Elliott Fletcher was a bully, that is why he was stabbed.
Elliott Fletcher was a bully, plain and simple.
Picture of Elliott Fletchers ceremony courtesy of the Herald Sun
I read an article headline that stated that Elliott Fletcher was a cherished gift from god, and it made my blood boil. No he was not a cherished gift from god, Elliott Fletcher was a bully who pushed a young child to the brink of insanity.
None of the newspapers have actually asked the question:
"Why was Elliott Fletcher Stabbed in the first place?"
Why haven't they asked? Because it doesn't make for a sensationalist headline. "Cherished Elliott, a gift from God" does.
Elliott did not deserve to die, and I'm not condoning voilent behaviour. But I think we should be focusing not just on Elliott the victim, but the poor child who was pushed to the brink of insanity over being tormented and abused by Elliott. Don't know who he is? He's the 13 year old kid who is in Jail on murder charges.
In almost every case of mass killings in American schools and Universities, the person doing the shooting is someone who has been bullied, teased, ridiculed and abused on a regular basis. They go mental from the abuse, and they lash out. It's not that hard to understand folks? Can we not see a pattern here?
Elliott Fletcher should not be remembered as a hero, because to do so will only make things worse. To release 1000 green balloons and hold a special ceremony is essentially sending the wrong message. Elliott should be remembered as exactly as he was: a bully who paid a very dear price for his selfish and harmful actions.
Elliott's life was not the only one that was destroyed that day.
February 22nd, 2010 - 09:36
I wonder why the newspapers wont tell the real story…
very sad, for everyone. Bullying will continue as long as people keep ignoring the cause. Look at Bowling for Columbine. Nothing has changed.
February 22nd, 2010 - 10:05
Gift from God?
Ultimately with bullying it’s all about who pays the price with their lives: the identity of the victim makes all the difference in how the media reports it, and there is such a huge grey area in between the two extremes of the victim dying and the victim retaliating. It’s very unfair for the kid who’s now being tried for murder and absolutely demonised by the press and the public – I suppose if he had killed himself then he would’ve been the one who received the heartfelt send-off and 1000 green balloon salute.
I agree with you here, death is extreme but no one is paying any attention to ‘why’ the other kid, who was apparently a straight-A student, would turn to violence. Instead of looking at the real problem of bullying, convenient scapegoats are found – I’d say it won’t be long before they find out that the 13 year old played video games or watched a Schwarzenegger movie or listened to music with coarse language, and jump to the appropriate conclusions.
Very Columbine-like. Gun regulations in the US aside, it’s common knowledge that the two boys responsible for the shootings were seen as ‘outsiders’ and were constantly bullied, and in the end their main targets were the cliques and ‘popular kids’. How and why did it all happen? Mass murder is horrendous but the conclusion? They played DOOM.
Bullying is embedded in society and people so often turn a blind eye to it, and unless someone has experienced it for themselves there is no true way anyone can imagine of how hurtful and mentally destroying it is. I was a victim of it in primary school and high school and I’d constantly have thoughts of retaliation, and I’m not a violent person. But everyone has their limit. All we want is for it to stop.
That poor 13 year old must be so alone right now – even more so than he would have been when he was enduring the bullying on a day to day basis. To be driven to that extent by the torment would have really been hell, and I hope he gets a chance to tell the world about this some day.
March 3rd, 2010 - 21:35
Elliot Fletcher may have been a bully but that does not mean he deserved to die!!! Kiling someone is the ultimate violence and should definitely be condemned. How dare that the pepetrator of this horrendous crime be portrayed as a victim. That is why RE should be taught in schools. Catholicsim is just another religion no different to Islam. RE focuses on the teachings of Jesus Christ who taught us to love God and love others as ourselves. To also turn the other cheek and not to take revenge. Forgiveness is the ultimate revenge but since we live accordng to world’s standards, this boy should be imprisoned for some years because it will send a message that it is ok to kill someone who bullys. There are no winners in this sad situation and with violence seen as part of daily life condon by society, things will only get worse. Society is reaping what it has been sowing all these years of glorifying violence on the big screens, tv, games, and just about everywhere else. Even ads and now this stupid skirmish games are condoning violence. WHAT DO THEY EXPECT???
March 3rd, 2010 - 22:14
I read what you wrote Virginia.
When human beings are treated with violence, they often mentally shut down completely, or they react with violence, or both. It’s not rocket science.
If Elliot Fletcher was a bully who pushed this boy until he could not take it anymore it is no surprise that he reacted with violence.
