i grew up and went to school in rural nova scotia. there was some bullying but very little. i was astoished by the virtually non stop personal slurs and bullying out there among the english when i went west to look for work. the levels of homophobia and katred of women were daunting. i really didn't know what to make of it all for years.and of course the racism in western canada was unbelievable. especially towards natives and south asians.

when i went o englisn there was some of all this as well. in england it is coached in terminology that out sders don;t understand. at least it was years later when i figured out i was being put down by english men. i have discussed this on folk song discussions.

people are not going to want to hear this but i turly think anglo culture has been deeply imbued with bullying for centuroies due to its almost constant militatism.

i grew up in a culture where hardly anyone swore, and direct insults would cause a fist fight immediately. so almost no one did it unless they were crazy. of course i think anglo culture is crazy from its centuries of militarism.

even as a adult in adult work places i had to make a big stink to get fellow worker to stopp calling the ither men "ladies" . straight from us militry speak.

when i tried to join the vancouver foilk soing society i was under attack constantly for essentially imaginary infractions. i was definately working class then, straight from the oil fields, trying to get some education. they saw all working class men as threatening and racist. this from some of the most intolerant people i have ever met. folk song groups oftem descend into ethnic discrimination--out side the franco galeic areas. anglo culture is intensely intolerant and suspicious of anyone who seems different. they accept agression as right. in those situations i was almost always attacked for standing up to defend my self.

here on mud cat i have identified a self confessed naxzi holocoust denier who i knew at a flk group and my posts are deleted. the holocoust denier was upper class and well conected, and although everyone knew about him, people still defend this example of the most egrigious possible racism.

intolerance to dissent is in the very fabric of anglo culture. and militarism is accpted with little or no critical thinking.

in my experience it's a bullying culture.