Bullying today is something of a hot, media worthy issue. When I was young bullying was considered a non-problem and anyone who complained about it was a pussy, wimp, faggot, momma's boy, or some other subhuman unworthy of life. Today it is far more acceptable to complain about it and to file criminal charges against the bully.
So what caused this change?
Terrorism.
Beginning in Pearl, Mississippi, the late 1990's brought us an escalating series of school shootings, all precipitated by community accepted bullying. Neither the public nor the judiciary cares much more about the safety of victims than they ever did, but they have to pretend that they care because they fear terrorism.
This is an obvious negative feedback loop. What remains to be seen is the degree of terrorism that will be required in order to convince the judiciary that bullies are not naughty children but serious criminals in need of serious prison time.
Keep your eyes on the David Salmon case.
I've always believed as such.
ReplyDeleteAnti-bullying activists owe a great debt to Eric and Dylan. Without them, people simply wouldn't give quite the amount of fuck today.
I occasionally compare the bullying problem to the way drunk driving was when I was in my late teens and early twenties. The fact that people were being killed and maimed on the highways didn't stop anyone from getting behind the wheel after drinking too much. What stopped them was the realization that continuing to do so would now result in significant punishment. And that only occured because of insurance industry pressure.
ReplyDeleteBullying is following a similar course. A series of modest terrorist acts, a rash of bullying induced suicides, and a pile of lawsuits and bad press is starting to transform what was once a non-problem into a serious financial problem for bullies, their parents, and the schools that ignore what they do to victims. The only unknown is how many more school shootings, serial killers, and victim suicides will be required to turn bullies into the social pariahs that drunk drivers are now.