It is not okay to kill someone and I never said Elliot Fletcher deserved to die. I did say that it was no surprise that he did. But it is also not okay for the general public to practically worship a dead boy who was a tourmentor and a bully. The premier of QLD Annah Bligh attended his funeral. Do you think she’d attend the funeral of one of the many victims of bullying who commit suicide? Today a young boy was almost killed when he was hit by a car, because he was running away from a bully. If he died, do you think the Premier of QLD would have attended his funeral?
This was a public spectacle and for all the wrong reasons and whats worse, no one actually learned anything from it. The message was lost.
It is no surprise that Elliot Fletcher was killed. It is no surprise that many people who are mentally and physically abused/bullied react violently. This is a time bomb waiting to explode. This is a time bomb that will never be disarmed, because people like you insist that it doesn’t exist.
Religion is not an answer to bullying. And vilifying video games and video game players is also not an answer. Violence and Murder have been around long before video games. To blame video games is a scape goat. People who are always looking for something or someone to blame other than themselves are the problem. People who insist on ‘turning the other cheek’ are the problem. You are the problem.
The fact you assume that a victim of years of bullying can simply ‘turn the other cheek’ proves to me without a doubt that you have no clue about the mental damage that years of bullying can have on a victim. These are victims of years of systematic abuse and often victims of such abuse require years and years of therapy before they can ever come close to feeling better about themselves and about what happened to them.
Your ignorance offends me, and if there is a God, I’m sure he’d be pissed that you use his name so flippantly.
March 4th, 2010 - 09:31
So let me get this straight!! You think it is ok to kill a 12 year old boy because he was a bully. There is no other solution to this. It is people like you who are not “ignorant” but evil condone this appalling act of violence. Don’t tell me anything about God since you seemed clueless about God. I am just quoting Jesus who taught us that violence is a cycle and it clearly is in this case and in your case. You sound so full of hate and revenge and has obviously been bullied yourself. Of course I am not condoning bullying and has never understood why someone would bully another. You know NOTHING about me so don’t write such rubbish. I was very badly treated when I was young, but I did not grow up aggressive because I believe that violence begets violence.
If anyone thinks it is ok to kill a 12 year old, then this person is a sick person and needs help. I am also not using video games etc as a scapegoat but you have to be blind ad stupid to deny that this sort of thing is not common in the past. By your own admission you said that if you are open to violence, it is just a natural thing to you. So there is no denying that filling up your mind with violence everyday will eventually make you a violent person.
I do not want to receive an email from someone I do not know and someone I do not wish to know so please do not send a personal reply to me. If you want to write something, please reply in the designated solumn. You need to see a psychologist or a counselor if you have suffered abused to get over your anger, hate and bitterness. Why wait until it gets to the point where you want to kill someone? Do you think that killing someone will solve the problem? In the world you are going to meet people who will offend you in other ways, not just writing a letter about God, is your answer killing them all? You seemed to be easily offended, do you know how many people would be offended by your attitude towards life and towards God? I was foolish enough to think that most people would agree with me since the solution to all this kind of behaviour was love and forgiveness. Obviously I was wrong and naïve but I am not going to change my mind about what I believe in and now I am even more convinced that I am correct.
Lastly, may I suggest that you do not reply and certainly not one with offensive language especially using it in the same sentence as God. By the way, just because violence has always been with us does NOT MAKE IT RIGHT.
March 4th, 2010 - 09:34
Virginia, when you post on a blog, often the response to your comment is emailed to you, just like your email response becomes a comment. Just so you know.
You seem like a very aggressive person for someone who says that they did [sic] “not grow up aggressive”.
From what you’ve written, I can see that you haven’t actually read what I wrote in my response to you. You especially seem to enjoy passing over the parts where I say that I did not condone violence and I did not believe Elliot Fletcher deserved to pay for his abusive actions with his life.
Thanks for your comment though, even if most of it is religious ranting that makes little sense.
March 4th, 2010 - 10:14
My apologies to you if I have misjudged you. Thanks for informing about the blog, all this is new to me. No, I am not aggressive, on the contrary, and yes I did go back and read your comments properly and you did say that you did not believe this boy should be killed. By the way, we do not worship this dead boy, just think that it should have been dealt with in a better way other than killing.
We were just being compassionate for a boy who bullied and paid with his life. Now the victim has become the perpetrator and the perpetrator has become a victim . There are no winners to this cycle.
Thanks again and I apologize for anything that you find offensive.
