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INTEREST: March comes in like a lion Joins Japanese Government to Fight Bullying


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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 4:23 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Of course it's a convenient excuse to bully somebody, rather than telling to truth, like an inferiority complex, personal issues, and/or other psychological impulses.


None of those are mutually exclusive with a desire to fit in, nor conformity. In fact they often work in tandem as mutual root causes, feeding off of, and building off of each other, amplifying the negative impact they can have on a person's life.
People with an inferiority complex may feel the need to fit in more than others and search for a target to ostracize in their stead, thus targeting someone who stands out. Someone with an abusive home life may take out their anger and envy on the classmate who seems to have it together more than everyone else. Etc. Standing out gets you targeted, even if the bully's root issues are a labyrinth of various personal and societal environment problems.
Also, only in a society that prioritizes conformity would that be a convenient excuse. You would've been laughed out of the Principal's office for citing "they didn't fit in" as your reason for bullying someone at any school I attended. "Fitting in" is about the least sought after attribute you could have.
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Compelled to Reply



Joined: 14 Jan 2017
Posts: 358
PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 1:15 am Reply with quote
^LOL where'd you go to school, a circus? Where I went, you were more likely to be disciplined under the assumption your brain wasn't wired right and are a disturbance to the class before somebody ever got in trouble for bullying you over it, favoring their side of the story (excuses) over yours.
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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:27 am Reply with quote
Compelled to Reply wrote:
^LOL where'd you go to school, a circus?


The USA in the early 21st Century, so yeah, pretty much a circus. Where individuality and nonconformity were championed and blindly listening to any superior(the government, employers, past social expectations, parents, etc., all fall into that)was grounds for perpetual mocking and being called a teacher's pet. Sometimes it was cool to listen to your teacher, but only if they also espoused similar anti-conformity views.
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Mr. Oshawott



Joined: 12 Mar 2012
Posts: 6773
PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2017 9:34 am Reply with quote
Great to see that characters of March comes in like a lion is bringing light to the problems of bullying and addressing them. Smile This is a matter that, sadly, frequently gets swept under the rug; defenseless kids pay dearly as a result.
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Compelled to Reply



Joined: 14 Jan 2017
Posts: 358
PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2017 10:29 am Reply with quote
relyat08 wrote:
Compelled to Reply wrote:
^LOL where'd you go to school, a circus?


The USA in the early 21st Century, so yeah, pretty much a circus. Where individuality and nonconformity were championed and blindly listening to any superior(the government, employers, past social expectations, parents, etc., all fall into that)was grounds for perpetual mocking and being called a teacher's pet. Sometimes it was cool to listen to your teacher, but only if they also espoused similar anti-conformity views.

"The USA in the early 21st Century," or a state like California? Education should indeed teach critical thinking and invoke some individualism, but also collectively prepare students for reality. Not many places do for the former in the United States, but Japan's does a better job with the latter. I can surmise this is one of the reasons people have been acting like complete buffoons in colleges recently, and I don't mean fraternities. A Nation at Risk warned us about it almost thirty-five years ago. Anyway, educational reform is a different topic, but should address how to deal with bullying.
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HeeroTX



Joined: 15 Jul 2002
Posts: 2046
Location: Austin, TX
PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2017 3:33 pm Reply with quote
relyat08 wrote:
^according to interviews with bullies in Japan, the victim "not fitting in" and "disrupting the unity of the class"(by which they mean, 'not being like everyone else') are the most commonly cited reasons for why they were targeted. Not only is conformity at least one of the root causes, but like you noted, it also perpetuates it.

Quote:
That's not what is being implied at all. People ripping hearing aids out of deaf children's ears, throwing their books off bridges, and beating them up in class is not upholding "societal norms", it is assault. People nearly drowning classmates in toilets because they have a terminal illness is not upholding "societal norms", it is attempted murder. People beating a classmate and then forcing him to shoplift is not upholding "societal norms", it is cowardice. People burning a classmate's arm with cigarettes because he had a speech impediment is not upholding "societal norms". etc. I can go on all day with the terrifying true stories of bullying in Japanese schools. It's a very serious problem and it needs to be dealt with.

Anyone who claims they assaulted someone with an obvious (and most often "explained by the authority/instructor") medical condition because that person "didn't fit in" or "was disrupting the class" should rightfully be taken to task as a liar. The sad fact is in most EVERY society people pick on those perceived as "weak", whether physically or mentally or socially or whatever. That has NOTHING to do with whatever emphasis that particular society places on conformity, it merely changes what excuse the bullies use when confronted about it. The exception would be if the society places SUCH a high value on "conformity" as to go towards the "ethnic/genetic cleansing" level, which Japan DOES NOT.

The other thing you could ARGUE that conformity does to "assist" bullies is it makes others less likely to speak out or intercede on behalf of the victims, but I'd again cite that as merely an excuse since "mob mentality" is pretty well proven in all societies.
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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:42 pm Reply with quote
Oh, cool. Great. I'll just go let all of the teachers I know in Japan know that they are wrong about their experiences. Thanks for the help.
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