Is Facebook Making You Mean?

From Scholastic News:

Anna did not think she was being mean. Not really.

She was taking a break from her homework, checking her Facebook page. Maya, a girl she knew from her seventh-grade class, had posted a photo of herself from a recent trip to Disney World. She was standing with Mickey Mouse. Dozens of kids had commented on the picture. The first few comments beneath the photo were sweet.

“Cute!”

“OHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”

By the third or fourth comment, the tone had changed.

“Nice boyfriend!”

“You’re dating?”

“I thought it was kind of funny,” Anna remembers. “And so many people had written stuff.” So almost without thinking, Anna typed in a comment of her own: “ummmmm . . . ew?” Then she moved on, thinking nothing more about Maya and Mickey.

The next day, Anna was called to the assistant principal’s office. She stood in shock as the guidance counselor showed her a printout of all the comments on Maya’s picture.

Maya had been so distraught over the comments that she stayed home from school that day. Her mom had called the principal. And now every kid who had posted a joking or sarcastic comment was being called to the office one by one.

Anna was completely confused. “It was just two words,” she says.

JOKES THAT GO TOO FAR
Rude comments and insensitive jokes have always been part of the middle school (and adult!) world. But experts say that Facebook and other forms of online communication make the problem worse. One of the most important ways in which we communicate with each other is through subtle emotional signals—your best friend’s blush when you mention a girl he likes, the flash of anger in your mother’s eyes when you say you’ll take out the garbage later. Over the phone, we can hear a change in a person’s tone, or the ominous pause that sends a message to back off. Online communication takes all of these signals away.

“You don’t see the impact of what you write,” says Beth Yohe, an associate director for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which runs antibullying programs around the country.

This goes not only for jokes and snide comments like Anna’s, but also for more hostile behavior. Devon, 13, says that not long ago, a friend lashed out at her in a Facebook post. “He said that I had spread rumors about him,” Devon explains. “I never did. But he wouldn’t stop writing it.” The posts, written in all capital letters and punctuated by endless exclamation points, made it seem like he was screaming in her face.

Devon says the boy is a quiet kid, “always really sweet.” She points out that lots of kids act differently on Facebook than they do in person. “I guess because I wasn’t right there,” she says, “he just let it all out.”

REACHING ACROSS WALLS
So does this mean that Facebook is all about hurt feelings and wounded egos?

Not at all. The online world has powerful benefits, especially for kids who find it hard to make friends at school. “These kids can find whole communities online where they feel comfortable,” says Yohe.
Online, kids will reach across social boundaries—the invisible walls that often separate one group of friends from another. Aaron, 12, says that his 459 Facebook friends include kids he doesn’t talk to much at school. “We get to know each other better on Facebook,” he says.

Studies support the idea that Facebook can help kids build positive connections. Researchers at the University of Virginia found that the majority of kids use Facebook to build solid friendships and to spread positive messages. But what about those “ummmmm . . . ews?” and other comments that are hurtful or embarrassing?

Experts say that just as teens have to learn how to manage more demanding schoolwork and greater responsibilities at home, they also need to learn how to behave more sensitively online. The bottom line: Think before you post. That can be difficult to do, considering that you’re probably on Facebook while simultaneously doing homework, watching your little sister, and eyeing the finals of American Idol. But the words you post, typed with barely a thought, are out in the world forever.

As schools crack down on all forms of negative online behavior, many are taking steps to help kids learn to avoid problems online. Some, for example, offer in-school workshops like the ADL’s CyberALLY™, which Yohe directs.

In the meantime, some kids, like Anna, are learning through experience. The day she was called to the principal’s office, she apologized to Maya.

In person.

Chimps have ‘police,’ too

A baby chimpanzee riding on its mother's back

A group of chimps crossing a stream

Chimpanzees live in groups that range in size from 15 to 150 members, although individuals travel and forage (look for food in the forest) in much smaller groups during the day. Chimps lives in male-dominated groups with strict rules, where disputes (conflicts, fights) are generally settled without the need for violence.

Scientists have revealed that certain members in a chimpanzee group act as an impartial “police” (they don't take sides) to mediate conflicts and preserve peace, Science Daily and livescience.com reported Wednesday.

Animal groups handle conflicts in a variety of ways, but the arbiters (referees, judges) in chimps, gorillas, orangutans and other primate groups were neither biased nor aggressive. The arbiters did not support allies (friends) or punish wrongdoers.

Primatologists (scientists who study apes, monkeys etc.) from the University of Zurich in Switzerland analyzed four different chimpanzee groups for nearly 600 hours over two years.

During this time, the introduction of new females caused rifts (differences, conflicts) within the groups, causing power struggles.

Scientists watched the social interactions and conflicts and found that certain individuals, usually a high-ranking (important and powerful) male or female, acted as peacemakers.

The researchers first thought that high-ranking “police” members wanted to keep themselves dominant (the most powerful) or wanted to prevent potential mates from leaving the group.

In order for this hypothesis (possible scientific explanation) to be true, however, all policing apes needed to be males, because female chimps do not fight over ranks (who has power and control) and female members are the most likely to leave the group. In contrast, the policing behavior was found in both sexes.

Also, the arbitrators were more likely to intervene (try to stop fights) when conflict within the group was larger and more members of the group were involved.

This caused scientists to believe the reason for police chimps is the stability (peaceful togetherness) of group. Ending  quarrels (arguments) usually leads to a healthy living environment for the primates.

"The interest in community concern (caring about the well-being of others) that is highly developed in us humans and forms the basis for our moral behavior (how we treat other people) is deeply rooted (old and strong). It can also be observed in our closest relatives (primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas)," explained Claudia Rudolf von Rohr, the lead author of the study.

Vocabulary:

impartial: not taking sides in a fight or conflict
biased: the opposite of impartial; taking sides
primatologists: scientists who study primates (primates are chimpanzees, gorillas etc.)
arbiter: someone who acts as a referee or judge to help stop a conflict; a negotiator
rift: a division or conflict
arbitrators: similar to arbiters

Are They Racist?

An editorial from The Korea Herald:

The Internet is all agog (very eager or curious) these days to speak about the “racist” behavior of some K-Pop stars. Those comments, ranging from outright denunciation (anger over what someone has done) to admonition (saying something was wrong without anger), reflect the rapidly increasing popularity of Korean entertainers, but warn of possible repercussions (bad results or consequences) that could affect their popularity itself.

Setting off the recent controversy (argument) was Jenny Hyun, a co-songwriter for Girls’ Generation and Chocolat, who made a series of racist tweets about Black people. In her blog, she said she was incensed by boxer Floyd Mayweather’s derogatory tweet about Asian-American NBA star Jeremy Lin. Hyun’s rants, unworthy of quoting here, caused a deluge (flood) of criticism, from communities that had welcomed the arrival of K-Pop in the United States with performances at New York’s Madison Square Garden and Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Video clips have appeared on YouTube to show evidence of racism in Korean pop culture. They had Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation saying that Alicia Keys “is pretty for a Black person,” Lee Kee-kwang of Beast wearing grotesque Black makeup, Block B members making fun of disasters in Thailand and Japan and even figure skating queen Kim Yuna smiling for a “Be White” campaign in a Smoothie King billboard.

Online journals Jejebel and ONTD also ran videos of Korean entertainers in Black face and making allegedly racial slurs on TV and stage shows ― some going several years back ― inviting numerous harsh comments about “racist” Korea. As MBC itself ran a video clip of two Korean women singing in Black face on YouTube, Korean entertainers and producers appear to be unaware of or insensitive to what psychological impact their performances have.

K-Pop, an American blogger commented, has exploded all over the scene (become popular) with catchy tunes, dazzling stage costumes and precise choreography. But the same person warned: “Before you purchase a K-Pop album, you might as well save your time (and your ears) and just make a direct deposit into the bank account of the KKK.”

Koreans who have lived in a monocultural environment are being exposed to the vast multicultural world in the 21st century, and the Korean entertainment people should be more cautious if they are to make global audiences happy.

Vocabulary:

racist: if someone is racist, they think that people of other "races" (Korean, Japanese, Black, white etc.) are inferior (not as good) as their own race. Racism involves prejudice (judging people without knowing them), and stereotyping (thinking that all members of a race act in the same way).
agog: excited
denunciation: if you denounce someone, you say that they have done something bad
admonition: like denunciation, but not as bad (milder)
repercussions: results, consequences (usually negative)
incensed: very angry
slurs: insults
derogatory: if you say something derogatory about someone, you are insulting them or saying something bad about them
black face: when someone paints their face Black to look like or imitate a Black person as part of a singing and dancing act. Black face used to be popular in some parts of the US many years ago, but now it is considered very racist and insulting.
KKK: This is a very racist organization in the US whose members believe that Black people are inferior and should not have the same rights as whites. The KKK has committed many acts of violence over the years, including killing Black people.



Lee KiKwang wearing "blackface" and a curly-hair wig: insulting to Black people