The Facebook prank on Tito?

[Scott]

[This is a discussion topic for the March 2016 book of the month Eating Bull by Carrie Rubin.]


What did you think of the Facebook prank Tito and Jeremy played on the school bully? Did you root for Jeremy and Tito? Did you think it was an inappropriate prank?


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[gali]

I understood they wanted to pull a fast one on him, but thought they were wrong to do that. I thought it was an inappropriate prank, and they got down to his level by doing so.

[Gravy]

I did not root for them. I felt that it was a mistake, and I actually hated that part. Tito seemed to be smart enough to not fall into that trap, and Jeremy didn't actually want to do it.
I almost wish that whole part hadn't been in the book, except that it shows the lengths people will go to fit in.

[TeaAndSpooks]

I didn't agree with it. I can understand from their perspective, but the way they went about it was all wrong. I am not at all an advocator for revenge, it only makes things worse and does not help anyone.

[bookowlie]

I didn't agree with it because two wrongs don't make a right. Still, I was rooting for Tito and Jeremy because Calvin was just such a nasty bully. It's fairly common that kids who are bullied dream of getting revenge - this was just a high-tech way of doing it.

[kimmyschemy06]

I understand why they did it but I did not like that they did, because for some reasons, I felt that they would not get away with it.

[Gravy]

I almost wish that part hadn't happened
It felt a little disparate from the rest of the book.

Although, it did set up the ideal reason for Tito's parents to do what they did

[chytach18-]

I also was disappointed with that episode. Having said that, my feelings towards Jeremy hadn't changed much. Bullies are bullies.

[KAV]

I didn't think the prank was a good idea and Jeremy didn't want to go along with it either. I did feel like Jeremy needed to stand up against Calvin, but this wasn't the way to do it. Instead of standing up for himself he was hiding behind a computer screen and using the same tactics as Calvin. Two wrongs don't make a right just like bookowlie said.

[Momlovesbooks]

I agree with the previous comments that two wrongs don't make a right. I realize that Jeremy was sick of being bullied and wanted to get back at Calvin. However, that really wasn't the way to go about it and only brought them down to Calvin's level.

[HorrorFan87]

I honestly thought the prank was quite childish. As a few others have mentioned above, there were other ways to get back at Calvin. By going through with this prank, Jeremy and Tito suffered more as a result. Instead of finding an adult or telling a parent, these kids stooped down to Calvin's level and because bullies themselves. Even though Jeremy wanted nothing to do with the prank, I feel like he had kind of changed his mind about the entire thing later on in the story. We see this when they run into Calvin at school. Jeremy lets the cat out of the bag that Courtney wasn't real and it sparked a lot of trouble for Tito and himself as the story ran on. Another thing too is the repercussions that came out of the action. Tito and Jeremy not being able to hang out anymore, Tito being banned from Facebook for creating the false account, etc...these are all actions that could have been avoided and that honestly caused more harm than the prank. Here we have Jeremy who needs friendship and someone who really cares about him, and then the boys go and blow it with this prank. That was a very firm lapse in judgment and I blame Tito for not listening to Jeremy in the first place. Granted, boys will be boys and I know in bullying situations kids want to stand up for themselves and fight for their rights...but this is the wrong way to do it. The boys, as I stated earlier, should have talked to their parents or to a teacher for help. Nothing might not have been done aside from a firm talking to but it still would have been something other than cyber bullying.

[hsimone]

I agree with everyone here. Revenge doesn't solve problems, sometimes it creates more. Tito was too caught up in wanting Calvin to be on the receiving end of bullying that he didn't think the consequences of his actions. Like others have said, I understand why Tito and Jeremy wanted to do it, but they did not make the right decision in doing so.

I hope when I have kids, if there is an issue with anyone at school that they can't solve, they would inform an adult to help with the situation instead of sinking so low to try to make themselves feel better.

[KateNox]

I also agree with everyone above. Two wrongs really don't make a right, and I was a bit disappointed with that part of the book. I cannot support any kind of behavior that will hurt someone's feelings, and bullying people is bullying - no matter who does it. And no matter how small the prank is.

[sarahpayne23]

I agree with everyone here. I thought it was nice to see children make mistakes though. To me, this prank actually make Tito and Jeremy seem like real, bullied teenagers.

[bluemel4]

I absolutely agree that catfishing is not the answer to bullying. I got the feeling that Jeremy would have liked to get revenge in an honorable way or just be able to stand up for himself. I was so heartbroken for Tito and Jeremy after the Facebook fallout. They really needed each other and their prank cost them their friendship.