The Gentle Neoliberalism of Modern Anti-bullying Texts: Surveillance, Intervention, and Bystanders in Contemporary Bullying Discourse

Abstract

The author argues for the concept of "gentle" neoliberalism to account for how discourse in anti-bullying texts has increasingly presented itself as gentle and kind, while simultaneously reinforcing systems of surveillance and control. Results, based on a grounded theory analysis of 22 antibullying books, reveal that the texts generally decoupled bullying from power relations based on sexuality, overlooking homophobia and heteronormativity and marginalizing the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. Further, findings demonstrate a shift over time in the texts from an explicitly harsh description of the bullies to a seemingly kinder emphasis on reporting and intervening on behalf of the individual being bullied. This shift to interventionist discourse potentially expands mechanisms of control and reinforces inequalities based on race and social class, as bystanders are increasingly held accountable and students are encouraged to report their peers to authority figures. In response to neoliberal anti-bullying discourse, the author argues for scholarship and policy solutions that undermine unequal power structures and yet also oppose surveillance strategies of monitoring, reporting, and intervening.

Bullying and Victimization among Students Bears Relationship with Gender and Emotional and Behavioral Problems

“…A current meta-analysis (Kljakovic et al) conducted on predictors of bullying confirmed that conduct, social, peer and school problems predict bullying behaviors. In other surveys in Finland, guided by Sourander, these factors are corroborated as a risk factor for cyber bullying (10, 12, 17 and 39).…”

To Tell or Not to Tell: Student Responses to Negative Behavior in Elementary School

“…Although some dismiss bullying and other forms of aggression as a normal part of the school experience, the association between these behaviors and suicides and school shootings, as well as a host of other negative effects, reveals the importance of addressing these interactions (Carney 2000;Ghandour et al 2004;Takizawa, Maughan, and Arseneault 2014). To do so, newer anti-bullying texts place an emphasis on reporting and intervention (Meyer 2016), yet within schools there is a continued reluctance on the part of students to report these behaviors to adults (Smith and Shu 2000;Garpelin 2004;Oliver and Candappa 2007). Further, adults sometimes downplay or ignore these interactions even when they are reported or directly observed (Garpelin 2004;Oliver and Candappa 2007;Thomson and Gunter 2008).…”

“So Much for Protect and Serve”: Queer Male Survivors’ Perceptions of Negative Police Experiences

“…Although this historical change is usually contextualized as progress, scholarship has pointed to how these developments have primarily benefited LGBTQIA people with race and class privilege (Daum, 2015; Dwyer & Tomsen, 2016; Spade, 2015). That is, these changes are part of, and have contributed to, expanding hierarchies in LGBTQIA communities based on race, class, and gender (Hanhardt, 2013; Meyer, 2016; Russell, 2018). For instance, Hanhardt (2013) has shown that the separation of homosexuality from criminality occurred in part through mainstream gay-rights groups advancing representations of homosexuals as the victims of crime, rather than as criminals.…”