@baby-boo:
I'm always baffled by bullying in US television/cinema. A few kids in Stranger Things were making fun of the fact that the three main protagonist's fourth friend was missing, possibly dead. Da fuc! I stammered throughout my high-school, still do somewhat. Was I made fun of? To my face, once or twice in a very low key, whatever sorta of way.
See Stranger Things bullying was extreme, but not stupid. I mean they're younger, perhaps the knife scene was overkill but that sort of was the point of the scene.
And look, I struggled a lot through highschool and middleschool, both physically and verbally getting bullied to hell and back. But never, not once, did any of the guys who would insult me, kick me, slap me, hurt me with makeshift weapons or whatnot, contemplate the idea of
a) permanently harming me (because teens are afraid of consequences, and the moment you leave tangible permanent evidence is the moment real life catches up to you).
b) physically abusing a girl. There may have been the occasional prank, there may have even been pulling down a girl's pants, but nobody I knew in school would have ever wanted to physically bully a girl (ie. not sexually, just violence). And I mean considering what they did to me, it's not like theuy abhorred violence. But agaist a girl? And a pretty one at that? Just no. It defeats the purpose of looking 'cool' while beating on someone pathetic. Girls are girls, on average they're weaker than guys, there is absolutely nothing 'cool and edgy' about proving that point by beating a girl up. It's stupid.
Now you might forgive Stranger Things for intentionally breaking condition a) to express just how bad these kids are. But b)? Breaking b) is just dumb, and doesn't happen in real life, unless the guys don't see the girl as a girl at all… which is unlikely if she's pretty.
Again, perhaps italian bullies are just more chivalrous than american ones, what with their Sanji-esque attitude to hitting girls. But goddamn it, that Death Note scene is just wrong and deserves the rant it receives. I mean, call the police Light, stop contemplating killing them, just call the police goddamn it! Two big guys are beating up a chick for no reason, call the f*cking police already and stop talking to the big black creature urging you to off em!
---rant over---