NST Leader: Nip bullying in the bud
THE edgy but hard-hitting American comedian Chris Rock once joked in one of his stand-up routines that he would not mind if his children were bullied.
In paraphrasing his logic, Rock contended that school bullying, as tough, demeaning and painful as it is, was a "good and revealing education" for victims.
Rock postulated that bullying, for all its negativity, moulded him into what he is today: stronger, savvier and smarter in the command of his art form, particularly as a distinctive Black man strengthening his community against ignorance, oppression and racism in a divisive America.
If it had not been for the incessant school bullying, Rock said that he might have grown up weak, complacent and dependent on silly trigger warnings for safety.
From his American perspective, Rock, like millions of his generation, were drilled into the American philosophy of "Social Darwinism".
This pseudo-scientific theory skews Darwin's biological concepts of human society, propagating that the strong and successful must dominate the weak. In a nutshell, a code to further entrench racism, imperialism and discrimination.
As much as level-headed Americans have tried to curb school bullying, their permissive pop culture and socio-politics inadvertently foment new bullies in every societal stratum and generation.
Nevertheless, Rock's comedic inference that bullying strengthens a child's personality may work in America but the side-effects are reprehensible: it facilitates a ruthless zero-sum game that glorifies winners and discards losers.
In Malaysia, and for that matter East Asia, the mutual diplomatic mantra is to "prosper thy neighbour".
It means that major military, economic and technological superpowers should cooperate and help smaller and less endowed neighbours to achieve a win-win situation instead of resorting to bullying.
In this context, school bullying has not dissipated in Malaysia, merely dispersed.
The prime example lately being the expulsion of seven Maktab Rendah Sains Mara students caught hectoring their peers.
Once exposed, bullies are quickly castigated and punished to pre-empt adulthood violence, drug and alcohol abuse, hostility towards family and a potential criminal future.
Children who experience bullying may grow up with a skewed mindset, be involved in vice and even suffer from mental problems.
In rejecting school bullying, Malaysia steers victims from negative physical, social, emotional, academic and health problems.
The country may not be inclined to embrace Rock's masculine and rugged "Americanism", no matter how dominant he has turned out to be, not when America's bullying may trigger extreme violence, like school mass shootings.
We reiterate: anti-bullying campaigns must start in kindergartens through a comprehensive civics lesson, and be extended to universities and work culture.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
From allies to enemies: the cost of a Musk-Trump split
WASHINGTON: The bitter clash between Elon Musk and Donald Trump has drawn a spotlight on the South African-born tycoon's businesses. Here is a look at his affairs as their White House partnership turns toxic, with billions of dollars in market value and government contracts hanging in the balance. Tesla The Tesla car company is the cornerstone of Musk's business empire and has suffered considerably since the entrepreneur dove into politics. The electric vehicle giant's stock has plummeted more than 20% since the start of the year, reflecting investor anxiety about Musk's increasingly polarising public persona. The damage reached a fever pitch on Thursday when the Musk-Trump feud erupted out in the open. In a matter of hours, Tesla shed more than US$150bil (RM635bil) in market capitalisation, wiping US$34bil (RM144bil) from Musk's personal fortune. The alliance with Trump was supposed to have been Tesla's golden ticket, even if the administration was going to scrap tax credits that had helped it become an automobile juggernaut. More importantly, Musk could count on Trump's blessing for his ultimate vision: putting fully autonomous vehicles on American roads. This ambition has been stymied by government regulation over the years, with authorities slowing efforts due to worries that the technology is not ready to hit the road at mass scale. The Trump administration was expected to lift these regulatory constraints – a promise now in serious jeopardy. "Musk needs Trump because of the regulatory environment, and you can't have Trump go from friend to foe," said analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities. The administration also regulates vehicle design and would influence the mass production of robotaxis that Musk intends to launch in a pilot program in Austin, Texas, this month. Musk's hard-right political pivot has alienated the very customers Tesla needs most: environmentally conscious and liberal-leaning buyers who once saw the brand as aligned with their values. Some drivers have resorted to bumper stickers declaring their cars were purchased "before Elon went crazy." The damage is showing up in sales figures. In Europe, while overall electric vehicle sales climbed, Tesla's market share crashed 50% in April as attention focused on Musk's political activities and the company's aging product lineup. A recent Morgan Stanley survey said 85% of investors believe Musk's political involvement is actively harming Tesla's business. SpaceX A prolonged battle with Trump poses existential risks for SpaceX, Musk's space exploration company that has become NASA's most critical partner. SpaceX and NASA are deeply interdependent. SpaceX depends on government contracts worth tens of billions of dollars, while NASA relies on SpaceX for everything from astronaut transportation to satellite deployment. SpaceX's portfolio includes some of the most sensitive national security projects: launching astronauts to the International Space Station, building spy satellites and operating the Starlink satellite network. The financial windfall has been enormous, with a December share sale valuing SpaceX at US$350bil (RM1.5 trillion) – US$140bil (RM592.3bil) more than just six months earlier, largely due to anticipated government largesse under Trump. In the heat of the clash on Thursday, Trump threatened to cut off all government contracts, while Musk said he would mothball the Dragon spacecraft, which is vital for ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station – though he later walked back this threat. xAI Musk has huge plans for his xAI artificial intelligence company. He's angling to compete with OpenAI, the ChatGPT-maker that was co-founded by Musk a decade ago and is now steered by his archrival Sam Altman. Altman has his own inroads to the White House, where he signed a massive AI infrastructure initiative called the Stargate Project, which recently expanded to Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Initially dismissing Stargate as unrealistic, Musk later worked behind the scenes to undermine the project, reportedly telling investors that Trump wouldn't approve any expansion that excluded xAI. Adding another layer of complexity, Musk folded X (formerly Twitter) into xAI earlier this year. Musk's US$44bil (RM186.14bil) acquisition in 2022 transformed the site into the go-to platform for conservatives, but Trump himself remains an infrequent user, preferring his own Truth Social platform for communication. – AFP
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
RFK Jr. removes entire vaccine panel, blasts 'Big Pharma ties' in Trump-style shake-up
