Bullying online is NOT harmless

Nurses Relations

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Those who put down posters, based on how long they have been on AN , or for any other reasons...

Did it ever occur to you that people come here to vent/ask questions???most don't care to please trolls, they are here to communicate and get helpful feedback, not nasty posts .

I came into this field because I love helping ppl. I honestly hope that none of those nasty nurses will attend to me or to my loved ones. It's scary.

Specializes in Hospice.
Heron I think you win the Internets today!:yes:

Thanks - I'm glad it made sense to somebody. I've been trying for a while to figure out what it is that irks me so about these bullying threads. Generally speaking, as a staunch believer in advocacy, I tend to believe complaints of mistreatment until proven otherwise. But when efforts to clarify or offer alternate rationales for behaviors experienced as deliberate bullying are met with snark and accusations of NETY, I start to get really skeptical. I believe that encouraging self-pity and learned helplessness is the very opposite of compassion or support.

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I've quoted it once, I've quoted it a thousand times:

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wow, I love that quote.

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I've quoted it once, I've quoted it a thousand times:

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Love that quote as well!

When I saw this title, I thought maybe another teenager committed suicide after being goaded to online

Me too. I was surprised it was about being a member of AN.

Strong opinions are definitely part of the culture of AN - especially if you hang around on the political threads or mention NETY.

But that's not bullying. And as others have said, no one has chained you to your seat in front of your computer or smart phone and forced you to read all comments. You can easily walk away.

If you do think you are being bullied, make a report to the moderators.

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Specializes in Hospice.

We actually had a recent episode of real online bullying here at AN - it started out as fairly mindless snark aimed at anyone who disagreed. Obnoxious and offensive, sure - but not bullying. The (now ex-) member progressed to frank name-calling, then crossed the line into threats of "doxxing" and physical violence against members who challenged him.

It was an example of the difficulty of discussing bullying - where is the line between offensive behavior and frank bullying? How is it drawn? Is it about intent? Intensity? Or is it defined totally by the perceptions of the presumed "target", even when those perceptions might be distorted?

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

Nurses are not saints. They are people just like your friend or neighbor. Everybody has a different opinion. When you come on a forum & ask a question you need to be prepared for answers you might not like/that line up with your ideals. I'm so tired of hearing the phrase 'NETY' or that people are bullies.

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Hate to be stupid here, but what's "doxxing"?

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Specializes in Hospice.
Hate to be stupid here, but what's "doxxing"?

Posting real names, addresses, phone numbers and other identifying information.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Hate to be stupid here, but what's "doxxing"?

Yeah, I needed a Google University class to figure that one out.

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.
Just a comment.

I think many people use bullying when the really mean "micro-aggression",which I happen to see a LOT of.

People have intuition,and most know when they are singled out.

Let me give an example:

There was this older nurse who thought I had just graduated from the ADN program.

She never wanted to anything I had to say during report.

I found out why some time later.

My intuition led me to look up her name on the BON.

I had been a nurse for 10 years at that time,and she was the nearly new grad(2 year post) even though she was older than me by 2 decades.

You have to watch us old ones....you young whippersnappers might intimidate us with your knowledge......or something.......

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You have to watch us old ones....you young whippersnappers might intimidate us with your knowledge......or something.......

Yeah, I'm not sure how that story fits the "micro aggression" definition. :confused:

Love the term "whippersnappers". :up:

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Specializes in ER.

I had to look up this term 'microaggression'

Microaggression theory - Wikipedia

Psychologist Derald Wing Sue defines microaggressions as "brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership."

  • Alien in Own Land: When people assume Asian Americans are foreigners or from a different country.[14]
    • Ex: "Where are you from" or "Why don't you have an accent?"

    [*]Ascription of Intelligence: When Asian Americans are stereotyped as being intelligent or assumed to be smart.[14]

    • Ex: "Wow, you're really good at math, can you help me?" or "Are Asian Americans this good when it comes to school work?"

    [*]Denial of Racial Reality: This is when a person emphasizes that as Asian American doesn't experience any discrimination, implying there are no inequalities towards them.[14] It correlates to the idea of model minority.

    [*]Exoticization of Asian American Women: It stereotypes non-white Americans in the exotic category. They are being stereotyped by their physical appearance and gender based on media and literature.[14] One example is Asian American women portrayed as the submissive or obedient type; they are also seen as Dragon Lady or Lotus Blossom. On the other hand, Asian American men are portrayed as being emasculated or seen as nerdy, weak men.

    [*]Invalidation of Interethnic Differences: This emphasizes homogeneity of broad ethnic groups and ignores interethnic differences.[14] The claim "all Asian Americans look alike" was identified as a main assumption for this theme. Similarly, thinking that all members of an ethnic minority group speak the same language or have the same values or culture falls under this theme.[14]

    [*]Pathologizing Cultural Values/Communication Styles: When Asian Americans' cultures and values are viewed as less desirable. For example, many people from the focus group felt disadvantaged by the expectation of verbal participation in class, when Asian cultural norms value silence. Because of this discrepancy, many Asian Americans felt that they were being forced to conform to Western cultural norms.[14]

    [*]Second Class Citizenship: This theme emphasizes the idea that Asian Americans are being treated as lesser beings, and are not treated with equal rights or presented as a first priority.[14]

    • Ex: A Korean man walks into a bar and asks for a drink but the bartender ignores the man and serves a White man first.

    [*]Invisibility: This theme of microaggression focuses on the idea that Asian Americans are invisible in discussions of race and racism. According to some focus group members, dialogues on race often focus only on White and Black, which excludes Asian Americans.[14]

Culture of victimhood

A review of sociological literature conducted by two sociologists—Bradley Campbell and Jason Manning[7]—argues that the discourse of microaggression leads to a culture of victimhood. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt states that this culture of victimhood lessens the "ability to handle small interpersonal matters on one's own" and "creates a society of constant and intense moral conflict as people compete for status as victims or as defenders of victims".[35] Ralph Nader has similarly criticized the trigger warnings and political correctness on campuses as creating too much sensitivity.[36]

American conservative media have suggested that the victim complex caused by the microaggression theory can have fatal results. In 2015, an African-American TV news reporter in Virginia killed two white colleagues because he thought they were racially abusing him by eating watermelon, telling him to do "field work" or to "swing by a location".[37][38][39]

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Culture of victimhood

A review of sociological literature conducted by two sociologists—Bradley Campbell and Jason Manning[7]—argues that the discourse of microaggression leads to a culture of victimhood. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt states that this culture of victimhood lessens the "ability to handle small interpersonal matters on one's own" and "creates a society of constant and intense moral conflict as people compete for status as victims or as defenders of victims".[35] Ralph Nader has similarly criticized the trigger warnings and political correctness on campuses as creating too much sensitivity.[36]

American conservative media have suggested that the victim complex caused by the microaggression theory can have fatal results. In 2015, an African-American TV news reporter in Virginia killed two white colleagues because he thought they were racially abusing him by eating watermelon, telling him to do "field work" or to "swing by a location".[37][38][39]

What an interesting concept and seems very apropos.

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