An anti-gossip campaign at Jewish high schools is trying to get teenagers to think before they say something hurtful about a classmate. In Jewish tradition, speaking evil about others is nearly as bad as doing evil. From the New York Times:
. . . at 11:15 each morning at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Long Island, the voice of Emi Renov, a 17-year-old junior, buzzes over the intercom, gently reminding her fellow students to refrain from gossiping for the next 60 minutes.
. . . for one hour after Ms. Renov’s announcement, her schoolmates make an honest attempt to avoid mocking one another’s outfits or whispering the latest shocking rumor.
. . . High school girls, who often are gossip’s victims as well as its villains, have taken the lead in popularizing the program, which aims to boost self-esteem and religious adherence.
I wonder if it would be possible to spread this campaign beyond Jewish or other religious schools. It ought to be possible to stigmatize meanness.
It’s nice to know that high school girls are taking the lead. Gossiping goes along with bullying and can have devastating results. It’s difficult to eliminate a lot of this behavior because students are clever about waiting until a teacher isn’t around before they say or do harmful things. Some of my middle school students slipped hateful notes into lockers, and it was impossible to know who was responsible. Students willing to take a stand against being mean to other students might be able to make a difference.
“It ought to be possible to stigmatize meanness.”
It is possible to stigmatize meanness. It’s done in the home long before the child ever gets to high school. Teachers and other students shouldn’t have to do it. The problem is that far too many parents refuse to do their job and the parents that do get little help from a culture that encourages rude behavior.