Does the US Supreme Court practice bullying? Under the guise of “seniority,” the newest justice is expected to perform menial tasks such as answering the conference door during closed sessions,  transmitting orders of the Court to the court’s clerk— and serving coffee to the others. How many years did Ruth Bader Ginsberg have to stand before she was allowed to sit for photo ops? Are these time-honored practices another form of hazing as we see in college fraternities or the military academies—a rite of passage?

The recent focus on bullying has captured the nation’s attention, from pop stars such as Madonna, all the way to the President and First Lady. And now there is a major movie based on real life experiences of children. We’ve read numerous accounts of bullying in the classroom, hazing in college fraternities and in the military. And among Wall Street traders. We’ve seen repercussions at a distance in cyber bullying and webcam spying. And blatant examples in hate crimes, sexual harassment, and the devastation caused by gangs. Intolerance of differences and control of others by coercion: hardly characteristics of democracy.

Each of us can recognize inhumane, anti-democratic practices and change them into positive encounters.

As a clinical psychologist in the US Navy, I was stationed at a hospital’s psychiatric service in Japan. Sailors and Marines from the Pacific area were hospitalized for a variety of Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, including psychoses, attempted suicide, neurotic conditions, chronic criminal activities and prolonged mental fatigue. On the wards were patients with hallucinations, paranoid delusions, acute depressions, and uncontrolled aggression. About one-third were considered “management problems,” many of them Marines, whom even the Navy’s brigs could not cope with. They ridiculed hallucinating patients, seeing them as fakers; those who had made suicidal attempts as weak, making life miserable for many. We met daily with all the patients and gradually were able to show how their actions were real—furthermore, suggest ways that the other patients could help their fellows. Some of these more aggressive servicemen eventually showed exceptional kindness and patience with the more disturbed men, assisting them with basic needs; in effect becoming “social therapists.” Some even returned after leaving to see how their buddies had progressed.

Some years later, I had the opportunity to set up a therapeutic community for young, aggressive offenders in a large prison. There, we were subjected to all the brutalities of prison life—extortions, rapes, threats, gangs. Having learned from the Navy, we confronted some of the most aggressive prisoners, and enlisted their help, eventually legitimately becoming also as “social therapists,” working alongside the staff.

And then I had the chance to teach a second grade class in a school of 800. There were the perpetual bullies practicing their bravado on the school grounds and taunting children outside it. The principal appealed to me for advice and I agreed to give it a try. Before I could discuss the matter with the children, Bill, known as a terrorist at the school, knocked on our door. Hurriedly thinking back to the Navy and the prison, I invited Bill in, introduced him to the class as my assistant, and invited him to sit next to me in our planning meeting. Intuitively, he caught on to what we were doing, and before long was helping some of the children with their projects. He stayed after class for a “teacher’s meeting” with me and came back each day, vacating his sixth grade class. The principal sent other bullies to our class as helpers; soon there were a dozen at our noontime “brown bag” teacher’s meeting. And then two older “gangsters” caused a crisis for our class. They amassed an arsenal of stones, clubs and other weapons to levy an attack; our boys rose to the occasion by collecting a stockpile of their own. At the appointed time—after school hours—they met on the battleground, and the boys from our class coerced me to come as their commander. I need not retell the details of the story, however, the younger boys invited the ruffians to join our crowd, which out of curiosity they did—and remained.

There are no easy quick-fix solutions to the multidimensional existence of exploitation, the unjust use of force and coercion to adversely affect others, to correct the imbalance and misuse of power, or the intolerance of differences—to bring about what the late Adrienne Rich advanced as “the creation of a society without domination.”

Perchance the High Court could take some time out to review its undemocratic seniority stand, and perhaps—just suppose—one morning the Chief Justice might serve its underling, Justice Hagan, her morning brew!

Cross posted from Dennie's Blog