childish bullying theme
The ramifications of people bullying each other, in ways that are unlikely to be prosecutable as crimes, are explored. Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate.
Notes
This theme is typically used when the children treat each other badly. The theme is typically not used when adults use violence and the threat thereof. It may be used when adults act like children. As a rule of thumb, it applies when the actions referred to fall below the bar for what is likely to be considered a legally punishable offense in the context.
Examples
In "The Toxic Avenger" (1984), the 98-pound weakling Melvin was picked on mercilessly by certain patrons of the fitness club where he worked as a mop boy.
55 total · 1 choice · 18 major · 35 minor
| Story | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| rbt1985e1x02 | choice | Charles confronted his repressed memories of a traumatic childhood when he was serially bullied. In a supernatural twist, he somehow ended up trading bodies with his own son and was forced to experience a bullying incident anew. |
| as1985e1x14 | major | Arnie was bullied by his comrades in arms. For example, they made him pick up playing cards from the floor and they threw food at him. |
| blackmirror7x02 | major | Verity was out to avenge herself on Maria for a rumor that Maria and others had started back in high school. Specifically, Verity went to elaborate lengths to drive her former high school classmates Maria and Natalie to suicide for having made up a rumor at the time that Verity had given Mr. Kendrick a hand job in the computer lab. |
| movie: All Monsters Attack (1969) | major | Young Ichiro was picked on by a clique of neighborhood kids. |
| movie: It (1990) | major | The townspeople turned a blind eye to the rampant bullying that was going on around them. |
| movie: Koi Mil Gaya (2003) | major | Rohit and his band of friends were recurringly bullied by the town jock Raj. |
| movie: The Nutty Professor (2008) | major | Harold Kelp was bullied on campus by some jocks. |
| movie: The Toxic Avenger (1984) | major | Melvin was picked on mercilessly by the patrons of a local fitness club where he worked as a mop boy. |
| pieceofcake1988e1x02 | major | Moggy singled out the two younger pilots, Pip and Dicky, and tormented them relentlessly. In one scene, Moggy emasculated Dicky by asserting, in the presence of fellow officers, that Dicky's testicles hadn't yet descended. In another scene, Moggy walloped Pip over the head for no apparent reason. Moggy ultimately peer pressured Dicky into attempting a dangerous stunt. Dicky perished in the attempt. |
| rbt1985e3x10 | major | Willie was bullied by the other orphans because he didn't grow big like they did. He was also pushed around by a stereotypical neighborhood bully. |