She's Weird Reading Analysis

These readings contained essential knowledge for being able to recognize and intervene in situations of bullying, which is a must have for anyone that is working with children, especially in schools today. The “She’s Weird” reading breaks down the factors that play into bullying dynamics between students, and something that I found really interesting and new to me was that it talked about the roles that both the bully and the target fall into, and how these are based in different social hierarchies. The target is labeled as socially deviant, for whatever identity factor or behavior qualifies them for this, which isolates them from other peers that don’t even want to intervene or interact because that would bring them closer to the social deviant, which would make them an outsider as well. The readings pointed out that this process is possibly rooted in stigma and labeling theory (Goffman 1963 and Becker 1963) and it is suggested that understanding this is key in understanding the social processes behind bullying.

with what it means to be labeled as different and what it means to associate with someone who is different. Bullying in my own experience was always based in variance from the accepted norms in the groups around me. Rather than having difference celebrated it is grounds for social victimization. This is why for a good part of my adolescence, “fitting in” was something that I either did because I had to, or I would be constantly searching for the comfort of a social group. I realize that I am, and have been, in a position of privilege to be less likely labeled as socially deviant, because of my race, appearance, economic status, and other identifiers being generally average for the schools I attended as a kid. Additionally, staying quiet in class was a way to avoid any grounds for bullying, as long as you are not too quiet and get bullied for