March 10th, 2010 - 14:34
There is actually no scientifically proven study that links video game and tv violence to violent behavior in society. But there are countless studies which show that bullying and mental abuse in children can cause long term psychological trauma. When murders happen involving kids, the media will often be quick to state that the perpetrator played violent videos games. Of course, so do millions of other kids around the world and they don’t go out on killing sprees.
I doubt anyone here thinks it’s fine to kill a 12 year old. What I do draw from the posts is that the media needs to disclose a less biased approach when reporting and indicate that Elliott Fletcher was indeed a bully. No, he did not deserve to die, but the fact is, he was a bully.
Both parties are victims. A boy who ended up losing his life as a consequence of his negative school yard behaviour. And another who will trade his youth and future promise for a life behind bars.
March 4th, 2010 - 01:03
Virginia, Elliot Fletcher and the boy who killed him/was bullied by him both attended St Patrick’s College – a Catholic school, so I’m pretty sure that religion is a subject they teach there. Religious education may well provide a firm foundation on which people may build their core values in life, but was this the case in this situation? Did Elliot Fletcher practice loving God and loving others?
Just so you know, I am a Catholic and when I was bullied at school trust me when I say that it wasn’t so easy to turn the other cheek. I never reacted to the provocation but, when bullying keeps on happening for years, the question is when enough is enough. How much can you take? In this situation, the ‘killer’ was pushed beyond breaking point so I’d very much like to hear what you’d think had he taken his own life.
The key point in this story and what the blogger is trying to get across is that the root cause of this tragedy – the bullying – is being completely overlooked. In other words, the outcome is the focus, not the cause: your comments (along with all the media reports) are concentrating solely on the violence, but what about the bullying that provoked the violent reaction? Is this also because of “big screens, tv, games, and … ads and now this [sic] stupid skirmish games”? Is bullying not a form of violence as well?
The reality is that these cases are not simply black or white, and so far the media has only told one side of the story. You ask “How dare that the pepetrator of this horrendous crime be portrayed as a victim”, but on that same token how dare a school bully be portrayed as a gift from God?
You preach forgiveness as being the ultimate revenge, and yet are so quick to make the judgment that “this boy should be imprisoned for some years” without any input whatsoever on the topic of school bullying OR whether forgiveness should also be shown towards the victim of the bullying, which to me comes across as very un-Godly indeed.
March 4th, 2010 - 17:09
Well, if you read the comments properly, we here in Australia has separated state and church so we do imprisoned people who have killed. Please do not make lightly of this crime, if it is in the US, he would have got the death penalty or at leasts life imprisonment. I also did not say that this boy was godly or in anyway practising Christianity. If he did bully, then of course he deserved to be disciplined (not killed) Two wrongs dont make a right. Can’t you all see that violence is a cycle and can only be broken when one person decides to break it? If this 13 year old was bullied beyond bearable, he could change school. You would ask why should he change school but killing a person is definitely not the answer. What do you suppose you would do with this killer? Reward him? There are always 2 sides to a story and i am sure he is not lilywhite. I’m afraid now the state will make a judgment (not God) yes we do live in a country that separates state and church. You should all be thankful that we do not have sharia law so i would think this boy would get away lightly. So the violence continues.
March 5th, 2010 - 10:48
Sigh.
Well aren’t we all lucky that we live in a country where “this boy would get away lightly” and the solution to the widespread, systemic problem of bullying is that the victims should change schools for the entirety of their childhood and adolescent years. Are you seriously suggesting that? I mean … really? Will the violence not continue if bullies ‘win’?
I am confused, Virginia. I don’t know how it is you’re trying to argue a point that “two wrongs dont make a right” and that there are “always 2 sides to a story” when you spend the rest of your reply explaining that HAD this happened in the US he would’ve gotten the death penalty and HAD he been subjected to Sharia law he would have received a more extreme punishment. Why have you brought this up? What is the relevance of these examples to a bullying and murder case in Australia where what we are talking about is how the full details have not been revealed and that people are too quick to judge? By saying that he got away lightly and that we should be thankful for it, can you not see how you’re missing the point?
I also don’t know how you’ve interpreted my reply as suggesting that he should be rewarded… is simply being HEARD a reward? Anyway I wish you well, I suppose there’s no point in trying to reason with deluded people. Goodbye
March 4th, 2010 - 10:06
I have recently met a person that knows the family of the boy who did the stabbing. How sad that this boy had to go this far to protect himself. My heart goes out to this child and I wish him all the best.
