Appendix C
Bullying Is Domestic Violence when the Abuser Is on Payroll
In so many ways the two phenomena uncannily mirror each other. With bullying and partner violence, the abuser's motive to control and dominate the victim starts the process and determines the nature and extent of the sick, twisted relationship that follows. The perpetrator objectifies the victim. In 98 percent of domestic violence cases, the perpetrator is male. In bullying, the majority of abusers, 62 percent, are male, although women are perpetrators, too. Regardless of gender, the bully-abuser dehumanizes his or her prey. The bully-abuser can have such contempt for the target that he or she refuses to grant even the minimal respect due to a fellow human being. Dehumanization enables the severe mistreatment. When the recipient is not seen as an equal, it is easy to denigrate, belittle, and humiliate. The target is a lesser-than object not deserving decent treatment.
The forms of mistreatment that accompany objectification can cause emotional harm. The digs are ad hominem attacks about the person's worthlessness and undeservedness. These assaults result in stress-related health harm, both physical and psychological. Emotional harm outlasts physical injuries that occur in domestic violence cases. Short of death, the abused spouse is likely to suffer more from emotional damage than from broken bones that heal relatively more quickly. The legacy of emotional torment, the traumatization, can last a lifetime after ...
