New Stuff Tuesday – June 5

Bully Society

The Bully Society:
School Shootings and the Crisis of Bullying in America’s Schools
by Jessie Klein
BF637 .B85 K584 2012
New Arrivals, 2nd floor

So I went this great birthday party this weekend, and I found myself surrounding by children. When talking with a couple of the parents, it turns out that a few of my new little friends have had a hard time at school because other kids decide that it’s OK to tease and pick on them. Having those thoughts on my mind made this week’s New Stuff Tuesday pick a no-brainer.

Klein, professor at Adelphi University, claims that societal acceptance and promotion of competition have caused the rise in school shootings and childhood aggression overall. She examines school shootings as the ultimate eruption under the pressure of bullies, seeking to find the answers to break the vicious cycle. Performing a content analysis on over one hundred and fifty incidents of violence, the author points to nonconformity, either due to social status or gender and sexuality norms, as the culprits for these tragedies. Klein also includes an explanation of the methodology of her study, as well references for further research. If you’re looking for a place to start on a topic that has received substantial press lately, this would be a good one.

About kyle

I'm the library guy. No, seriously, I'm the only male reference & instruction librarian. I also have the pleasure of serving several campus committees, the Academic Staff Assembly and the Chancellor's Task Force on LGBT Issues, among others.
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2 Responses to New Stuff Tuesday – June 5

  1. kim simes says:

    you are such a rockstar!!!

  2. Infovoyeur says:

    Causes are probably multiple, psych, social, bully family environment, etc. But the “culprit” must be more than non-conformity? Do they bully scapegoats for some other reason? Cf. a “moral panic” is when some ulterior cause of anxiety (e.g. earlier too many immigrants or whatever) displaced concerns onto another target. Was Prohibition partially-motivated thus? And “sex panics” more recently, not to deny child abuse, but…

    Of coarse, it may be, said Pfloyd here at the Institute, that simple civilized behavior of civility currently is rapidily heading south-south-west & is pikking up STEEM even as we right… from “Chester” who is always a pleasant potato

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