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Porterville, California (CNN) -- For anyone who has experienced the brutality of a bully, a blunt-talking mayor in California with a horseshoe mustache now weighs in with this bit of wisdom: "Grow a pair."
Looking and talking like an Old West figure, Mayor Cameron Hamilton made his declaration while on the dais of the Porterville City Council last week.
"I'm against bullying, but I'm getting damn tired of it being used as a mantra for everything and the ills of the world," Hamilton said during the City Council meeting. "(Most) people just have to grow a pair and stick up for them damn selves."
Hamilton imparted his advice while discussing a proposal to create an anti-bullying safe zone for students.
His remark immediately ricocheted around the council chambers -- and, in subsequent days, around the country.
Councilwoman Virginia Gurrola immediately challenged the mayor.
"It's hard to just grow a pair when you're a 10-year-old girl," Gurrola shot back.
The councilwoman's retort was just the beginning of how the mayor's tough-talking comments have roiled many people nationwide, especially advocates of bullying prevention.
What's bullying
Indeed, in the past few years, a robust debate has been unfolding about what is -- and isn't -- bullying.
Sponsors of National Bullying Prevention Month say it's wrong to view bullying as "a childhood rite of passage" and something to make "kids tougher." In fact, bullying can be a traumatic experience, causing school avoidance, anxiety, depression and loss of self-esteem.
Some researchers, however, say "bullying" has been misused and misstated in recent years -- recklessly assigned to describe mere slights, teasing or inevitable growing pains in childhood relationships.
The bald, cigar-smoking Hamilton seemed a little wounded this week by the resulting controversy, but he wasn't backing down. He has also received some hate e-mail.
"Of course, I wish I would have put it a little different, a little less colorful, but let's not lose track of what the message is," Hamilton said in a CNN interview.
"We're starting to define any action that is a little bit controversial as bullying," he continued. "We're not addressing the fact that the students are running to or running from (something) or never allowed through the zero-tolerance policies of the schools to actually stand up for themselves.
"The one I worry about the most is physical intimidation, and that's certainly not advocating that we meet violence with violence," he said. "But if somebody puts their hands on you, it's up to you and your friends to put a stop to this."
People should "just tell the bully we're not going to put up with this," he said.
Looking and talking like an Old West figure, Mayor Cameron Hamilton made his declaration while on the dais of the Porterville City Council last week.
"I'm against bullying, but I'm getting damn tired of it being used as a mantra for everything and the ills of the world," Hamilton said during the City Council meeting. "(Most) people just have to grow a pair and stick up for them damn selves."
Hamilton imparted his advice while discussing a proposal to create an anti-bullying safe zone for students.
His remark immediately ricocheted around the council chambers -- and, in subsequent days, around the country.
Councilwoman Virginia Gurrola immediately challenged the mayor.
"It's hard to just grow a pair when you're a 10-year-old girl," Gurrola shot back.
The councilwoman's retort was just the beginning of how the mayor's tough-talking comments have roiled many people nationwide, especially advocates of bullying prevention.
What's bullying
Indeed, in the past few years, a robust debate has been unfolding about what is -- and isn't -- bullying.
Sponsors of National Bullying Prevention Month say it's wrong to view bullying as "a childhood rite of passage" and something to make "kids tougher." In fact, bullying can be a traumatic experience, causing school avoidance, anxiety, depression and loss of self-esteem.
Some researchers, however, say "bullying" has been misused and misstated in recent years -- recklessly assigned to describe mere slights, teasing or inevitable growing pains in childhood relationships.
The bald, cigar-smoking Hamilton seemed a little wounded this week by the resulting controversy, but he wasn't backing down. He has also received some hate e-mail.
"Of course, I wish I would have put it a little different, a little less colorful, but let's not lose track of what the message is," Hamilton said in a CNN interview.
"We're starting to define any action that is a little bit controversial as bullying," he continued. "We're not addressing the fact that the students are running to or running from (something) or never allowed through the zero-tolerance policies of the schools to actually stand up for themselves.
"The one I worry about the most is physical intimidation, and that's certainly not advocating that we meet violence with violence," he said. "But if somebody puts their hands on you, it's up to you and your friends to put a stop to this."
People should "just tell the bully we're not going to put up with this," he said.