Blogpost 6: Culture's role

Sometimes, culture will really have a role to play in today's society. They can range from social norms that we follow to blend in with other people and in society. There is also media of different kinds that influence how we feel, how we act, how we react, how we have fun and especially how we make our morals. 

So what do these articles say about it?

First article is from Livingston County News called Does our culture encourage bullying? by Lou Lombardo. Here, the article explains that bullying has become a part of culture. An example stated is in Livingston where bullying is quite common. Also, research shows that women tend to bully more likely in groups and use more subtle ways such as rumor spreading and such. Boys tend to bully others about "physical" stuff such as "athletes vs. non-athletes" while girls tend to bully about social status, be it in school or family.

Lou quotes (from an anonymous reader) that "Bullying is a culture of Livingston County that runs deep in the fabric, political offices, and heritage here." It says how bullying has been a cultural part of the county from as deep as politics. True, but not just for that county but for many other places as well. Referencing a quote from Obama, we must expel the myth that bullying is part of culture and just a ritual. It would be a problem as there would be wasted potential, suicides and violence arising from it. 

Another article from The Globe and Mail called Does pop culture promote bullying behaviour? by Tralee Pearce states that one recent study found that pop culture may have something to do with it. The study says that it has something to do with some of the shows that show social aggression to viewers of age two to eleven. Thus parents have to be more aware and judge a show not only by its physical violence but also in social violence.

Pearce states a quote by Ramil Briggs that "In society, we have become more and more aware of the importance of bullying, and it's going to become increasingly necessary to understand the early building blocks of social aggression that may lead to this." At this point, it is a must. It's possible to stop it at an early stage with intervention. This is an important step in that we can identify what causes this. Also, this step is important because of the ever growing intensity of culture in regards to entertainment.