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School bullying in Japan: What is it like and how is it different from the West?

InvisibleSkyMagician

Holy Defender of Nippon
7 Aug 2009
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I thought this was an interesting topic because when there was yet another incident of bullying in Chinese schools, I observed and analyzed the differences in contrast to Western-style bullying.
Video of ツ"Cloth Shoes Girlツ" being Ganged up
Video of "Cloth Shoes Girl" being Ganged up | ChinaHush
Recently this video of a female high school student wearing cloth shoes being beaten up by several other students spread on the Chinese internet. In the video this girl was blocked by other students at a staircase. They forced her to kneel in front of them. They pushed, kicked and slapped her in the face when she refused. Yesterday, netizens human flesh searched and found this happened in Xinzhen Longhu First High School (ツ新郑龙ナ津射?ェ窶吮??) in Henan province.
This video is 3:45 long, looks like happened in a corner of a school building. A female student wearing a yellow top is standing there cornered by many other students (mostly female). Because she was wearing black cloth shoes, netizens called her ツ"Cloth Shoes MMツ" or ツ"Cloth Shoes Girlツ" (窶「zティテ懌?凪?ヲ窶凪?ヲ).
In the beginning of the video you can hear people shouting ツ"start, hurryツ". With the urging voices, five to six female students started to push around ツ"Cloth Shoes Girlツ". Some kicked her behind, some punched her back and some poked her with a stick. Because some student did not hit very hard, they got laughed at ツ"are you scratching an itch?ツ" ツ"Cloth Shoes Girlツ" did not say a word, being pushed back and forth while aggressors laughed.
After a minute into the video, someone said ツ"if you didn't take it, then kneel here and swear!ツ" ツ"Cloth Shoe Girlツ" said with a low voice ツ"I didn't take itツ". Then she raised her right hand ready to swear.
Someone shouted viciously ツ"Kneel!ツ" and also started counting ツ"5, 4, 3 ツ…ツ" when they finished counting, ツ"Cloth Shoe Girlツ" still did not kneel. Someone then shouted ツ"hurry and just beat her up!ツ" One girl walked up to ツ"Cloth Shoe Girlツ" and slapped her in the face. ツ"Cloth Shoe Girl'sツ" face turned red. After awhile of pushing, shoving and hitting one student shouted ツ"hurry, class is starting.ツ"
During the entire video, someone would walk up to her from time to time and kicked her into the corner. ツ"Cloth Shoes Girlツ" was just standing there with teary eyes. At the end of the video, someone ordered ツ"Cloth Shoes Girlツ" smile at the camera. The ツ"Cloth Shoes Girlツ" did not respond so one student came up to her and pinched her face pulling it to one side to make a smiley face. Video ended in more laughter sound.
I noticed a slight nuance in Chinese-style bullying compared to what I am more experienced in, Western-style bullying. Both types of bullying are in similar in one way: both involve 1 (and only 1) victim who is verbally and physically abused by a group of at least 3 or more (not less because the victim might successfully fight back).
However, I did notice a slight difference in tactics used by bullies in China.
As we know, compared to Western society, Chinese tends to be more of a shame-based "Nail that sticks up must be hammered down" collectivist society. Those who do not conform are socially pressured into doing so. This observation can be proven by these two concepts:
"face" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_(sociological_concept)
Face is the respectability and/or deference which a person can claim for himself from others, by virtue of the relative position he occupies in his social network and the degree to which he is judged to have functioned adequately in that position as well as acceptably in his general conduct. (Ho 1975:883)
"Kowtow" - Kowtow - Wikipedia
Kowtow (traditional Chinese: 窶僉窶慊ェ; simplified Chinese: 窶僉头; pinyin: Kòu tóu; Cantonese: Kau tàuh, Vietnamese: Khấu đầu) is the act of deep respect shown by kneeling and bowing so low as to have your head touching the ground. In Han Chinese culture, the kowtow is the highest sign of reverence. It was widely used to show reverence for one's elders, superiors, and especially the Emperor, as well as for religious and cultural objects of worship. In modern times, usage of the kowtow has become much reduced.
In the video, the bullies tried to get the victim to kneel thus make her lose face (lose her dignity) and at the same time, elevate the status of the bullies.
I have never seen this phenomenon in Western-style bullying (kneeling under your superiors feet) so I think this particular aspect of bullying is is unique to Chinese and perhaps Asian culture.
Here's another similar video, this victim had it worse because not only did no boys help her, they actually RAPED her: Mature Content Disclaimer
What is school bullying in Japan like?
In what ways is Japanese bullying similar to Western bullying?
In what ways is Japanese bullying DIFFERENT from Western bullying?
 
