A Little More on Bullying

I mentioned in a recent post that, like Bonald at Throne and Altar, I actually support bullying under certain circumstances. Let me flesh that out a little more.

Actually, let me just state my rule for bullying: if it's used as a means of enforcing normative behaviors, I'm all for it. And yeah, that means giving shit to fairies and tomboys and so on.

Normative behaviors exist for a reason. Like tradition, social norms tell us provide us a measure of what is good and just, especially for those who are too stupid to figure it out on their own. Social disapproval of immoral behaviors (like homosexuality, adultery, etc.) is often a more powerful disincentive to commit them than legal consequences; there are limits to others' ability to probe into your legal indiscretions, but the stench of a social brand in some degenerate's ass can linger in a community's collective hindbrain for generations. And so it was that, for a long time, it was wholly unnecessary for governments to police morality: communities did it their own damn selves.

Of course, one can say, "Well, who are you to force the norm of traditional family on, say, some good-hearted, hard-working single mother?" But one would be an idiot for saying that, given the abundance of studies (at least one by no less-respected a medical journal than The Lancet, a casual Googling revealed) demonstrating that childen raised in single-family are worse off in pretty much every way: they exhibit higher rates of mental illness, suicide attempts, injury, alcoholism, drug addiction, and all-cause mortality, even after adjusting for socioeconomic status and parents' health. Traditional societies knew and understood that children did best who were raised in a norm-conforming household; it is only in our (supposedly) enlightened modern society that we make virtuous angels out of the sluts and cads who ruin their kids' lives so that they can find themselves (or whatever). That's why traditional societies ostracized such people while modern societies make movies about them while ignoring all the evil they bring into the world. Likewise with the destruction of traditional gender roles (in the form of flamboyant homosexuals, cross-dressers, and transgender freakazoids).

So to the extent that people bullied today are serial violators of perfectly rational social norms, they ought to be subject to social disapproval -- even quite severely so. Those who imagine there is a "right" to attend a school without being bullied are deluded: one never has a right to behave however one wishes without consequences. Accepting this fact is a key step toward maturity. I'm torn on the extent to which this ought to entail physical bullying (certainly, I think it's justified when one is being an asshole about defying social norms, as in the case of the transgender abomination that got his/her ass unceremoniously pummeled into a seizure at a Baltimore-area McDonald's recently for belligerently insisting on using an occupied women's restroom), but I see nothing wrong with quite persistent verbal ribbing.

But to the extent bullying represents mindless, irrational cruelty (for instance, assaulting those whose only crime is being skinny, awkward, smart, or whatever), it ought to be brought under control. Unlike defiance of social norms, being skinny or fat or awkward or smart really doesn't hurt anyone -- and there's no sense in punishing them for it. It's intrinsic to the nature of demographics, after all, that not everyone can be ripped, engaging, and of modest intellect). Of course, that's no reason to have to associate with them (and awkward people really shouldn't have any friends until they learn to go out and make some on their own), but again, it's no reason to subject them to punishment, either. An Unmarried Man has a good post on the topic related to fat (and pregnant) women; it's worth a read.

One may object to my characterization of bullying in defense of social norms as not only valid and reasonable but right and good as fighting fire with fire. It is, of course -- but sometimes that's perfectly advisable, as when one stops the spread of a firestorm by burning away the flammable brush in a certain circumfrence around it. It's worth bearing in mind that the same liberals who decry bullying are perfectly content to bully in defense of their own social norms, at the expense of Christians and non-sexual deviants and so on; FIRE is dedicated to fighting these types of bullying in universities, where it has the potential to devastate a person's future to an extent routine beating-up-fags stuff doesn't . If there is, in fact, something like a war going on to determine whose social values ought to be ascendant, I see no reason why one side should be expected to unilaterally disarm.

Even for the sake of the children.

Comments

[yfr]

http://www.fredoneverything.net/Baltimore.shtml

Things are bad out in the world, with blacks openly furious at whites and a whole lot of whites quietly so in return. It isn’t a recipe for domestic tranquility. A price will be paid.

