I have seen it in (mainly Central-Eastern) Europe. Why should it be US specific? Actually the US tends to have a lot of surveillane in schools. In e.g. Budapest or Prague you can easily spend your breaks without teachers watching you or anyone else who is not a student.
However I should also say it was NOT high school, actually by 14-18 these kids were mainly beyond the need to torture other kids. It was elementary school—and most prominently between 10 and 12.
After puberty bullying got a LOT lighter—they wanted to fuck the girls, not to torture other boys. Pre-puberty was worse.
I am familiar with Alfie Kohn’s online essays. He is an interesting fellow, a whole category of his own—he is that compared to US liberals what US liberals are compared to US conservatives. Terms like “optimistic” or “believes in the goodness of human nature” does not even begin to describe the idealism of his views. He believes e.g. students need NO motivation to study whatsoever, not even the nicest kind i.e. catch them doing well and praise them, he says no “doggie biscuit” is needed, because everybody has internal motivation. However in the online essays he never explained why—my impression was that he simply expects you to trust everybody’s internal goodness 200% or else you are not a good enough person or something.
I don’t know what this specific book is about, but I know his general ideas. I don’t think competing for grades caused bullying in Central Europe as I saw it. Nobody who was not an adult gave a shit about grades, kids thought getting good grades is shameful, it suggests you kiss the ass of authority, the teacher, like some snitch. It was way, way more “ghetto” than what Alfie (I think) suggests. Having a teacher ask a question, telling him to fuck off, getting an F grade, was a source of pride, it showed masculine defiance and strength and torturing weaker kids unfortunately too. At least for some kids at least.
I have seen it in (mainly Central-Eastern) Europe. Why should it be US specific? Actually the US tends to have a lot of surveillane in schools. In e.g. Budapest or Prague you can easily spend your breaks without teachers watching you or anyone else who is not a student.
However I should also say it was NOT high school, actually by 14-18 these kids were mainly beyond the need to torture other kids. It was elementary school—and most prominently between 10 and 12.
After puberty bullying got a LOT lighter—they wanted to fuck the girls, not to torture other boys. Pre-puberty was worse.
I am familiar with Alfie Kohn’s online essays. He is an interesting fellow, a whole category of his own—he is that compared to US liberals what US liberals are compared to US conservatives. Terms like “optimistic” or “believes in the goodness of human nature” does not even begin to describe the idealism of his views. He believes e.g. students need NO motivation to study whatsoever, not even the nicest kind i.e. catch them doing well and praise them, he says no “doggie biscuit” is needed, because everybody has internal motivation. However in the online essays he never explained why—my impression was that he simply expects you to trust everybody’s internal goodness 200% or else you are not a good enough person or something.
I don’t know what this specific book is about, but I know his general ideas. I don’t think competing for grades caused bullying in Central Europe as I saw it. Nobody who was not an adult gave a shit about grades, kids thought getting good grades is shameful, it suggests you kiss the ass of authority, the teacher, like some snitch. It was way, way more “ghetto” than what Alfie (I think) suggests. Having a teacher ask a question, telling him to fuck off, getting an F grade, was a source of pride, it showed masculine defiance and strength and torturing weaker kids unfortunately too. At least for some kids at least.
Kohn wasn’t suggesting bullying is literally and directly grade competition.
But probably suggesting a non-accepting value system is instilled by teachers insisting on grade competition?