Casey Heynes: when the bullied kid fights back.

Casey Heynes had been bullied and teased and tormented for most of his school-age life. Kids called him “fattie.” They slapped him in the back of the head. Even in high school, Casey contemplated suicide as a way to make the torment stop.

Then one day, in high school, it all came to a boil. Heynes was a student at Chifley College Dunheved’s Campus in Sydney, Australia. Heynes was in tenth grade at the time; and he was on his way between classes when another kid – and the kid’s friends – cornered him.

A kid walked up to Heynes and punched him hard with a right hook. Other kids watched and laughed and videotaped the abuse.

The kid threw another punch. Heynes blocked it.

The kid threw two more punches into Heynes’ stomach.

That was the final straw. That’s all Casey Heynes could stand, he couldn’t stand any more.

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As you could see from the video clip, he couldn’t take the abuse any more and he retaliated. He picked up the boy and body-slammed him to the ground. The bully struggles to get to his feet, and in the rest of the video you can see him, disoriented and confused, trying to get his balance.

At that moment, Casey Heynes stood up to his tormentor.

He also received a four-day suspension from school for violating the school’s anti-violence code. And a video clip of Casey Heynes standing up to the bully appeared on YouTube and several other social media sites. A Facebook site dedicated to “Casey the Punisher” popped up. There were video tributes to Casey Heynes; some of them called him “Zangief” because the piledriver Heynes gave to his tormentor resembled the move from the Street Fighter warrior.

He even received the Next Media Animation treatment – that’s right, Casey Heynes’ story was re-told as Taiwnese animation.

Casey Heynes later told his story on the Australian newsmagazine A Current Affair, which is embedded here.

On the surface, Casey’s story is incredible. The boy was tormented and teased and battered and bruised, and he finally said “No more.” And now the victim has acted out every bullying victim’s revenge fantasy. He got back at his oppressors.

And at first, I cheered what Casey Heynes did. I thought about how many times I would have loved to have done the same thing to every bully and tormentor in my life.

But then I think some more. Casey Heynes took a major risk in retaliating at that moment. He could have been jumped by the bully’s friends. And if that powerslam went the wrong way at any time, that bully could have suffered a broken neck or a fractured skull.

There are too many instances where the victim retaliates with more violence than just a powerslam. In 2009, a student on a school bus was shot in the head, the shooter was a victim of bullying and took drastic measures to end the torment. And there is an argument that bullying may have played a factor in the April 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

And there are also reports that the boy who threw the punches, Ritchard Gale, has received death threats since the video went viral. And in a twist of events, just as there are now Facebook pages that treat Casey Heynes as a conquering hero, pages now exist on Facebook that subject Gale to some of the most vicious cyberbullying comments available. Note; the language in this FB link is NSFW. And this is directed at a 12-year-old kid. That’s not a solution. You can’t fight bullying with bullying.

Gale would later tell his story to another Australian newsmagazine, Today Tonight, and in the interview he would apologize to Heynes for the actions of that day. Gale also talks about being bullied himself, and suggests that the 45 seconds of video footage doesn’t tell the complete story, and that Heynes may have antagonized Gale prior to that moment.

Honestly, there should have been a supportive outlet on that campus for both Gale and Heynes to go to and talk to someone. They should have had an advocate, a confidant. They should have received support from the school. And if there hadn’t been someone with a video camera filming the whole event, who knows what might have happened?

The problem is, bullying – whether it’s cyberbullying or physical beatings or anything else – is a crime whose solution is different for every single person. And not every solution works for every individual. That’s really the saddest part.

Today, Casey Heynes is considered a hero for his actions. Ritchard Gale is being demonized. But we only know the story through a 40-second video clip. And 40 seconds doesn’t tell the whole story.

Still, I can’t stop thinking about an old adage I learned many years ago. And it’s an adage I’ve kept close to me, and it’s helped me get out of many bad situations in my life.

The first person to raise his hand in anger is the last person to run out of ideas.