I can't speak for China, but I believe bullying in Japan has reached levels of sophistication which put western bullying in amateur status. It's not a matter of getting lunch money, but forcing kids to empty their own and their parents' bank accounts.
 
I can't speak for China, but I believe bullying in Japan has reached levels of sophistication which put western bullying in amateur status. It's not a matter of getting lunch money, but forcing kids to empty their own and their parents' bank accounts.
I might be stupid to ask and i never got this form some of the manga's I read or bullying in general experience when it comes down to it.
Is it a culture thing to just stand there and take it? Because I don't think so. Is it just a personable thing?
*in a sense I think its brave if you can just stand it, to wait it out.
Even if I knew I could not win I would fight back or hunt them down after school or reported it at least take some action. At least I cal them weak for not being to handle me by themselves I would never have taken it. Even its just to say to myself at least I stood up for myself.
But you see a lot girls pas in the first video * for some reason I cant see the second.
If I was there I would have ran to get a teacher for help. I can't really understand any of this. I would never let anyone in my sight be treated like that or go after them on this scale. If you have problem work it out like normal human.
Its not like I have never been cornered by girls myself. biggest one was 8 or 9. But in really if never seen anything like this happen witch includes to my self.
To me and I am sorry to say this its seems like a bad bulling movie where cloth shoes girl has a weak character that dos not stand up for herself and for some stupid reason no one will help her. I cant in mange a thing like that to be reality *I'm not naive, it just dos not click. The second story also seems absurd in my mind. Why would anyone do that to another person. Its beyond cruel. What could that person have done to you that's so bad? Why would any boy want to participate in a girl fight to begin with let alone on this level.
Is this sort of brutality normal? I sure hope not. I cant see it happing at every school.

I knew there are some case like this in the US but here in Holland its either not happing or I'm not aware of it.
I just seems so far of like bad movie.

Sins there our some teaches here. *I'm not trying to take over the tread but…. What is your experience in this field anyway?
Most school can't be that bad right?
 
I remember when my son was one, he was sleeping and we had to carry him, snowboards, snowbard equipment, suitcases and backpacks from the train to the hotel. Very cold night, but what a struggle, we were tired, frustrated, hot, and just taking a few paces at a time. Lots of Japanese wanted to help, some even slowed thinking they especially wanted to help as we struggled up a couple flights of stairs, but no one actually helped. I'm pretty sure a couple Canadians would've asked if they could carry one thing for us had this been in Canada.

Other examples abound, like a heavy old lady falling on top of young house wife going up an escalator, and she was barely holding her up and asking for help at the main train station here. Lots of people looked, some even considered helping, but she never got the help.

Dunno, it just seems by standers would like to help, but it most often remains just a wish here.

How does that relate to bullying, well aside from my sister in law, every Japanese I have talked to about bullying here have all said they've seen it, but none of them did anything to help the bullied.

Seconds is that Japanese will more often move as a group, so the leaders of a class decide a certain guy is deserving of bullying, they'll start, and a lot more other classmates will simply join in, perhaps sort of the dark side of 'wa', that people need to work together and that disagreeing is usually not the best way.

All that is just guessing though, I haven't seriously looked into it.
 
O.O…….O.O* why are people that weird?
If you wane help, go help.
But strangely your two first examples do ring a bell. Things like that happen here to.
I always toughed it was because people where becoming more unhelpful and rude.
 
2 years ago, I was having a holiday and witnessed a heat argument between a couple. The poor lady was restrained by the wrist and she was dominated by the Neanderthal man.
My tour guide asked us not to bother and carry on with our journey.

Are we that powerless to come to someone's aid?
 
Well I can understand that much. Even so I would not sit well with me
Its simply because you don't know what's going on and the back story.
But yes but being a good Samaritan is looking pretty dead if you ask me.
 
I've seen a lot of Japanese TV dramas and movies where there are a lot of bullying scenes. It seems bullying in Japanese schools is really a serious problem....Am I right?
 
i too have seen some bullying scenes in japanese dramas...i hope its not as bad as its shown on tv...bullying in malaysia is still not that bad as portrayed in the dramas but its still bad, now even kids 10 or 11 are bullying their peers
 
I think that the type of bullying seen in Animes and Mangas has taken its toll in the school setup. It is sometimes because of the media that is causing the ruckoos. And I have to agree that they do make the Western bullying look as if they were grade school.
 
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