{"id":2627,"date":"2012-07-12T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2012-07-12T14:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.streamdoubletrouble.com\/?p=2627"},"modified":"2012-07-11T22:02:31","modified_gmt":"2012-07-12T05:02:31","slug":"league-of-their-own-dickheads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/league-of-their-own-dickheads\/","title":{"rendered":"League of Their Own: Dickheads"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What are little boys made of?
\nSnips and snails, and puppy dogs tails
\nThat\u2019s what little boys are made of!<\/em><\/p>\n

What are little girls made of?
\nSugar and spice and all things nice
\nThat\u2019s what little girls are made of!<\/em><\/p>\n

You know the stereotypes.<\/p>\n

Boys \u2013 vocal and violent \u2013 the feared fifth-grader beating up the first-grader for his lunch money.
\nGirls \u2013 quiet and subversive \u2013 a best friend suddenly turning on another, sabotaging friendships with silent but knowing looks.<\/p>\n

Most people would agree that bullying is an unpleasant situation, but people have differing opinions on what constitutes bullying. Any mistreatment of another can be considered bullying; so let\u2019s just say bullying is making someone else feel shitty, and like a loser.<\/p>\n

But if everyone has experienced bullying in childhood \u2013 what happens when we grow up? (Not much new.)<\/p>\n

CubicleViews<\/a> recently questioned the practice of bullying in the workplace. (He used more colorful\/colloquial language.)<\/p>\n

Nice guys finish last. Hmmm, here we go down the rabbit hole\u00a0of my mind further, which led to another thought. Am I too nice? Should I be tougher in the workplace?\u00a0Will that get me farther up the corporate ladder?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Essentially, should I be more of a corporate dick?<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

(Short answer \u2013 no you shouldn\u2019t, but a ton of people are.)<\/p>\n

In homage to upcoming second half of the 2012 Major League Baseball season, let me attempt to explain.<\/p>\n

A pitcher on the baseball field uses a variety of pitches against his or her opponent.<\/p>\n

A fastball provides a metaphor for the notion of masculine bullying. The ball is thrown hard, fast and directly towards the strike zone in front of the batter \u2013 a direct and visible challenge.<\/p>\n

In contrast, a curve ball represents feminine bullying. The pitch appears as though it is heading toward home plate in one direction, but slyly changes its route at the end \u2013 tricking the batter\u2019s perception of when and where to swing the bat.<\/p>\n

Pitcher and team alike agree that both types of pitches are necessary to win. As adults, the mean girls use both masculine and feminine forms of bullying against their chosen target.<\/p>\n

And while the childhood stereotypes do fade with time \u2013 you don\u2019t often see the boss storm out of an office, punch a minion in the face, and steal a report \u2013 but you do experience a lot of the subversive manipulative making-people-feel-bad techniques. And also yelling alongside the occasional temper tantrum.<\/p>\n

If a pitcher in a baseball game hits the opposing batter with the ball, there is a chance it was a wild pitch. (\u201cJuuuuust a bit outside\u2026\u201d)<\/a><\/p>\n

Also possible is that the pitcher\u2019s team is angry with the batter\u2019s team, and the batter is receiving a painful warning or retaliation. (\u201cThis son of a bitch is shaking me off. You believe that shit? Charlie, here comes the deuce. And when you speak of me, speak well.\u201d)<\/a><\/p>\n

Regardless of the reason, pitchers on each team receive a warning by the umpire when they bean a batter. If it happens again, the pitcher will be thrown out of the game, regardless of intent.<\/p>\n

Some people say hitting a batter with a pitch is unacceptable sportsmanship, while others believe it is merely a part of the game.<\/p>\n

These opinions are strikingly similar to the way bullying is handled \u2013 the first offense receives a warning, and the second (and beyond) receives some form of punishment such as a written reprimand. Maybe even something in your \u201cofficial file\u201d <gasp>!<\/p>\n

More than 90% of adults experience workplace bullying \u2013 psychological and\/or emotional abuse \u2013 at some point within their work careers. Employees who perceive themselves as victims experience high levels of fear and anxiety \u2013 paranoid that others may be \u201cout to get them.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his post, CubicleViews acknowledges that the workplace is much like a sports team.<\/p>\n

I view it as we\u2019re not that much different from a professional sports team. All players in a team sport\u00a0have a role. You have quarterbacks and linemen. You have pitchers and right fielders. Goalies and\u00a0defensemen. Drivers and pit crew tire guys.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In baseball, a foul ball counts as up to two strikes, but a batter can only be called out if a subsequent foul ball is caught in the air.<\/p>\n

This is often how aggression is played out in the workplace \u2013 the victim may potentially lose face with colleagues, but he or she cannot be fired for the actions (or comments) of others. After a while however, victims may feel that they are standing at home plate, swinging away, just trying to stay alive.<\/p>\n

Those who do eventually strike out are often captured on camera throwing equipment or punching the water cooler.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s all remember the sage advice of the great Crash Davis. \u201cDon’t try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they’re fascist. Throw some ground balls – it’s more democratic.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are little boys made of? Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails That\u2019s what little boys are made of! What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and all things nice That\u2019s what little girls are made of! … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[478,36],"tags":[56,69,935],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Sbzi-Gn","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":757,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/taking-on-bullying-through-the-color-purple\/","url_meta":{"origin":2627,"position":0},"title":"Taking on Bullying Through the Color Purple","date":"October 20, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"This post initially appeared on the Yodeling Mamas blog. I began researching bullying in 2004; I completed my Masters thesis on the subject in 2007. Bullying is a widespread issue - and one that does not simply end with childhood. In fact, my thesis examined bullying in adults. But the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Yodeling Mamas"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/streamdoubletrouble.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/10\/mr_7876d73a736675.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3655,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/bullying-in-sports\/","url_meta":{"origin":2627,"position":1},"title":"Bullying in Sports","date":"November 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Bullying is back in the news this week. Miami Dolphin offensive lineman Richie Incognito has been accused of bullying another offensive lineman on his own team, Jonathan Martin. And a cable news show panelist was blathering on about how \u201cbullying\u201d is something that happens in grade school. Not so. Then\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Current Events"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":187,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/blue-clues\/","url_meta":{"origin":2627,"position":2},"title":"Blue Clues","date":"May 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"By popular demand, below are the clues to deciphering the long awaited, much anticipated and oft debated naming of the twins. Who knew that this would become such a popular guessing game \u2013 from the center of elementary school gossip in the grass seed capitol of the world (Albany, Ore.)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Names"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":395,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/snips-and-snails-and-puppy-dog-tails\/","url_meta":{"origin":2627,"position":3},"title":"Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails","date":"July 2, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"What are little boys made of? What are little boys made of? 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Search looked up at me, sidewalk chalk streaked across his face\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Birthday"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Brothers-outside-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}