PUBLIC BULLYING IN THE U.S. TODAY
Today bullying has reached a point such that the different arenas of school, workplace,
media, and politics operate as multiple sites of intimidation. Operating synergistically, together they
produce a public culture of intimidation that links the most personal,
individual experiences with those of public life itself. The example and
achieved legitimacy of behaviors in one arena (say, media or the workplace) can
have the effect of authorizing analogous conduct in other domains of civil
society (for example, school or politics).
OVERVIEW
In my
view there are important aspects of bullying as a phenomenon that are not
always acknowledged as much as they should be in public discussions:
· no one individual or group has a monopoly on
bad or good behavior
· virtually every child has the potential to
become a bully or at least to engage in bullying behavior
· bullying often erupts between friends
· unfortunately, parents are rarely able to
recognize their children as bullies or responsible for committing acts of
bullying and intimidation
· schools are where children first encounter sustained
bullying and learn to be bullies
· bullying behavior is not simply part of a
developmental stage restricted to childhood and K-12 but can return in adult
life or even happen for the first time in adulthood. Bullying and
intimidation can be viewed as the eruption of life-changing emotional trauma in
daily life at any age.
QUESTIONS
& ANSWERS
What
are the main factors that put a child at risk of being bullied?
· Expert consensus has been that children who are
"different" are commonly singled out for not only teasing but
aggressive bullying.
· The question is "different" from
what?
· Answer: different from stated or tacit norms in
the local school or community environment concerning a wide array of things: 1)
physical appearance and body type (height, weight, hair, skin, make-up,
clothing [especially matching what is considered gender-appropriate attire]);
for teenagers undergoing anxiety-causing changes in their physiognomy and
appearance, this is perhaps the most important factor along with # 2; 2)
gender/sex self-presentation (esp. LGBTQ students); 3) physical or cognitive
ability or disability; 4) "uncool" tastes, demeanor, etc.; 5)
excellence or mediocrity in academics; "too" smart or studious
(anti-intellectual climate) or too "slow"; 6) lack of athletic ability;
7) retiring or timid personality; 8) appearance of being alone; 9) new
student.
· consequently, schools need to inquire as to
what the local norms that students seem to follow.
· strength of local school culture of
aggressive cliques and macho sports programs
· tolerance of bullying by teachers and
administrators
· absence of acknowledgment of bullying as a
problem by teachers and administrators
· thoughtless or heavy-handed application of
bullying prevention policies
· disparities in student family income
· volatile, overly intense student friendships
(potentially explosive sense of betrayal when they end)
What
are the main factors that contribute to a child becoming a bully?
· previous target of constant bullying
· volatile, overly intense student friendships
(potentially explosive sense of betrayal when they end)
· underlying sense of insecurity
· member of an aggressive clique
· caught up in strong conflicts between cliques
· member of an overly aggressive sports team
· overly competitive school environment
· local school's tolerance or even inadvertent
encouragement of bullying
How
can parents protect their children against cyberbullying in our socially
connected society?
· use of parental controls over Internet devices,
social media accounts, and apps
· control over computer and smartphone settings
· work out with child limits to time online and
number of "friends"; the greater number of "friends," the
greater the risk of possible misunderstanding and conflict.
· educate the child to the fact that cyberspace
is not private nor protected space. In this respect it is little different from
the school cafeteria, schoolyard, or locker room. Moreover, messages and
postings are distributed at lightening speed and can't be erased or retracted.
· work out with child how to report any instances
of cyberbullying or aggressive behavior
· inquire with the local school how
administrators handle offline bullying by students (on or off the school
campus) that continues online
Originally posted Oct. 26, 2016
Originally posted Oct. 26, 2016
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-at-controlling-bullying/9920/#roddey-reid
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