Comments on: The Bullying-Industrial Complex

By: Jake Waters

Jake Waters — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 03:29:40 +0000

I have been browsing a few of your posts and have enjoyed it. Keep it up

By: A Week on the Wagon: Out of Office edition | DADWAGON

A Week on the Wagon: Out of Office edition | DADWAGON — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:05:53 +0000

[...] his mind is squarely on the East Coast, whether it’s clucking at bad-dad-robbers in Philly, debunking the Boston Globe, cataloging crazy kid-names in New York schools, or pondering the joys of mid-century New York [...]

By: Nathan

Nathan — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:12:59 +0000

@Kristin That’s a good point about more effective suicide attempts for boys, but I think the fact that rates for both are down is the important part. The thing I can’t stand (and maybe I’m sensitive because I’m part of the media) is the way that every story has to be sold as a new! terrible! trend!

I’d like to read about what’s being done about bullying, and whether it’s effective, but I am not inclined to believe that it’s a new threat, or that girls are worse now than they have been in the past. Sorry you had experience with it in the past, but I think that speaks to the fact that it’s been around at least as long as you and I have, and doubtless longer.

By: DaddyClay

DaddyClay — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:16:01 +0000

Add to the list of pros at this, Rosalind Wiseman, author of “Queen Bees and Wannabees” (recently released in 2nd ed). She’s probably one of the first to claim this turf. Always good to be reminded what it was like, and to keep parents attuned to signs of bullying.

As Kristin points out, bullying is usually sorted by gender, as is everything. We have a gender sorting mania! It sometimes seems like writers on children’s issues are like a bunch of Catholic mothers, trying to out-martyr each other about who has it “harder,” boys or girls.

By: Kristin

Kristin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:43:10 +0000

I agree that the obsession with “Mean Girls” is problematic, it’s not because I don’t think bullying is a serious problem. It’s because this is not the only kind of bullying that needs attention and because no one is talking about the ways in which boys bully girls (sexual harassment and intimidation anyone?). As someone who had to leave her loving home early in order to change schools and escape constant and unrelenting bullying I can’t agree that the concerns over bullying are overblown. Moreover, “it’s always been that way” is not an argument. Yes kids have always been bullied, yes schools have always had a track record of inadequate or nonexistent response. The same could be said about domestic abuse and police response. That’s why we beef up the laws and educate enforcement to provide women with a realistic recourse when they are abused. So now that we are finally acknowledging the real impact and seriousness of bullying, in all its forms, it’s time we treat it more seriously.

One more thing. There is a difference between the stats for committing suicide and attempting suicide. Boys and men tend to use more surefire methods like guns to kill themselves while girls and women are more likely to use pills. As such way more male attempts result in death. If you’re trying to get an indication of the emotional and well being of girls vs boys (and why must we do this?) it would make more sense to look at attempted suicide, depression rates, anxiety rates etc.