WASHINGTON: US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced he was dismissing all current members of a key federal vaccine advisory panel, accusing them of conflicts of interest – his latest salvo against the nation's immunisation policies. The removal of all 17 experts of the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP) was revealed in a Wall Street Journal op-ed and an official press release. Kennedy, who has spent two decades promoting vaccine misinformation, cast the move as essential to restoring public trust, claiming the committee had been compromised by financial ties to pharmaceutical companies. "Today we are prioritising the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda," he said in a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services. "The public must know that unbiased science – evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest - guides the recommendations of our health agencies." In his op-ed, Kennedy claimed the panel was "plagued with persistent conflicts of interest" and had become "little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine." He added that new members were being considered to replace those ousted – all of whom were appointed under former president Joe Biden. ACIP members are chosen for their recognised expertise and are required to disclose potential conflicts of interest. "RFK Jr. and the Trump administration are taking a wrecking ball to the programs that keep Americans safe and healthy," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in response. "Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion," Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a medical doctor who expressed concern about Kennedy's track record during his Senate nomination but ultimately voted in his favor, wrote on X. "I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case." The decision drew sharp criticism from Paul Offit, a pediatrician and leading expert on virology and immunology who served on the panel from 1998 to 2003. "He believes that anybody who speaks well of vaccines, or recommends vaccines, must be deeply in the pocket of industry," Offit told AFP. "He's fixing a problem that doesn't exist." "We are witnessing an escalating effort by the Administration to silence independent medical expertise and stoke distrust in lifesaving vaccines," added Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, in a statement. Once a celebrated environmental lawyer, Kennedy pivoted from the mid-2000s to public health – chairing a nonprofit that discouraged routine childhood immunisations and amplified false claims, including the long-debunked theory that the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism. Since taking office, he has curtailed access to Covid-19 shots and continued to raise fears around the MMR vaccine – even as the United States faces its worst measles outbreak in years, with three reported deaths and more than 1,100 confirmed cases. Experts warn the true case count is likely far higher. "How can this country have confidence that the people RFK Jr. wants on the Advisory Committee for Immunisation Practices are people we can trust?" Offit asked. He recalled that during US President Donald Trump's first term, several states formed independent vaccine advisory panels after the administration pressured federal health agencies to prematurely approve Covid-19 vaccines ahead of the 2020 election. That kind of fragmentation, Offit warned, could happen again. ACIP is scheduled to hold its next meeting at the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta from June 25 to June 27.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Trump warns of decision time as Iran prepares nuclear counter-proposal
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Monday that new US-Iran talks this week could make clear if a nuclear deal is possible to avoid military action, as Tehran readies a counter-proposal on a potential agreement. Trump spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office said the US leader informed that he had made a 'reasonable offer' to Iran. Netanyahu has threatened to strike the nuclear sites of Iran, whose cleric-run government he sees as Israel's existential enemy, but Trump has said he has held him back. 'We're trying to make a deal so that there's no destruction and death,' Trump told reporters after what he described as a positive call with Netanyahu. 'But it might not work out that way. We'll soon find out,' Trump said. Trump said the latest meeting with Iran was expected Thursday, although a source familiar with preparations said it would more likely be on Friday or Saturday. In a key sticking point, Iran has insisted on the right to enrich uranium at low levels for civilian use -- as allowed under a 2015 deal negotiated by former president Barack Obama which Trump tore up in his first White House term. 'They seek enrichment. They can't have enrichment,' Trump said. 'So far, they're not there. I hate to say that because the alternative is a very, very dire one,' he said. 'But they're not there. They have given us their thoughts on the deal and I said, it's just not acceptable.' 'Reasonable, logical and balanced' Iran and the United States last held talks on May 31, after which Iran said it had received 'elements' of a US proposal. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said the text contained 'ambiguities.' Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei criticized the US proposal as 'lacking elements' reflective of the previous rounds of negotiations mediated by Oman, without providing further details. 'We will soon submit our own proposed plan to the other side through Oman once it is finalised,' Baqaei told a press briefing. 'It is a proposal that is reasonable, logical and balanced, and we strongly recommend that the American side value this opportunity.' Also on Monday, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told state news agency IRNA that Iran's response 'is a framework for agreement.' 'If we reach an understanding on this framework in principle, further extensive negotiations will begin on its details,' he added. Iran's parliament speaker has said the US proposal failed to include the lifting of sanctions -- a key demand for Tehran, which has been reeling under their weight for years. Israel has hit Iran directly, impeding its air defenses, since the October 7, 2023 deadly attacks by Tehran-sponsored Hamas which also triggered its Gaza offensive. Iran's top security body, however, warned Monday that it had intelligence on Israeli nuclear facilities and could carry out counterattacks should Israel strike. IAEA tension Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close though still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead. Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. The United Nations nuclear watchdog on Monday began a Board of Governors meeting in Vienna that will last until Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear activities among other topics. 'I call upon Iran urgently to cooperate fully and effectively with the International Atomic Energy Agency,' said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in his opening speech. 'Unless and until Iran assists the agency in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues, the agency will not be in a position to provide assurance that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful,' he added. Iran has warned European powers of counter-measures to reduce cooperation with the IAEA if European powers back a draft resolution that accuses Tehran of non-compliance.
