Fanbullying 2
Continuing to explore how my experience of fanbullying is like, and is not like, my experience of bullying in school, and how it is like and not like cyberbullying and bullying in general. To follow up from last night's cheerful account of my experience of bullying at school, here's some more general stuff about school bullying.
I don't think I need to dwell on the effects of bullying, which continue into adulthood: damaged self-esteem, anxiety, depression, self-harm, even suicide. If you want more details, just read the comments to my last posting."Bullying is a behaviour that can be defined as the repeated attack - physical, psychological, social or verbal - by those in a position of power, formally or situationally defined, on those who are powerless to resist, with the intention of causing distress for their own gain or gratification."
- Valerie E. Besag, Victims and Bullies in Schools
In my case, I was "powerless to resist" for three reasons: firstly, no support from the school or from teachers. Secondly, no way to avoid the harassment. And lastly, terrific feelings of guilt about my own anger and aggression. The two or three times I lost it and thumped someone, I spent an hour afterwards crying in the counsellor's office.According to Gary R. Plaford in Bullying and the Brain, as well as physical violence and threats, bullying at school includes "relational aggression, verbal abuse, verbal put-downs, harassment, jokes... pranks... intentionally embarrassing another, social ridicule, rumour starting... social exclusion... any behaviour that uses threat, fear, intimidation, harassment, coercion, humiliation, or isolation to influence another person in a negative manner".
"... traditional forms of bullying include direct behaviours, such as hitting, kicking, taunting, malicious teasing or name-calling, but they also include indirect (and often less obvious) behaviour, such as rumour-spreading, social exclusion or shunning, and manipulation of friendships ('If you're her friend, none of us will talk to you.')
- Robin M. Kowalski et al. Cyberbullying
You should be starting to see some obvious parallels here in fandom, including but certainly not limited to fandom_wank and the Who anon meme. More about cyberbullying specifically in my next exciting posting.
A crucial point I want to make is that merely butting heads with someone else is not bullying. I have a long and alternately glorious and embarrassing history of getting into fights online, and I have encountered some prize assholes, both in and out of fandom. I do not equate those bullies with people who are merely pissed off with me. Not until they start in on the ad hominem shit, bitchy gossip, and grudgewank, anyway.
I don't think I need to dwell on the effects of bullying, which continue into adulthood: damaged self-esteem, anxiety, depression, self-harm, even suicide. If you want more details, just read the comments to my last posting."Bullying is a behaviour that can be defined as the repeated attack - physical, psychological, social or verbal - by those in a position of power, formally or situationally defined, on those who are powerless to resist, with the intention of causing distress for their own gain or gratification."
- Valerie E. Besag, Victims and Bullies in Schools
In my case, I was "powerless to resist" for three reasons: firstly, no support from the school or from teachers. Secondly, no way to avoid the harassment. And lastly, terrific feelings of guilt about my own anger and aggression. The two or three times I lost it and thumped someone, I spent an hour afterwards crying in the counsellor's office.According to Gary R. Plaford in Bullying and the Brain, as well as physical violence and threats, bullying at school includes "relational aggression, verbal abuse, verbal put-downs, harassment, jokes... pranks... intentionally embarrassing another, social ridicule, rumour starting... social exclusion... any behaviour that uses threat, fear, intimidation, harassment, coercion, humiliation, or isolation to influence another person in a negative manner".
"... traditional forms of bullying include direct behaviours, such as hitting, kicking, taunting, malicious teasing or name-calling, but they also include indirect (and often less obvious) behaviour, such as rumour-spreading, social exclusion or shunning, and manipulation of friendships ('If you're her friend, none of us will talk to you.')
- Robin M. Kowalski et al. Cyberbullying
You should be starting to see some obvious parallels here in fandom, including but certainly not limited to fandom_wank and the Who anon meme. More about cyberbullying specifically in my next exciting posting.
A crucial point I want to make is that merely butting heads with someone else is not bullying. I have a long and alternately glorious and embarrassing history of getting into fights online, and I have encountered some prize assholes, both in and out of fandom. I do not equate those bullies with people who are merely pissed off with me. Not until they start in on the ad hominem shit, bitchy gossip, and grudgewank, anyway.