March 4th, 2010 - 10:17
Hi Cat,
Thank you for your post. May I ask how you found the blog? It is my hope that the boy’s family are made aware that there are many people who understand and feel for their son in jail. We don’t all think he’s a monster who deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.
March 7th, 2010 - 23:09
Something that I think is important in this case that has not been mentioned or talked about is the fact that the father of the boy who did the stabbing committed suicide in November of last year. Clearly the boy has psychological issues and if he was tormented using the fact of his father’s recent passing then i’m not surprised that this happened. As ridiculous as it sounds, bullying is a powerful psychological weapon.
March 8th, 2010 - 05:41
I didn’t know that he had lost his father. You must have inside information.
Bullies will use any weapon at their disposal to inflict as much psychological damage as possible. Teachers ignore it, often because they themselves want to be popular and so they align themselves with the bully or pretend nothing is happening. If bullies can use any weapon they can imagine up to inflict harm, it isn’t a shock that victims will start bringing weapons of their own to school to help protect themselves from further abuse.
March 9th, 2010 - 00:16
Who’s to say that Elliot bullied? Maybe the 13 yr old bullied? He was the older one. I can’t recall seeing an older boy being bullied by a younger boy. And Elliot was younger by a yr. The boy who stabbed was teased (i believe by his classmates and some older boys if any) and he stabbed a kid because he was so angry and he couldn’t stab his classmates. Anyway, Elliot can’t talk now can he, so the boy who stabbed him can say anything. He still killed a kid. The 13 yr old is certainly not stupid so why did he take that knife to school in the first place? I think this kid had issues with home too. I mean his dad did kill himself. There are many factors as to why this child went crazy, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is a dead child. He took the knife to school and you wouldn’t do that if you didn’t have an intent to cause grevious bodily harm or murder. He now has to pay the price.
I just hate seeing or hearing people write/say that they can understand if he snapped. Well first of all, smart people don’t want to go to jail. Secondly, there is no fact that Elliot (the victim) actually bullied – it may have been a case of in the wrong place at the wrong time. (which is what I think happened) He stabbed who he could because he was angry at other classmates. He couldn’t stab them so he stabbed a smaller kid. How do you not know if the stabber was the bully to Elliot? Elliot was younger and I highly doubt he bullied an older kid. Usually the older kids pick on the smaller ones. And people who bully will usually bully a smaller kid too.
So whatever the reason – he KILLED. A child is dead because another kid couldn’t handle himself. The kid needs to be locked up and treated by psychiatrists because the chances are he will get called a name again either in juvie, jail or work and he can’t go around stabbing people.
Noone deserves to be assaulted, killed, abused or treated any differently than you want to be treated. But thats how it would be in a beautiful world not one where we have nothing but criminals all around us.
And if anyone says ‘he deserved it’ or ‘it’s justified’ just remember Martin Bryant said the same crap when he killed that fateful day. The crims all have a reason. Any reason is a stupid reason because noone has the right to take someone else’s life away.. Hence, all the child molesters being released out of prison.
I was bullied by some poeple in my class and then in high school by older girls. What do you think I did when I got older? Doesn’t take a genius to figure it now does it?
March 9th, 2010 - 20:30
Your comment is a rant, much like my post is a rant, but your’s is not compelling writing.
Elliot did the wrong thing, and he abused a child who had been pushed to the edge from bullying and abuse at school and the death of his father to suicide. I believe that if I were in the same situation it is no stretch of my imagination to see myself reacting the same way that this boy did. Abuse is abuse, and it breaks down the mind and our normal sense of how best to respond to situations. Adults who suffer daily abuse often lash out with little consideration for consequence. This was an abused child. You’re extremely naive if you think that children can be subjected to what this boy had been and yet remain rational and cognitive. This is common sense and I shouldn’t have to be educating you.
If you were abused at school as much as this boy was, you would understand. I can’t do much more for you. I’m sorry.
