VIDEO

The In-Crowd and Social Cruelty with John Stossel. Videocassette. © ABC News, 2002. Running Time: Approximately 50 minutes.

REVIEW

My students love John Stossel’s programs! There are several of his specials that I show in my economics classes, but this one fits in perfectly with my Social Injustices course. I use it at the beginning of the course, as we are getting started in discussion of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Kohlberg’s steps to moral reasoning. This video speaks to issues that both of these psychologists raised in their research and findings – what we need for our own self-esteem, and how we respond to other people both kindly and, sadly enough, unkindly. Stossel probes treatment of people at various stages of life, and concludes that adults are just as prone to “in-crowd, out-crowd” issues as are children.

The program begins with a basic look at what makes children popular. Psychologist Michael Thompson tells that middle schoolers (although his examples are not middle school-aged…) are popular due to the following attributes:

4^th grade girls – Looks 4^th grade boys – Athletic ability

Clothes Stature

Charisma Humor

Thompson claims that his research also shows that affluent children have a tendency to be more popular. He claims that people do whatever they can to get noticed in a group because “we’re all getting rank-ordered”. In the second segment, Thompson posits that it is vitally important that children have at least one friend, but that some kids run in huge circles, as with a “mob”. The average number of friends a child has is around three.

In the third segment of the film, Stossel begins a look at bullying. In conversation with Canadian psychologist Wendy Craig, they view films made from school playgrounds of children interacting. In one sample, children are shown playing a game in which only one boy seems certain of the rules. As he berates the other kids, calling them names and making them feel inferior, Stossel asks the question, “Why do the other kids play with him?” Craig answers, “Because they’re afraid not to – he has gained the power in that peer group.” The psychology of the bystander is next examined, as a film of one child being kicked and stepped on is shown – in that film, a group of other kids stands just off to the side, seemingly oblivious. Thompson states that in most cases, 21% of children will “pile on” and imitate the bully rather than walk away. To act like the bully is more appealing than to be seen as the victim. To identify with the aggressor makes one feel strong, not weak. Craig supports, “no attention is worse than this kind of attention”. She says that some victims actually feel that they deserve the negative treatment. Thompson states that “bully boys” have higher stock than kids who get picked on. While girls might say that such “bully boys” are “mean”, those boys still find their way into the in-crowd.

The third segment concludes with two incidents: one is of a small boy walking alone on a playground, and the other is the story of a girl who ended up committing suicide because she was repeatedly harassed and threatened. These two stories may bring tears to the eyes of some of your students, because they dramatize and personalize the possible consequences of being in the out-crowd. While I would say that there is not much new information than in the previous several minutes of the film, you will find that the 3-4 minutes for these two accounts will be among the most impactful scenes in this video.

Stossel’s next section discusses schools’ efforts to end bullying and support student cooperation. Schools from around the nation are examined and their programs are put on display. Bystanders are again discussed, and Wendy Craig makes a profound statement (see below). An example of a school fight is shown, with hundreds of students standing around watching. Thompson states that watching people hit each other is a human pastime, and “vicariously exciting”. Peer mediation is also discussed, with role-play an important vehicle toward mutual understanding. Thompson says that children cannot learn when being bullied.

Stossel concludes with a look at the “in-crowd” concept as applicable to adults. He revisits his own high school days with some former classmates, and finds that parents who say “high school is the best days of your life” may not always be right. With a visit to a trendy New York City nightclub, where he is denied access because he isn’t “cool” enough, Stossel shows us that even good-looking TV personalities aren’t always in the “in-crowd”…

PASSAGE/QUOTE FOR CLASSROOM USAGE

In the video, psychologist Wendy Craig, who studied school children in Canada, makes the statement that every second time, if just one child speaks up, a bullying situation will end in around 10 seconds. Have your students respond to this, before they view the film. This will set the tone for what they will see and hear over the next hour. Upon completion of the film, ask them to respond again, and see if anyone has changed their opinion, and why?

RATIONALE FOR USAGE/UNIT RELEVANCE

As the Holocaust, as well as other examples of genocide and social cruelty involve justification on the part of the perpetrators that their victims are somehow different and/or inferior (the “other”), it is important to set the table with your students as to how this affects their world. Not in Europe, or Africa, or Southeast Asia, but in North America. After viewing this video students will have a grasp of what social cruelty means and how it plays out on a daily basis in schools, on playgrounds, and even in adult workplaces and social circles.

CLASSROOM METHOD OF USAGE

As stated earlier, this film is shown as an introductory tool for helping students work through issues of human needs and moral formation. The film can be shown in its entirety, or broken down into segments the teacher might find useful. As always, previewing of any film is recommended.

STUDY QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION GUIDE

Ask students to come up with a list of television shows, Hollywood movies, songs, etc. where a group or an individual is a cast-off. Why are they shunned? Who shuns them? How do both sides feel about it? Who decided who or what was “in” and why some people are “out”? Does the story have a happy or sad ending, and do you think that ending was realistic or romanticized? You might ask your students to fill out the following table, and then use these for class discussion. As you do, you may wish to tie in any previous discussion of Maslow or Kohlberg.

Film/book/song	Out-crowd	In-crowd	Bystanders	Result
EXAMPLE: Napoleon Dynamite	Napoleon and Pedro	Summer and her friends	Other students and teachers	Napoleon gets Pedro elected class president
EXAMPLE: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer	Rudolph due to his shiny nose	The other reindeer	Santa, the elves, and other reindeer	Rudolph’s nose is shown to be useful, thus saving Christmas