Bullying and race.

[Fiannan]

White children are much more likely to be bullied than any other ethnic group - reversing racial stereotypes surrounding playground abuse, Government research indicates.

Two thirds of children from white families say they had been bullied in the last three years but less than half of children of Indian origin make the same assertion.

Anti-bullying campaigners say white children are now in the minority in some areas raising their chances of being bullied.

Claude Knights, director of anti-bullying charity Kidscape, said:“More and more we’re hearing that in some cities it isn’t the usual isolation of ethnic groups, suddenly we have got statistics that show we have got a larger number of white young people being bullied. “In some cities there’s a dislocation of certain white children. So many cultures around them are being celebrated but where’s their place? There’s been such an attempt that you don’t forget what has come in to the system that what was there already has been forgotten.” This isolation makes children feel “different” she said, and was likely to lead to them being bullied.

White children most likely to be bullied - Times Online

Comments?

[DigitalShadow]

Maybe it is the case that white kids are just more likely to admit being bullied. I really don't think a study like that says very much, it could have just as easily been entitled "White kids are more likely to tattle." The study correlates race with reports of being bullied, but it makes no mention of which race is doing the bullying, for all we know (or care) the 33% of white children could be the ones bullying everyone else. Also, the largest differential appears to be 50% Indian children being bullied to 66% of white children. I really don't think that 16% is enough to get all up in arms or draw wild conclusions about race and bullying.

Seriously though, I really don't see the point of this article, other than giving alarmist xenophobic white couples something to rally around and say "oh our poor little white children, we have to do something about those horrible minorities!"

[MarginOfError]

I have to complain again about the fact that variance wasn't reported. Estimates like these are pretty much useless without corresponding variances (confidence intervals are acceptable). What's even worse, they didn't even report a sample size. A study like this can suffer from two sample size problems. 1) the sample size could be too small, and fails to produce meaningful results, 2) the sample size is so large it over emphasizes meaningful results.

Other issues to consider...are these children in heterogeneous populations, or are the populations more homogeneous? This is a less direct angle on DigitalShadow's comment that the study fails to indicate who is doing the bullying. You can't reverse racial stereotypes when white kids are bullying white kids.

Lastly, the fact that they only site "government research" is terrifying. Who did the research? Where can we find the article? To try and make a story out of something like this without citing the information well enough to even be looked up is just irresponsible journalism. My guess is that this 'study' is complete garbage.

[Fiannan]

"oh our poor little white children, we have to do something about those horrible minorities!"

Wow, substitute "white" with "[chose any race here]" and it would really be politically incorrect.

[DigitalShadow]

Wow, substitute "white" with "[chose any race here]" and it would really be politically incorrect.

First, it was a sarcastic statement to make a point. Second, you could substitute any race you want in that statement and the point remains. Blind fear and hate of other races is certainly not limited to "white people", I'm simply pointing out the rediculousness of perpetuating the whole thing which you seem to be fond of doing.

I agree there is way too much blaming and finger pointing based on race going on in this country, and yes I agree that "white people" are singled out quite often as being to blame, but turning it around and blaming other races is both childish and counterproductive. The fact is that there is very little difference between different "races" other than appearance. Of course there are vast differences based on the culture an individual was raised in and the United States is truly diverse in the amount of cultures that are contained in it, but unless you're Native American, claiming that your culture has any more right to be here is silly.

Edited June 30, 2008 by DigitalShadow

[WANDERER]

Ummm...well...it does happen...particularly when you're the minority culture, but not neccessarily. In some cases you may even be targetted by your own cultural group, regardless of the fact that the comments made are in fact derogatory towards their own ethnicity. In places where there a diversity of culture there may be racist bullying occurring between various groups who all feel different and dislocated and bullied to whatever degree. The problem is racism not ethnicity...however the feedback comments at the bottom of this article seem to place it as a result of cultural integration rather than just plain inappropriate behaviour. Inner city schools in the U.K have quite a high degree of behavioural problems.

[ruthiechan]

Ever had someone say to a nonwhite friend, "your church is not helping you because they're white and you're not?" When my friend told me this I was so incredibly hurt (I had been helping her and a few others who were white). I can't describe the feeling properly. I remember saying, "but that's not fair. . ." There was disbelief, indignation, a touch of anger, maybe some frustration, I felt color drain from my face while at the same time I felt flushed and I felt like crying because of the physical and emotional pain in my heart.

So yes, there is reverse racism. Even though there aren't details in the article about the study maybe this article will do some good by bringing to people's awareness the wrongness of being anti-white.

[prisonchaplain]

A big part of our problem is that we cannot do the soul searching for other races. Amongst themselves, many minority groups do talk about the irresponsiblity and deficiencies within their community. Yet, there is a sense of victimhood and continued unfairness that cannot be ignored.

In a different, but somewhat similar way, I've come to see that many LDS also have a sense of becoming a minority. Your church is unorthodox to both Protestant and Catholic Christians, and you represent a mere 2% of the American populace. Converts especially feel this as they face disapproval from family, friends, and sometimes colleagues.

IMHO, when someone you care about is hurting, it's not best to point out that they aren't thinking right, and that their political and sociological views are self-defeating. Rather, we listen, we walk with them as much as we can, and we offer prayers. Only after much hearing might the time to speak come.

[Moksha]

My daughter's elementary school class does not have as much diversity as in these British anecdotes, so the kids being bullied are by necessity all caucasian. That should lend even more creedence, should it not?

[bytor2112]

There was the black guy in Jr. high school that used to shake me down for lunch money every week and this giant white, red neck guy that used to take my OJ or desert at lunch. I think I was singled out because I was really skinny and these guys had failed a couple of times.

I think there are always bullies ready to take advantage of whom ever they view as an easy mark. Race aside, bulling just happens. Interestingly enough I grew and caught up and surpassed then in size and they disappeared.