March 10th, 2010 - 12:29
oh come on love, do you really think that all the information about Elliott being a bully is false, the very first thing to come out was the other pupils of the school expressing that he definitely was but then it was never mentioned again, they never followed up with these pupils because of a gag order imposed on the media following up minors without parents consent and THEY have to attend that school, so anything that has a negative tone towards that school will be gagged, get it right, this Elliott was a little brat and his parents gave financially to the school, be careful Gemma when entering a debate that you have some facts to back up your blog………AND dont get off the track either, Elliott pushed this kid over the edge period, and the kid would not have meant to end his life, blind rage and hurt that has built up over a long period of time……My sons too have been taunted in the past about not having a Dad (to whom was deceased many years ago) it was raw for this kid and with mine, even though they werent old enough to remember it, it still hurts and little brats with a whole family unit seem to like to bring up this fact towards those unfortunate, get it right………and yes, i was bullied also and left without finishing school in 1980, probably way before you were born even
March 9th, 2010 - 12:35
im 16 myself and i have been bullied alot in previous years because i constantly play video games and i hate sport even though i am bigger than most other kids and i myself have resorted to violence alot and my personal view is that elliot feller deserved it…. the little wanker bullied that poor kid, whose father died not long before.. personally id like to pop those fuggen balloons and take a good long slash on his grave
March 9th, 2010 - 20:36
I’m sorry to hear you have been bullied. I was also badly bullied in school, for 11 years. It made a mess of my brain, and it took a lot of therapy to come to terms with what had happened.
I know people have probably given you this advice, and I know it probably means nothing, but honestly, you have to believe that when you finish school and these hierarchy’s are no longer in place, you will come to realise that you were just as important and just as special as the popular kids, more so even. The popular kids almost always end up being losers who get pregnant (or get people pregnant) too early, or end up working dead end jobs and living miserable lives.
It will end, and when you get out, you will finally be rid of their petulance.
They are bad people and will most likely stay bad people for the rest of their lives. You have the chance to be a good person and to be a positive aspect to the lives of those around you. The best revenge is to be happy.
March 11th, 2010 - 13:47
I found this site by googling “Did Elliott Fletcher bully the other boy”. Ever since the story first broke I found myself unable to feel sorry for Elliott. I felt for the little boy being tried for murder…I felt guilty, but i was unable to put out of my head the sense that Elliott bullied that little boy to the very edge. I was a victim of bullying and have distinct memories at the age of 11 thinking about ending it. 15 years later I see that in the long run, things get a lot better. Still I remember, can understand and have a lot of empathy for the child that was pushed to the point of lashing out. I do not condone violence and my heart goes out to Elliott’s family, but it also goes out to the other victim in this case and his family. I hope that the media will report both sides of the story when the trial is heard and that the jury show some compassion to a small child who didn’t know what else to do… Thank you for your blog
March 11th, 2010 - 14:10
Thank you. I was wondering if the whole world had turned off their brains.
I’m glad there are people who get it.
April 4th, 2010 - 16:36
I think that the real issue here is why did this particular child (alleged killer) have no self-preservation in his actions? The majority of people (children, adults, seniors) experience varying levels of bullying yet very few seldom pass that no-go line and commit premediated murder, especially when the consequences of such action is obviously severe and negative permanent impact on ones own life?
Many children suffer horrendously from acts of bullying and other forms of abuse and yet still manage to retain a beautiful soul. Why did this child act with so little regard to the effect that this would have on himself and his family? If you haven’t learnt what is right and what is wrong from age 13, then you’ll never know.
Sometimes in life, situations will take you to the very edge but it’s how you handle yourself as a person that lets other people know who you really are and what you have deep down inside you.
April 15th, 2010 - 11:01
I know this is not a recent blog, but I found this too by googling.
From what I’ve learnt and heard about the situation.. Elliott had bullied the boy about his father committing suicide. A kid who is already messed up with the loss of his father, could not possibly be able to control his emotions from the mental abuse of being ridiculed about it.
When will the media stop being lazy and actually do some real journalism. Long gone are the days when journalists researched stories and delved deep into the underlying problems. But no.. let’s use video games as the scapegoat again.
Empathy for the real victim here
Sympathy towards Elliott’s family
Kids who bully grow up to be big kids who bully… that being said, he still didn’t deserve to die.
May 7th, 2010 - 16:32
In reply to my earlier post and your question about how I found you.. I googled the same phrase as the person a few posts up.
I am angry that the media does not follow this up, maybe they are too scared of being politically incorrect, no one wants to be seem to stomp on the grave of a child.
My son was in prep and I always checked his bag before he left, known to want to take toys to school, anyway, one day I found a pocket knife… asking why he said he was being bullied.
Kids are kids and it is not until they are much older that they get the consequences of their actions.
This boy that did the stabbing would not be looking ahead to the death of another but looking at the now of surviving another day at school with a bully.
And in response to the comment about the “in kids” getting pregnant… oh yes they do … and they end up with boring mundane lives that go nowhere. I have known many to be like that.