Two things stand out about the video. First, cell phones with video cameras built into them are changing the landscape of journalism. All teenagers and most adults now carry video cameras, the difference being that the teenagers know how to use them.

This is not unimportant. Note that such siege howitzers of the media as the BBC frequently run shaky, wobbly, low-res footage of such things as Syrian police beating people, or of citizens dying of bloody head wounds. These can be embarrassing enough to affect policy, and make it harder for repressive governments to control the press. It is now a crime in parts of the US to photograph a policeman; here, as in Syria, governments move to hide the behavior of their “security forces.” This is why China censors the internet, and Washington very much wants to. When the Egyptian public erupted, the government immediately shut down the net. It is interesting that Obama wants an “internet kill switch.”

The other salient point of the beating in Baltimore is that the Drudge Report, a huge, huge, huge site, posted the video under a banner headline almost as huge. I don’t know Matt Drudge, and so can’t speak to his motives, but he had to know that posting video of godawful beating of a white girl by blacks is Something One Doesn’t Do.

Various voices ask, Was it racial? Of course it was. You don’t beat someone into convulsing brain-damaged semi-consciousness over precedence in a line for the bathroom.

[Proph]

Two things re: "Various voices ask, Was it racial? Of course it was. You don’t beat someone into convulsing brain-damaged semi-consciousness over precedence in a line for the bathroom."

(1) "You" might not. But as I documented in the first post in this series there is a long, long line of irrational aggression on the part of black people over the most minor transgressions.

(2) That said, precedence in a line for the bathroom wasn't the issue -- the freakshow's transgender surgery was. No one who isn't a weirdo SWPL liberal wants to share breathing room, much less a space set aside for vacating bowels and bladders, with a tranny.

[A Sailor]

If that's what you truly believe, I hope I get the chance to meet you in person. After all, beating the shit out of you isn't "bullying", it's just "enforcing social norms" - I.E. the strong kicking the shit out of the weak.

[Arthur Jermyn]

Well done! You've erased all of recorded history and sent us back to the time of stone tools. I sincerely hope no one takes you seriously, because you are absurd.

[anononmousy]

How bout I round up all my mates and pay you a visit eh? After all, in my High School at least, bullying was against school rules and policies due to attempted suicide and suicides by victims. You, sir, are a douchbag of ultimate proportions. The blood of the innocent is on your hands, and the hands of bullies everywhere of course. You sicken me.

[P]

So you'd be okay with Muslims bullying Christians in Muslim countries then? After all, being a Muslim is the social norm there.

[Chris]

You are unworthy of Christ.

[Chris]

That was, perhaps, unnecessarily condemning. Let me reiterate.

Your behavior is unworthy of Christ, and does not reflect well on your church. Remove the log from your eye before addressing the splinter in others? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Love thy neighbor. These are the words of your savior. If you're a Christian, you should follow them.

[Dan]

I assume you're not stupid or arrogant enough to claim perfection for yourself?

So please, feel free to list some of your imperfections and I will come and see if I can bully them out of you. Hey, if it doesn't work, the only downside is that you are constantly reviled, insulted, put down, mocked and occasionally physically assaulted for the rest of your life, but that's fine according to you, isn't it?

If on the other hand, you have no flaws, then I guess we'd better kick seven shades out of you day and night until you normalise by being imperfect like the rest of us.

[Eric]

Your opinion is extremely simplistic and sadly not easily disregarded. Luckily you don't have any facts on your side. Enforcing social norms is how every dictator and fascist justifies his crimes and no one can even define normal anyway, so really you're whole point is incredibly stupid and moot.

[rrpostal]

Your point regarding sharing a bathroom could be summed up as, in your opinion, "your shit don't stink". Congrats. I thinks someone should beat you for that, weirdo.

[Rachel]

Haha, idiot, nobody likes you!

Have fun putting back all that shit you spewed into your mouth.

[Steve Corbin]

One thing that defines society is that the citizens are barred from enacting violence against each other; that is the exclusive purview of the state. Would it not be congruous with your argument that, should the bullied person feel they are being unjustly "subject[ed] to social disapproval", they have the right to defend themselves with violence, as well?

Bullying is not socially normative behavior. It hasn't been since we stopped living as nomadic tribes. Another individual acting or existing in a way other than what you expect does not harm you; hence, it does not give you the right to harm them.

[Aaron Lee]

Why can't barbaric, closed-minded christians such as you understand the very simple concept that "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are rights of all people in this country, whether or not they happen to hold the same beliefs you do. This would include, I would think, freedom from being harassed for being BORN (yes, born) with a different sexual orientation.

It really shouldn't be hard to grasp that not everyone in the world shares the same beliefs and values, and that is OKAY. Also, unprovoked physical violence is a crime -- it's called assault. I wouldn't expect a Christian to go around advocating it, but you clearly aren't much of a Christian anyway -- just a bigot who uses religion to justify his own prejudices.

[John Casey (Dare you to find me)]

Deleted my post eh? Thats okay, I can just make more.

So, you're all about bullying huh?

Usually the ones with the small dicks are. You know what? I'm gonna just call you needle prick from now on, then tack on Jeasus Freak for good measure. Needle Dicked Jeasus Freak.

Now I know, you're going to say to yourself "This doesn't bother me." or "I'm too mature for this, so I'll just delete this loser." The second would be quite ironic due to the fact that, in your blog, you condoned the most JUVINILE act a person is capable up you Needle Dicked Jeasus Freak.

In closing, I'd like to say that in the spirit of this blog, I'd like to be your bully, but only if you'll have me. Think of the FUN. I can chant Needle Dicked Jeasus Freak everytime I see you. You can try to ignore me, but I'll always be RIGHT there, grating on your nerves and wearing down your self esteem until you either erupt in a seething rage, or go home and swallow a bottle of pills because you just can't take it anymore. Then, you can join the ranks of the effeminate weirdos and social outcasts you seem to hate so much.

See you arond blog man. We're Definately gonna have some good times.

[John Casey (Dare you to find me)]

8th or 9th line down, capable up is supposed to be capable of.

[Proph]

I didn't delete your comment, John Casey. See my editorial policy here: http://collapsetheblog.typepad.com/blog/2011/08/my-editorial-policy.html#tp (for those of you chest-thumping about seeking me out to visit vengeance upon me, I caution you to carefully review the comments section of that post). I have yet to invoke it even once for anything other than spambots, as I think this post's comments demonstrate. You likely fell prey to the Typepad disappearing-comments bug.

I also direct you to my recent post on this issue here: http://collapsetheblog.typepad.com/blog/2011/09/the-problem-with-liberalism.html#tp. Your objections to bullying would be more credible if you didn't couch them in the most violent and obscene language available to you.

[Hazumu]

Wow. So you believe in Tabula Raza, the principle that all children are born essentially little blank slates, amoral empty vessels awaiting their parents/family/peers filling them with morals and protecting them from immorality or beating the immorality out of them should they (little amoral sponges that they are) be exposed to anything disgusting.

And harassment and beating for non-normative behaviour is a healthy part of the diet of growing up for beatee and beater.

I wish you would wake up one morning to find you're a transgender abomination (post operation) with a urinary tract infection from constantly holding your pee in when you have to go out.

But, with the attitude you display here, you'll likely turn out to be a transsexual separatist.
http://www.reddit.com/r/asktransgender/comments/jijra/can_someone_explain_to_me_whats_the_deal_with/
http://www.transadvocate.com/a-transsexual-versus-transgender-intervention.htm

[Warren]

Haha, what a wanker! Won't waste my time further with scum like you.

[Matt]

"(and awkward people really shouldn't have any friends until they learn to go out and make some on their own)"

And how the flying fuck are they supposed to learn if they don't have any experience making friends? It's like saying people shouldn't ride a bike until they learn how to ride a bike. You've got to fall down a few times before you can ride on your own.

You're a sick human being.