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Substantial Disruption

October 2, 2018: Kavanaugh and Bullying; Kids’ Screen Time; Progress in Saskatchewan

ROBERT REICH: KAVANAUGH AND THE BULLYING CLASS | OPINION

by ROBERT REICH

As a kid I was always a head shorter than other boys, which meant I was bullied—mocked, threatened, sometimes assaulted.

America has become a culture of bullying—the wealthier over the poorer, those with privilege and pedigree over those without, the whiter over the browner and blacker.

Sometimes the bullying involves physical violence. More often it entails intimidation, displays of dominance, demands for submission, or arbitrary decisions over the lives of those who feel they have no choice but to accept them.

The question is whether those who are bullied will fight back. (I did, finally, and it made all the difference.)

The drama that took place in the Kavanaugh-Ford hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 27 was a window into our bullying culture.

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Never mind the panic; the jury’s out on kids and screen time

By CHRIS FERGUSON

Recent years have seen a flurry of anxiety among parents and policymakers regarding the impact of screens on young minds. Some rather extreme claims have been made, such as blaming social media and device use for an increase in suicide among girls. The addictive power of technology is now fairly routinely compared to that of drugs such as heroin.

Are these claims accurate, or is society indulging one of its continuous moral panics regarding technology and media?

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Sask. launches mandatory workplace harassment training for all government employeesnched mandatory Respect in the Workplace training for all government employees as part of a new partnership with Respect Group Inc. — a group dedicated to creating a global culture of respect.

By JENNIFER ACKERMAN, REGINA LEADER-POST

The announcement was made Monday afternoon, as former NHLer and Respect Group Inc. co-founder Sheldon Kennedy, and assistant chair of the Public Service Commission Greg Tuer, signed an agreement in front of a small crowd gathered at the Legislative Building on Monday afternoon.

“We believe that our best defence to abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination is prevention,” said Kennedy. “The more knowledgeable we can have everyone, the better off we’re going to be, the safer we’re going to be.”

In 1997, Kennedy went public about more than 300 incidents of sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of Swift Current Broncos head coach Graham James over a five-year period.

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News Updates – October 1, 2018: Workplace Bullying; Anime Anti-Bully Efforts; Kevin Spacey

Workplace Bullying: Causes, Effects, and Prevention

A recent article discusses and reviews causes and effects of workplace bullying.

Bullying is a form of aggression that can occur anywhere. Bullies can threaten your child at school (school bullying), abuse your teenager online (cyberbullying), or intimidate you at work (workplace bullying). A recent paper, published in Aggression and Violent Behavior, focuses on the last kind.

Authors Nielsen and Einarsen discuss the prevalence of bullying, its causes, effects, and finally, the effectiveness of available anti-bullying interventions.

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The Japanese anime tackling workplace bullying

Aggretsuko, a Japanese cartoon for adults on Netflix, is currently making waves around the world. But why is it so popular with millennials?

Aggretsuko is a cartoon character created by Sanrio, the company behind the popular character Hello Kitty.

The series focuses on a red panda called Retsuko, who works in the accounting department of a trading firm in Tokyo.

Through her job, Retsuko experiences office politics, workplace bullying and gender discrimination. To deal with it, at night after work she heads to a karaoke bar and releases her frustrations by singing death metal songs.

Aggretsuko, which is short for “Aggressive Retsuko”, first appeared in a series of animated shorts produced by Japanese studio Fanworks in April 2016.

The shorts went viral after being shared on social media, and reaction to the character in the West was so positive that Netflix commissioned Fanworks to make a 10-episode season, which launched in April this year.

In August, Netflix announced that it had commissioned a second season.

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Post-Kevin Spacey, Old Vic “Guardians” Fight Workplace Abuse

A year after it became an unwilling focus for Britain’s #MeToo movement, the Old Vic Theatre says it is trying to stamp out abuses of power in all workplaces.

The London theater company once led by actor Kevin Spacey said Monday that 20 cultural organizations have joined it in appointing workplace “guardians,” specially trained staff who serve as a first line of defense against bullying, harassment and abuse.

It has been a year since abuse allegations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein spurred women around the world to organize the “Me Too” and “Time’s Up” movements, and triggered an outpouring of allegations against powerful men in entertainment, politics, publishing, academia and business.

The scandal rocked the venerable Old Vic when Academy Award-winning actor Spacey, its former artistic director, was accused of sexual misconduct by men in the United States. Police in the U.S. and in Britain are investigating several claims.

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