. It would've been much simpler to blow it off or just have a sharp word and carry on.

So, you expressed anger at your child's bullying by bullying your child?

 

[mook]

See, but that's just good parenting. I wish more parents were like that, but a lot actually think it's good and healthy for their kids to establish some form of dominance.

Thanks. But my point was that a lot of the reason I was a good parent in this situation was because of PR campaigns like Lillard's.

My mom and dad were pretty good parents, but I can easily see them totally blowing this off 35 years ago. Kids being kids.

This video always makes me laugh and enraged at the same time. My response is probably another victory for PR:

[video=youtube;roREnVhd_og]

People shouldn't be assholes. But sometimes you just have to teach them they are being assholes because they are too stupid to know it.

 

[mook]

So, you expressed anger at your child's bullying by bullying your child?

Yagoddamned right. *raises rear shoulder in menacing manner*

Hey, man, I'm just making this parenting thing up as I go.

 

[Natebishop3]

Thanks. But my point was that a lot of the reason I was a good parent in this situation was because of PR campaigns like Lillard's.

My mom and dad were pretty good parents, but I can easily see them totally blowing this off 35 years ago. Kids being kids.

This video always makes me laugh and enraged at the same time. My response is probably another victory for PR:

[video=youtube;roREnVhd_og]

People shouldn't be assholes. But sometimes you just have to teach them they are being assholes because they are too stupid to know it.

I'm not trying to be an ass, but that doesn't make sense to me. You need a celebrity to tell you that bullying is wrong?

 

[Pinwheel1]

I'm not trying to be an ass, but that doesn't make sense to me. You need a celebrity to tell you that bullying is wrong?

The more different ways they hear it the better. It won't eliminate the problem, but if it helps cut it down by 10% that is huge. There is no excuse for the mental abuse that some of these kids go through. They literally are scarred for life about humiliating acts when they are young.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

They never stop being bullies, they just become mods on internet basketball forums.

loved this one.

 

[Natebishop3]

Hey, I think we should implement a new policy in schools. When a kid is caught bullying, they go into the assembly of shame where they stand up in front of the school and everyone makes fun of them.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

The more different ways they hear it the better. It won't eliminate the problem, but if it helps cut it down by 10% that is huge. There is no excuse for the mental abuse that some of these kids go through. They literally are scarred for life about humiliating acts when they are young.

Wow, loved this one too, well put (though I think the 10% should be replaced with 0.5 %, it's all good).

 

[Natebishop3]

[video=youtube;bn2ofZ84tZI]

 

[BlazerWookee]

Yagoddamned right. *raises rear shoulder in menacing manner*

Hey, man, I'm just making this parenting thing up as I go.

Wait. You have a rear shoulder?

 

[Shooter]

They never stop being bullies, they just become mods on internet basketball forums.

Oh, that is priceless.

 

[mook]

Wait. You have a rear shoulder?

 

[mook]

I'm not trying to be an ass, but that doesn't make sense to me. You need a celebrity to tell you that bullying is wrong?

Nah. But my kids fuck up all the goddamned time. I need a celebrity to tell me which things to be less apathetic about.

 

[Natebishop3]

Nah. But my kids fuck up all the goddamned time. I need a celebrity to tell me which things to be less apathetic about.

Well, you know what, I'm not going to criticize your methods because I don't have kids yet.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

this bullying crap is so overrated. wah wah wah. everyone is special and unique. blah blah blah.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

and where are the fucking asians in the lillard shot? asians get bullied the most, son. but its funny because we're just a bunch o' video game playing math nerds! :MARIS61: