Social Aggression & Bullying & Gossip - Oh My!

The readings by Willer & Cupach (2010), Kowlaski (2007) & Jaeger, Skelder & Rosnow (1998) have several common themes throughout and really build a compelling case for supporting Stewart's (2006) collaborative definition of interpersonal communication. Social aggression, bullying and gossip certainly occurs in a dyadic context with both a perpetrator and a victim, but it is also a group and organizational phenomenon, which supports the use of social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979, 1986). BTW have I impressed you with my copious amounts of citations:-) Ok research citations aside, here's how I see all of these ideas connecting and playing off one another. Tajfel & Turner say that "people categorize their social worlds, seeing themselves as members of ingroups and dissimilar others as members of outgroups." To me, aggression, bullying, teasing and even gossip is communicated on a micro level through dyadic interaction, but occurs in more macro contexts such as social groups (in v out) and reinforced by organizational culture. O'Connell, Pepler & Craig (1999) report that 85% of teasing and bullying incidents occur in the presence of other people. The perpetrator needs an audience to witness his/her performance and reinforce these outgroup messages through observation, silence, and maybe even joining in. I would argue that this is how we are creating social identities and also setting the boundaries for ingroup v. outgroup membership. The O'Connell et al study found that peers reinforce bullying by passively watching more than half the time (54%) and actively modeling bullies 21% of the time. Peer intervention only occurred a quarter of the time, but does this surprise you? I mean who would want to commit social suicide in front of a group of peers and give up ingroup status?

I love the Willer & Cupach (2010) addressed the issue of the dark side of intervention in their social aggression chapter. I think it fits in quite well with our previous discussions regarding the ideology of intimacy and the dangers of self disclosure. Willer & Cupach give several recommendations which include: 1) testing for efficacy, 2) anticipating unintended consequences, 3)letting theory and research drive the car, and 4) being flexible, adaptable, and nuanced with the approach. These recommendations got me thinking about 2 newer MTV shows that are tackling issues of gossip, social aggression, teasing and bulling.

First, is MTV's Bully Beatdown, which has completed two full seasons. The show is targeted towards males who want to teach their tormentors a lesson. The bully is challenged to a fight with a mixed martial artist professional with $10,000 on the line. Here are some of the episodes:

Vince: The Roommate from Hell
First aired March 29, 2009
In the second episode, Mayhem Miller comes to aid of Josh and Adam, who suffer bullying from their room mate Vince. Vince, a six-foot-seven-inch 236-pound basketball star, is pit against six-foot-three-inch 223-pound former NFL wide receiver Michael Westbrook. Vince was forced to tap out four times in the first round, and lost a chance at $5,000 by TKO in the second round.

Jonathan: The Rollerblade Bully
First aired April 12, 2009
Mayhem Miller helps Sergio and Thomas with Jonathan, a self-proclaimed "aggressive in-line skater," who thinks he has the right to pick on weaker people in the neighborhood, by putting him in the ring with MMA champion Jake Shields to teach him a lesson he won't soon forget. Jonathan tapped out three times in the first round, and lost by TKO in the second.

Brandon: The Arm Breaking Bully
First aired August 27, 2009
Former high school bully, Brandon, thinks he defines the line between the weak and the strong. Brandon, thought it would be funny to pick Alex up by the ankles, and "throw him like 15 feet across the gym." Brandon broke Sean's arm, and Sean must deal with it every day. That is, until Mayhem Miller brings in MMA champion Eddie Alvarez to teach him a lesson... Bully Beatdown-style. Brandon, the tool, ends up apologizing to them both straight up in the end.

Colt: The Nebraska Bad Ass - http://www.mtv.com/videos/bully-beatdown-ep-6-colt-the-nebraska-bad-ass/1622275/playlist.jhtml
First aired: October 1, 2009
DJ Timmy recruits Mayhem Miller to solve his bully problem... Colt, a tough-talking redneck from Nebraska. Mayhem gives Colt the heavyweight and light heavyweight champion of the King of the Cage, Tony "Kryptonite" Lopez. Colt tapped out four times in the first round, and got knocked out in the second, so Timmy received $9,000.

The second MTV show is "If You Really Knew Me," which asks the question - Does anyone in high school actually know the real you? The show follows a non-profit organization called Challenge Day that has been operating since 1987. Challenge Day is a 6 1/2 hour program designed to breakdown stereotypes and unite students in schools. It brings together the various social cliques and then asks students to interact with different social groups. At Challenge Day, students from all walks of life gather together in one room. Then each student is assigned to a group where they must reveal something personal about themselves. It's at this point where each student begins their dialog with the words "If you really knew me..." The goal of Challenge Day is to demonstrate to students the possibility of love and connection through the celebration of diversity, truth, and full expression.

For example, one episode went to Neenah High School, where a jock and an openly gay student were featured. Here's the summary from MTV: A self-described "jock-hick" at All- American Neenah High, in Wisconsin, admits he's pressured to take on a tough guy role. But when he meets an openly gay Latino student, he must confront his prejudices.

Other episodes include:
Freedom High School in Oakley, California has a newly-diverse student body and is having problems adjusting. The major issue the school suffers from is that students have now separated themselves by race and are very cliquey. A jock, a loner, a gay band geek, an emo "A-quadder," a loner and a leadership representatives reveal the truths within themselves.

A mostly-affluent high school, Anthony Wayne High School in Whitehouse, Ohio, has a problem with cyber-bullying. Rumors passed during the day can blow up overnight through Facebook and text messaging. And the kids admit, the things they say online, they would never say to someone's face. A mean girl, a class clown, a jock, a cheerleader and a bully expose what they must really deal with despite what others may believe about them.

At Colusa High School in the small town of Colusa, California, everyone is to be labeled. However, when a self-proclaimed "nerd" comes forward about being teased daily, he realizes that even he can be a bully sometimes. Meanwhile, a loner who is fed up with being called a "slut" reveals a secret that describes how scared she really is.

These shows/interventions demonstrate the group/organizational nature of aggressive behaviors as well as the dyadic interaction. Schools serve as organizing sites that create cultures that privilege certain social identities over others. This hierarchy is communicated through gossip, teasing, and bullying behaviors. I fully support Willer & Cupach's (2010) advice regarding intervention design, and would add that we need to be aware of the group interactions that are in play and also look at the organizations themselves. These organizations should be held accountable for creating spaces that privilege hegemony and heteronormativity. Yes the perpetrators are communicating these messages, but it is the organizational culture that is complicit in allowing these interactions to occur.