3. Introduction
While researching my original topic (family norms and religion) I
became very uninspired by my assignment as I did not feel
passionate about my proposed issues.
I had originally planned on presenting a family from the United
States called the Duggars who are unusual in that they have 19
children and have heavy Christian beliefs. They have a popular
reality TV series about their lives. (www.duggarfamily.com)
4. Introduction (cont.)
While conducting my research on YouTube I noticed a lot of
feedback left through comments of people's opinions on the
Duggars. I noticed that while much of the feedback was very
positive, a very high proportion of the feedback was negative,
judgmental, hateful and insulting.
5. Introduction (cont.)
While I find the Duggar family highly interesting and thought that
students in the middle years would also, I felt the issue was not of
particular relevance and this was when I had my “ahah” moment
and decided to go from a slightly different angle.
So now I will introduce you to my new and improved topic...
6. Hate and Anonymity on the Internet
While the internet is an endless source of information there is a darker
side, it has also let open the flood gates for anyone with an opinion to
share that with the world, anonymously, from the comfort of their home or
office. Unfortunately, without fear of consequence this has led to many
people saying things that they would probably not say if they knew they
could be held accountable for their actions.
In fact, recently in Arizona in the United States of America, a bill was
introduced (and later stopped due to breech of freedom of speech laws)
to censor internet trolls. (Hendley, M. 2012)
7. Hate and Anonymity on the Internet
By way of example here are some comments from YouTube made about the
Duggar family:
“God isn't responsible for all those pregnancies. Jim Bob & Michelle are. It's
pathetic how Christians use their ignorance to keep making such foolish
decisions. The last pregnancy should NEVER have taken place. They are selfish
people.” (Paula120906, Retrieved from YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roOMA-_-HTk&feature=related)
“Despite the the obvious waste of resources these parents have caused by
having more then 2 children, I actually kinda feel sorry for these kids, seeing how
they are schooled and brainwashed with religion (dancing is bad), the real world is
going to eat them alive once they leave the home. These parents focused on
religion, not at all on independence or thinking for themselves.” (Chibicat13,
Retrieved from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=J4mDkKH0_OA&feature=related)
8. st
Bullying in the 21 Century
There are two main kinds of internet hate, flamers and trolls. Flamers are mainly
intent on instigating arguments or flame wars with other internet users
whereas trolls are more concerned with proving their superiority. Both kinds
of haters are almost always anonymous or acting under a pseudonym.
Flamers: Wikipedia explains “flaming” as:
“Flaming, also known as bashing, is hostile and insulting interaction between
Internet users, often involving the use of profanity. Flaming usually occurs in
the social context of an Internet forum, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Usenet, by
e-mail, game servers such as Xbox Live or Playstation Network, and on
video-sharing websites. It is frequently the result of the discussion of heated
real-world issues such as politics, religion, and philosophy, or of issues that
polarise subpopulations, but can also be provoked by seemingly trivial
differences.” (Flaming (Internet), Wikipedia, Para 1)
9. st
Bullying in the 21 Century
Trolls
Wikipedia explains “trolls” as:
“In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory,[2]
extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as
an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent
of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise
disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4] The noun troll may refer to
the provocative message itself, as in: "That was an excellent troll you
posted."” (Troll (Internet), Wikipedia, Para 1)
10. Connecting to difference
Difference is when we look beyond our Self out along the lines of the
axes of identity and see the things that we are not. The things that
are not absolute, that is, the things that are not the same but no
absolutely different, are placed in the space between our Self and the
axes of identity in the zone of difference. (Austin, Undated)
The internet allows an anonymous forum for anyone with a different
opinion to bully, harass, flame and troll without consequence.
12. Social Experiment: Part 1
Provide a two pieces of paper and two letter boxes.
Ask students to anonymously answer the questions:
1. Would you or have you ever said hurtful things to someone to
their face?
2. Would you or have you ever said hurtful things about someone
behind their back.
Tally answers and give results to the class at the
end of the lesson. Doing this at the start of the
lesson will hopefully result in more honest answers.
13. Social Experiment Part 2
Establish Difference
Introduce the students to the idea of difference by showing them
part of the video below about the Duggar family.
The Duggars are a Christian family with 19 children. Having 19
children their family life is quite different to normal sized families.
The Duggars also have some strong religious beliefs that many
students might find strange.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4mDkKH0_OA&feature=related
14. Social Experiment Part 3
Connecting Difference to Identity
and Self
Conduct a survey: Ask the students about their home and
family life, some relevant questions could be:
Are your parents married?
How many children are in your family?
Do your parents work full time?
What is the division of labour around the house (e.g.
housework)?
Have the students compare their answers.
15. Social Experiment Part 4
Anonymous Survey
Give the students “agree” and “disagree”
cards. Ask the students to anonymously rate
negative comments from YouTube in relation
to the Duggar family.
Tabulate the scores while the students
complete group work for part 5.
16. Social Experiment Part 5
Group Discussion
Group students into groups of 3-4 and give them negative
comments from YouTube used in part 4 about the Duggar family.
Ask them to discuss and present their opinions about those
comments to the class.
Within their peer groups students will probably try to present
themselves in a more favourable light.
17. Conclusion
Compare results from the anonymous vote in part 4 of the
experiment to the group discussion in part 5 and the results of the
vote at the start of the lesson. How were they different? Was
there any difference between what a student would say
anonymously or if they knew the person they were talking about
was listening?
This social experiment aims at teaching children through
comparing their own family lives and family lives of their peers with
that of the Duggar family to establish realisation of difference and
how they react to the difference based on various scenarios where
they can be held accountable for their voiced agreement or
disagreement.
18. References
Austin. J, (Undated) Slides 4-5, Lecture 8 (Video) University of South Queensland Study Desk, EDC1200
Duggar Family Website, At Home With The Duggars. Retrieved from: www.duggarfamily.com
Hendley. M, (2012, 3 April) Re: Internet Trolls Can Breathe Easy for a Minute -- HB 2549 Has Been Stopped
[Web log post]. Retrieved from:
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2012/04/internet_trolls_can_breathe_ea.php
Wikipedia: Flaming (Internet). Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaming_%28Internet%29
Wikipedia: Troll (Internet). Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll
