tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35743239.post2330627393410512227..comments2024-03-29T03:43:45.977-04:00Comments on Of Battered Aspect: A Hand Was SlappedDave Hingsburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918601687946534172noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35743239.post-65022768007063540272008-04-19T17:19:00.000-04:002008-04-19T17:19:00.000-04:00I am a teacher, and it is really, really hard to k...I am a teacher, and it is really, really hard to know how to react when these things happen, and even harder to apply the knowlege. Especially when you're in a room full of teenagers and admitting wrongdoing or allowing themselves to be vulnerable are not things they do readily. Luckily the person doing the name calling in your setting felt regret, but it doesn't always happen that way. It feels like experience teaches people to discontinue this kind of behavior eventually, and teens don't have much experience. Only time gives people experience.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35743239.post-75122063864912196882008-04-19T13:50:00.000-04:002008-04-19T13:50:00.000-04:00In Scotland, as part of the culture, we engage in ...In Scotland, as part of the culture, we engage in friendly banter or teasing and this sort of communication was part of the work culture. As a student, I worked in a number of supermarkets alongside people with intellectual disabilities. They often experienced this form of teasing, as a form of friendly behaviour and a sign that they were part of the work community. And most people, disabled or not, could give as good as they got. Yet, what struck me was that for many people with intellectual disabilities, this was the only engagement people made with them. They knew they were welcome and part of the community, but people never made an attempt to get to know them on more than a shallow level. I realised this when I tried to get to know a couple of the guys and they never really answered my questions, but responded with banter. And it made me wonder whether they had ever had the opportunity to really talk to someone and share their experience and, as a result, they didn't know how, or perhaps were scared, to engage in that way (at least in a work environment). <BR/><BR/>When I heard this story, I wondered whether the women who called out 'chicken' did so because, ultimately, this was the only way people ever engaged with her. Because we had failed, as a society, to teach her that there was another way to communicate. Because we failed to realise that she was a person.<BR/><BR/>Behaviour after all is learned.Feminist Avatarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03364456372396228106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35743239.post-68220910629123310762008-04-19T11:11:00.000-04:002008-04-19T11:11:00.000-04:00I am stunned that it happened in the first place, ...I am stunned that it happened in the first place, but I also believe that everyone in that room will never forget the depth of the workshop that day.<BR/>I hope she did apologize to the fellow.Keihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04095184831191402113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35743239.post-77188057029750655932008-04-19T07:52:00.000-04:002008-04-19T07:52:00.000-04:00Ohhh... I guess I feel a bit sorry for bullies to...Ohhh... <BR/>I guess I feel a bit sorry for bullies too... Because if they are mean to other people maybe it's because they feel insecure themselves... And maybe that person who name-called at your workshop was nervous about standing in front of a crowd too? <BR/>But I know it's no excuse. <BR/>Thanks Dave. :)Ceciliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06412540364527484857noreply@blogger.com