LongGone wrote:While the sample size is small, I am surprised by the apparent trend. It seems that under the old, pre-Seaman 19th Century model, bullying was relatively rare: under the more enlighten 70s-on regime, it has become more prevalent. I don't know if there have been published studies on this (not just at CH), but any explanation might be enlightening.
That Newsome's regime (in the 70s) was "enlightened" is new to me. As I said above, I suspect that the increased privacy afforded by studies, cubicles etc. had something to do with it. Before that, lived was lived so much in public that bullies (not popular people) had a harder time. Of course there are some people who seem to positively invite bullying by almost the entire community. That is a different matter.
Seaman in his first year or so mounted a huge campaign against sexual shenanigans (in the quaint language he employed in his crusade, "interfering with the private parts of other boys"). However, much of this was undoubtedly consensual, so I don't think it was aimed at bullying, the extent of which in any one house clearly depended on the housemaster.
Th.B. 27 1955-63