Policing by intimidation is a common enough technique.
Workplace intimidation is intentionally and maliciously causing an employee or coworker to feel inadequate or afraid. This includes verbal threats, unjust criticisms, sabotage of a person's work or supplies, sexual harassment, and physical violence. Actions like these erode the confidence of employees and affects their ability to do their jobs. In many places, it is punishable by fines and imprisonment, and businesses may also be held liable if they do not respond appropriately. Those who feel they are being subjected to workplace intimidation can get help from managers and law enforcement.
One form of intimidation is bullying.
Physical: Physical bullying involves harmful actions against another person’s body. Examples include: biting, kicking, pushing, pinching, hitting, tripping, pulling hair, any form of violence or intimidation. Physical bullying also involves the interference with another person’s property. Examples include: damaging or stealing.
Verbal: Verbal bullying involves speaking to a person or about a person in an unkind or hurtful way. Examples include: sarcasm, teasing, put-downs, name calling, phone calls, spreading rumors or hurtful gossip.
Emotional: Emotional bullying involves behaviors that upset, exclude, or embarrass a person. Examples include: nasty notes, saying mean things using technology (e.g. cyber bullying using emails, instant messaging), chat rooms, tormenting threatening, humiliation or social embarrassment.
Sexual: Sexual bullying singles out a person because of gender and demonstrates unwarranted or unwelcome sexual behavior. Examples include: sexual comments, abusive comments, unwanted physical contact.
Racial: Racial bullying involves rejection or isolation of a person because of ethnicity. Examples include: gestures, racial slurs or taunts, name calling, making fun of customs/skin color/accent/food choices.
The best immediate response to intimidating behaviors is
1.Walk Away: If possible, remove yourself from the situation immediately.
2. Say “Stop:” If it feels safe, tell the aggressor to stop in a firm but calm
way. If you feel confident to do so, use humor or a clever response to
weaken the effect of the mean behavior.
3. Keep Cool: Try to control your emotions in the moment. Showing fear or
anger may egg on the aggressor.
4. Don’t Fight: Try not to fight or bully back in response—this may just
continue the cycle of bad behavior.
But if the intimidator is in a position of power, then walking away or saying stop will be seen as insubordination. If the person being intimidated is young or this is round 57 of the same old thing, staying cool and not fighting is very unlikely.
So the question is, why do bullies and intimidators go into positions that allow them to repeatedly do what they like best. I know from personal experience that while I'm basically peaceful, if you get in my space, touch me, or crowd me or try to box me into a corner, i'm going to start pushing back. Its automatic. I am no longer capable of hunkering down and surviving. I'm going to let you know that I won't be intimidated and will not be pushed around. For millions of people that have been victimized/ostracized/bullied/demonized/and treated like they aren't human, that response is also automatic.
If i'm waving a gun at you or trying to kill someone, shoot me. But if i'm walking down the street and you get in my space, i'm going to try to get you out of my space--its automatic. And while some people will tell you that you should expect that from people in power, reality is, people in power don't do that to anyone unless they are trying to elicit that automatic response.
We need to make sure that the people we put into positions of power and control like police and probation officers and social workers and teachers and anyone that interacts with less powerful people and has the ability to use intimidation be educated fully about the subject. I know that large, urban police departments require 4 year degrees, but a lot of small departments require only a cleet license--which is all about gun law, and not at all about not being a bully.
We need to make sure that people do not get placed in those positions with known prejudices---a hard thing to do, as many of the people doing the hiring have the same prejudices; that people with a history of using intimidation to get cooperation not be given that kind of power over people.
And last, we need to not have such deep loyalties to our fellow coworkers because they are pals or watched our back or "know what it's like out there" that we protect them when they are viciously wrong.
Repeatedly the citizens of this country have witnessed the way a group of people that has been hired to protect and serve, becomes a criminal enterprise, covering up the bad and criminal behavior of its members because they are family. Time to stop the "us against them" attitudes that create so many problems in our communities (and the world--its what starts every war).
We are all in this together. None of us want to be robbed by anyone, or hit or shot or otherwise victimized. All of us want to be treated with respect despite our differences. We have all worked with the person that is dearly loved by everyone up the ladder, but despised for their rudeness, arrogance, and self-aggrandizement by everyone equal or under them.
The hierarchy is a sham, we are all on the same plane. So, without pushing or crowding, lets all just do this together.
No comments:
Post a Comment