BULL: As an English teacher, what would you say has changed (or not changed) about fisticuffs in public high schools?

JK: As far as fist-fighting in schools, I actually don’t see very much of that anymore. Perhaps that’s because schools are pretty heavily patrolled now by police officers with guns and tasers. Perhaps that’s because the present generation of students is smarter than previous ones, less violent. However, when violence does occur, one thing which seems disturbing is what looks like a willingness to pile on. If somebody’s getting beat up, not only do on-lookers fail to do anything to stop the beating, but it sometimes looks like people get excited by somebody on the ground and jump in, kicking at the person who’s already down. It’s almost as if any dude who gets his ass beat deserves even more scorn, more of a beating. In his weakness, he’s also become contemptible. That feels scary to me.