Abstract
In the context of a society increasingly concerned with bullying, Susan Eva Porter’s book, Bully Nation, critically considers how schools, parents, and the media in the United States have framed the anti-bullying movement. While understanding that childhood aggression can have real, harmful effects, Porter argues that our current strategies for addressing bullying are problematic because they benefit neither the children nor the adults who are involved.
Porter claims the current anti-bullying movement suffers from three major problems. First, the language used to describe bullying behavior creates strict dichotomies. The terms we use to describe bullying force children to assume the role of either the aggressor or the victim; these roles rarely reflect the true, complex nature of children’s relationships. Second, our current approach teaches children to interpret their emotional pain as the result of victimization. By constantly telling children to blame others for their emotional suffering, we discourage them from developing the psychological resilience necessary for handling unfriendliness and social exclusion. Finally, zero-tolerance bullying policies, which many schools have adopted, require students to learn from their misbehavior in ways that are often far beyond their developmental capabilities. Porter uses her extensive experience working in schools to provide a variety of detailed anecdotes to illustrate and provide evidence for her three critiques.
To conclude, Porter offers an alternative method for addressing aggression among youth and adolescents. This method, which she entitles the GRIT approach, is designed to shift the focus away from labeling children as either deviants or victims. Instead, adults are encouraged to promote behavioral growth and teach children how to be resilient. Bully Nation provides a perspective that can benefit child-development scholars, educators, and parents who are interested in better understanding how American society conceptualizes bullying. Porter’s book provides a thoughtful critique of the current anti-bullying movement and suggests a novel approach for dealing with childhood aggression.