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- Thread starter socratic
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Yes I do think that society encourages bullying, teachers in school often bully students (shouting, embarrassing the kids, creating class rivalry by getting the kids to compete in who can do better at school work, or in a project, instead of encouraging them to work together and support each other).
TV is a major part of bullying, advertisements of kids looking happy with whatever new toy it wants you to buy, convincing the parents that if they wanted their child to be happy then they would buy it for them. Also adverts going on about the healthy aspects of their food (even though generally it's junk food!).
Bullying in work happens a lot as well, trying to get the credit for things to look good for the boss, enjoying it when others fail or make a mistake because it makes you look better ect.
Even team building exercises are usually with one team competing against another. There's no sense of unity, everyone is trying to get themselves ahead of everyone else.
I also think football is a bad influence for bullying, a lot of supporters for different teams absolutely hate each other just because they don't support the same team.
Also I think magazines like Zoo and Maxpower bully girls into thinking if they don't look like Jordon (and be a six 6 with DD breasts, tanned skin, wearing a tiny skirt and low cut top and enough make up for a year) then they aren't attractive. It also makes girls think that they HAVE to be attractive, and that they're main purpose in life is to look pretty for guys.
That's just what I think anyway, bullying is a part of most aspects of society; games, school, work, shopping, neighbourhoods (if they're snobby they won't talk to the person with the untidy garden ect), parents (eg if one parent wants another to look after their child for a day or pick them up from school and they can't they are excluded from the parent group ect). It's everywhere lol.
TV is a major part of bullying, advertisements of kids looking happy with whatever new toy it wants you to buy, convincing the parents that if they wanted their child to be happy then they would buy it for them. Also adverts going on about the healthy aspects of their food (even though generally it's junk food!).
Bullying in work happens a lot as well, trying to get the credit for things to look good for the boss, enjoying it when others fail or make a mistake because it makes you look better ect.
Even team building exercises are usually with one team competing against another. There's no sense of unity, everyone is trying to get themselves ahead of everyone else.
I also think football is a bad influence for bullying, a lot of supporters for different teams absolutely hate each other just because they don't support the same team.
Also I think magazines like Zoo and Maxpower bully girls into thinking if they don't look like Jordon (and be a six 6 with DD breasts, tanned skin, wearing a tiny skirt and low cut top and enough make up for a year) then they aren't attractive. It also makes girls think that they HAVE to be attractive, and that they're main purpose in life is to look pretty for guys.
That's just what I think anyway, bullying is a part of most aspects of society; games, school, work, shopping, neighbourhoods (if they're snobby they won't talk to the person with the untidy garden ect), parents (eg if one parent wants another to look after their child for a day or pick them up from school and they can't they are excluded from the parent group ect). It's everywhere lol.
Horatio
Well-known member
yes I agree with both of you, bullying is heavily etched into our society
the best example of this in my opinion is mainstream television where we are actively encouraged to be entertained by other people's failures. shows that look for faults in others are the most popular so maybe thats what the most people want to see
we want to see a weakness in someone and see them humiliated
Survivor - voting the least popular people off the island
The Amazing Race - who will be kicked off this week?
The Weakest Link - goodbye
The Apprentice - watching people fight amongst themselves, watching people fail
Dragon's Den - Sure we want to see some success stories but 90% of them fail and are humiliated
American Idol - Every week there is a loser, only one week is there a winner
The Bachelor/Bachelorette - Millions tune in to see who's heart will be broken. Gauranteed losers every episode.
Outback Jack - Same as above
Fear Factor - This show is so competitive that the host encourages the contestants to mock each others attempts, with the loser told to walk away with the camera watching them
Big Brother - once again, it focuses on conflict, looks for ways to make fun of people and every week someone will be told they aren't wanted
and those are just the popular ones! every region has their own versions, their own reality shows... stop and think about how many of those shows focus on eliminating people.... finding flaws in people.... humiliating people... kicking people off... laughing at people...
and as crazyfairy mentioned, if our TV sets aren't promoting bullying they are filling our minds with unrealistic expecations of who we are supposed to be, what we are supposed to wear (or not wear) and how we are supposed to think.
all of the above filters down to the schoolyard level... someone without a particular trinket or clothing accesory is isolated and every day individuals are "voted off the island" by their peers. frankly I find it all disgusting and am at times ashamed to say I work in the TV industry
expect it to get worse as well, the Romans considered themselves civilized as do we of ourselves, and they queued for the best spots to see people fed to lions or fight to the death. as little as 70 years ago in America people queued to see black men undergo torture and be hung/burnt. we consider ourselves morally superior to all that have been before us but in reality we as society are on another decline and it is not unrealistic to say that for entertainment we might one day be watching Gladiators hacking at each other on TV
I just hope that one day I might find myself in a situation where I may be able to make a difference
the best example of this in my opinion is mainstream television where we are actively encouraged to be entertained by other people's failures. shows that look for faults in others are the most popular so maybe thats what the most people want to see
we want to see a weakness in someone and see them humiliated
Survivor - voting the least popular people off the island
The Amazing Race - who will be kicked off this week?
The Weakest Link - goodbye
The Apprentice - watching people fight amongst themselves, watching people fail
Dragon's Den - Sure we want to see some success stories but 90% of them fail and are humiliated
American Idol - Every week there is a loser, only one week is there a winner
The Bachelor/Bachelorette - Millions tune in to see who's heart will be broken. Gauranteed losers every episode.
Outback Jack - Same as above
Fear Factor - This show is so competitive that the host encourages the contestants to mock each others attempts, with the loser told to walk away with the camera watching them
Big Brother - once again, it focuses on conflict, looks for ways to make fun of people and every week someone will be told they aren't wanted
and those are just the popular ones! every region has their own versions, their own reality shows... stop and think about how many of those shows focus on eliminating people.... finding flaws in people.... humiliating people... kicking people off... laughing at people...
and as crazyfairy mentioned, if our TV sets aren't promoting bullying they are filling our minds with unrealistic expecations of who we are supposed to be, what we are supposed to wear (or not wear) and how we are supposed to think.
all of the above filters down to the schoolyard level... someone without a particular trinket or clothing accesory is isolated and every day individuals are "voted off the island" by their peers. frankly I find it all disgusting and am at times ashamed to say I work in the TV industry
expect it to get worse as well, the Romans considered themselves civilized as do we of ourselves, and they queued for the best spots to see people fed to lions or fight to the death. as little as 70 years ago in America people queued to see black men undergo torture and be hung/burnt. we consider ourselves morally superior to all that have been before us but in reality we as society are on another decline and it is not unrealistic to say that for entertainment we might one day be watching Gladiators hacking at each other on TV
I just hope that one day I might find myself in a situation where I may be able to make a difference
HereAndNow said:
It depends how it is done though, some encouraging competition is bullying, and some methods of trying to convince someone of your view is bullying, it all depends on circumstances.
I agree that the way I was speaking about bullying was very wide, but with a subject such as bullying it is difficult to differentiate between focused, easy to see bullying (as you say a stronger person preying on a weaker person) and implicit bullyiing, because even implicit bullying has a stronger person (or company / group of people) preying on weaker people (such as powerful companies bullying people into buying their products by using long words and impressive names for people such as tricologists or however it is spelt lol, which makes people who may not have that level of education think the company must be right). Again it depends on circumstances.