The Ripple Effect
learning with and from each other
Feb
23
Our Social Dilemma
Filed Under (Community, Special Event, Spotlight) by Mrs. Braidwood on February 23, 2011 and tagged anti-bullying, Asch, bullying, community, group, group think, Pink Shirt Day, power, responsibility, social
Today was Pink Shirt Day – a day we set aside to bring awareness to bullying issues and the devastating effects it can have. This past week, we have been looking more closely at the hidden scars it can leave on people as well as how powerless it can make a person feel. We each have an important role and responsibility if we ever discover someone is mistreating others or someone is being mistreated.
There are four types of bullying: physical, verbal, social, and cyberbullying. As a teacher, I find social bullying one of the hardest forms to deal with. Why? Because most students don’t even realize they are taking part in it. And those that do know what they are doing tend to operate very covertly so it doesn’t bring a lot of attention to it. Social bullying puts a person’s social safety at risk by using the power of a group to encourage teasing, exclusion, spreading rumors, and/or any of the other three forms of bullying.
I showed Bully Dance in class today as one of our activities. It’s a Canadian animated short from the National Film Board of Canada. It’s a beautifully crafted story with a powerful message. There is also a teacher’s guide that includes potential ideas for how it can be used in a classroom. The point at which action is often taken to address the bullying behaviour is all too real.
We have learned that it’s human nature to want to be a part of a group. We are social creatures. But unfortunately, while we seek acceptance “in” a group, one of the strategies to keep ourselves there can be to point out the “out” group. Group dynamics is a powerful force. After watching a video clip of the 1950′s Asch experiment, we were able to see just how powerful group thinking can be. It’s easy to say we wouldn’t be swayed so easily, but time and time again over the years, that experiment continues to generate the same results. Sadly, I see it happening at school too many times to count. Sometimes people conform because they are afraid of backlash from the group while other times they conform to the group because the group convinces them they are wrong.
It’s difficult to stand up to a group of people. No question. Especially, if you don’t feel like you have a lot of power or stability in the group. More than anything, I want the Ripplers to remember that sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest thing to do.
11 Responses to “Our Social Dilemma”
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February 25th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
Bullying is a very big problem all around the world. If you are a bystander
It’s almost as bad as bulling someone yourself. Thats why i think pink shirt day is so important. STAND UP FOR OTHERS!
February 27th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
I watched this video with my mom and sister. My sister thought it was sad and so did my mom. I thought it was an accurate demonstration of bullying.
February 27th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
Hi Mrs. Braidwood,
I think your right bullying can leave short and long term effects. This is why we need to foccus on bullying every day. Not just one out of 365 days a year. The most notice able is physical but the long lasting effects can be social.
March 1st, 2011 at 8:47 am
Hi Mrs. Braidwood. I agree social bullying is one of the worst types of bullying. It can cause many problems in all types of situations in life. Believe me I have been in the middle of quite a few and it is VERY hard to fix it! Tell the class that I say hi and I will talk to you later.
Josee
March 3rd, 2011 at 8:23 am
I really liked the video it was really funny
March 3rd, 2011 at 9:44 am
Mark:This Post is awesome! The video rocks. The video signifies that when you bully people to make you seem cool, you come out with nothing.
Kyle: This post makes me think that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. The dad is mean to his son and that is why the son is mean.
March 3rd, 2011 at 9:47 am
Wow!!!!! that was an awsome video. We all really enjoyed it.We also agree with social bullying is also a bad way to get along with others its a really bad situation.:)
March 3rd, 2011 at 9:47 am
Hi, this is Destiny and Stephany from Mr.Millers room and we watched this bully dance video with our whole class. We felt sad about the part when the “kid” fell off the roof. It was a very good video, next week all the 6th graders are going to watch a non-bulling video. We really enjoyed your video thanks.
March 3rd, 2011 at 9:48 am
Hello….. we really liked the video and how at the end of the video the bully learned its lesson…… we also liked the part where it is trying to show us how bullies turn into bullies……… and in this case the bully turns into a bully because it gets bullied by its dad ….. Am i right?
March 3rd, 2011 at 9:53 am
Hi, we really liked your video. its very interesting and the moral of the story is sad, but good. I have not been bullied ,but if i did i would want someone to stand up for me at least. This video was very special and i really loved it and i hope you make more videos like this. Hope you have a great day buh bye