While riding the subway yesterday I watch four young teenagers “play fight.” They were obnoxious, disruptive, and used lots of racial profanity. At one point one of the boys, who seemed to be the ring leader of his crew (he was cute, thin, tall, and the loudest) had the boy who seemed to be the least popular (he was short, chubby, and did alot of whining) in a headlock. The ring leader was laughing. The unpopular boy was screaming. And nobody did a thing. Sure, plenty of folks turned to stare. A few older men even laughed reminiscing their own youthful “play fights.” No one tried to help the little chubby boy yelling “no for real, get off me!” No one, not even me.

How could anyone help? They aren’t going to listen to a stranger. Or would they? Besides I didn’t know what to say because they did a good job masking the bullying as a good, “boys will be boys” fun. After every round of wrestling they’d all laugh and high-five, including the unpopular boy. But I could tell he was sad. He was clearly the brunt of the joke. I got off the train feeling angry, sad, and disappointed. Angry that this is how boys are allowed to behave. Sad that this poor kid has to deal with such mean friends. And disappointed that I couldn’t stop it.

I also used to feel bad for the bully. I assumed bullies came from troubled pasts and that they hurt others because deep down in their troubled souls they are hurting as well. But it turns out, bullies get a kick out of seeing pain.

The Journal of Biological Psychology recently published a study in which they used fMRI scans to compare brain activity in eight unusually aggressive 16- to 18-year-old males to those of eight normal adolescent males as they watched videos of people getting hurt. The results showed both groups had activity in the brain’s pain centers, but the brains of aggressive males, those with conduct disorder, also showed activity in the brain’s pleasure centers, indicating that they may have been enjoying what they were seeing. Normal males showed no such activity.

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Eight Florida teenagers, six of them girls will be tried as adults and could be sentenced to life in prison for their alleged roles in the videotaped beating of another teen, the state attorney’s office said Thursday. [CNN]

Okay first of all, gross, sad and gross. Second of all, why do people continue to tape themselves breaking the law?

The disgusting video (which I will not post here) shows a a 16-year-old being punched, kneed and slapped by other girls. Authorities say the eight teens said they attacked the victim after she posted insults against them on the Internet. Also, police say the teens planned to post the video on YouTube.

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Groundspark Film Project (formerly Women’s Educational Media) works with social activists and educators to produce truly visionary films that inspire social action. A spirit of innovation and energetic activism colors their Respect For All Film Project and accompanying educational campaigns as they engage with youth and adults alike on topics of human diversity and preventing prejudice. The project offers a variety of resources for educators and service providers, including award-winning documentaries, a workshop series, and curriculum guidelines.

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