Bullying in Popular Culture

Essays on Film, Television and Novels

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About the Book

Public awareness of bullying has increased tremendously in recent years, largely through its representation in film, television and novels. In popular media targeted towards young readers and viewers, depictions of bullying can present teachable moments and relatable situations.
Written from a variety of perspectives, this collection of new essays offers a broad overview of bullying. The contributors discuss the changing face of bullying in popular media, bullying among females, parents who cyberbully, anti-bullying novels, the phenomenon of a Schadenfreude obsessed culture, and how reality television shapes youth perceptions of what is acceptable aggressiveness.

About the Author(s)

Abigail G. Scheg is a course mentor for General Education Composition at Western Governors University. She lives in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

Bibliographic Details

Edited by Abigail G. Scheg
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 204
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2015
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9629-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2100-5
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Table of Contents


Introduction—Abigail G. Scheg 1

The Changing Faces of Bullying in Popular Culture: An Historical Account of Research in Bullying—Kulwinder P. Kaur 13

Bullying Boundaries: How Are Reality Television Programs and School Policies Shaping Youth Perceptions of Acceptable Aggressive Behaviors?—Tamara Girardi 29

Bullying Bullies: Narratives of Territoriality in American Popular Culture—Eduardo ­Barros-Grela 40

The Chocolate War and ­Anti-Bullying Novels in Popular Culture—Nina Marie Bone 55

The Power of Praise—Mary-Lynn Chambers 65

Not Just for the Kids: Parents Who Cyberbully—Abigail G. Scheg 82

“Fire is catching!” and So Is Bullying: The Hunger Games—Katherine Lashley 91

Queerness and Bullying in Popular Culture—Kylo-Patrick R. Hart 103

Swatch Dogs and Plastics: The Codification of Female Bullying—Kasey Butcher 117

It Gets Better (When You Come Back from the Grave and Kill Them All): Bullying and the Horror Film and the Indeterminacy of the Monster—Fernando Gabriel, Pagnoni Berns, Mariana S. Zárate and Canela Ailen Rodriguez Fontao 130

Bullying, Quidditch and the Golden Snitch: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone—Chantelle MacPhee 144

“Carrie White burns in hell”: ­Re-Evaluating Carrie in the ­Post-Columbine Era—Don Tresca 152

Dauntless Bullying in Veronica Roth’s Divergent—Katherine Lashley 164

The Post–9/11 John Wayne vs. Bullying: A Tale of a Schadenfreude Obsessed Culture—Kelly F. Franklin 176

About the Contributors 189

Index 193


Book Reviews & Awards

“with additional topics such as bullying in the LGBT community, protecting those who are most vulnerable, and implementing policy and law, Scheg’s book adds significantly to the field of bullying and its connection to media”—Journal of American Culture.