How can we ever stop bullying in the UK when.............
 

...........we live in a bullying culture? Look at TV programs, so called entertainment, that rely on someone insulting someone else for content......"The Weakest Link", "X-Factor", etc etc. Even that stupid thing with so-called Soap Stars on last night. I caught the bit where that bint that is married to Les Battersby in Corrie was getting a going over. It was just NOT entertainment.

But while ever our kids watch stuff like this, and some adults too, how are we to teach them that insulting people is just another form of bullying? Especially when the person being insulted CAN'T answer back, like on Weakest Link, etc.

And look at kids programs. How often now does the hero/heroine knock down the bad guy, and then insult him?

The 1970's Batman NEVER would.;)

Alcazar

.....or lets slag off Jodie Marsh threads.

The responsibility for this cultural attitude lies where?

Place it at a specific source. Parental instruction?? Media, whether news or entertainment.........?

Or is it something inherent in the psyche that is genetic.

Actually, I believe the "attitude" is social. Something that is learned and if not corrected very early on it will perpetuate itself unto maturity.

There are, generally, polite societies in this world.

:D OK, point taken, you should have seen how I originally described the lass from Corrie!:D

Alcazar

Couldn't agree more: TV is glorifying people who seem to base their celebrity status on nothing more than being rude and unplesant to people. One of the best examples is that Dragons Den. One of the most "noted" panelists on there was that dozy bint who had the nerve to take the pee out of other people's ideas whilst her business went backrupt!

Then you have those so-called "celebrities" who make a career out of going to parties, shagging other two bit celebrities or footballers, showing their t*ts, taking drugs, and generally making an arse out of themselves and we're supposed to applaud these idiots!?!?

Yob culture on the steets

Knob culture on TV.

Question is: is the media reflecting it, instigating it, or both?

NS04

It HAS to be media. As I said, think back to the 70's Batman:
Robin, (passing a group of winos) : "Just look at those guys, Batman, scum of the earth"
Batman: "No, Robin, we should feel sorry for them and help them, rather than insulting them. We need to ask what brought them to where they are now".

Modern kids' adventure: hero knocks out/down the villain; "Not so hard now, eh scumbucket, want some more, or are you as cowardly as you are a useless fighter" etc etc.

And there USED to be a sort of unwritten rule that the VILLAIN would be the bully who would get his comeuppance in the end. Not any more:(

And now we have the ENDLESS programs where different people are just SET UP for others to verbally insult, bully etc etc. Where's the entertainment?
Where's the interest? And the verbal bullies? Feted. Made into superstars.:(

Polite societies? :wonder: None that I've ever visited, they ALL seem mesmerised by the waves of bullying going on.

Alcazar

Its part of life and learning how to deal and accept other peoples behaviour.

I don't want to be someone who says nothing when i get insulted, i never want to back down, but society and growing up has taught me how to handle different situations.

You know how to react when someone is just making a passing comment or when they mean it etc and you respond accordingly to that situation be it have a verbal slanging match back or simply smirk or walk away.

Its when the banter goes a bit too far that most problems start.

Its just the same as competitions and sports! Its a fact of life that someone has to lose and if it's you, despite how much you hurt or feel gutted, you still have to learn to accept this and move on!

always wondered why British entertainment relied on ritual humiliation and laughing at losers - goes back to Hancock's half hour, followed by Steptoe and Son, Fawlty Towers and more recently, Fools and Horses - a pair of more inept losers you couldn't help but laugh at (if that what amuses you).

I did actually feel sorry for Wendy Peters who plays Cilla in Corrie. They are on a singing contest not a beauty parade, so why was she slagged off for her appearance. Yes she is a larger lady but she should be judged on her voice, not her dress. I actually thought she looked quite nice and had made the best of herself.

Very true Alcazar
Its a fact of life these days to belittle, insult, humiliate. It's what gets ratings and becomes part of the accepted culture in a vast ammount of people who cannot see any different.
If you challenge the culture as an ordinary person, against a group, your most likely labelled oversensitive, wimp, etc and told to f*ck off.
If you challenge the culture as someone like "the Rock" against a group, they'll shut the f*ck up.
Some follow the crowd and some have standards.

I agree with Alcazar. The standard of programmes now is shameful, pandering to basic tastes and encouraging violence as well. It is not just down to the parents because when this sort of dangerous rubbish is shown its difficult to do much about it except go back to earlier times' example when children were not allowed by their parents to watch. Even that is difficult to enforce because of the total lack of responsibilty demonstrated by those who produce the programmes. It seems these days that ratings are king and to hell with any other significance that might be considered.

Les :(

You know where the 'Off' button is. Scum however don't seem to know and will happily sit munching junk food while simultaneously troughing on the visual muck. No surprise that they then behave in public as they do.

It's weird, the job of the censor used to be to protect the public from material that might be offensive or harmful to the individual or society as a whole, yet this kind of material would have escaped unedited.....

Maye we need to reconsider what is regarded as "harmful" to society.....

NS04