The Brand Bully

Latest research from UNICEF has revealed that “parents buy high status brands to protect their children from bullying.” I hope they did not spend too much money on the research as I could have given them that information for a tenner. I don’t know what it is with our society, but my theory is that the recession has driven people to carrying out useless and evident research in order to sustain the economy. I am sure UNICEF will also like to inform us know parents work and that’s why they don’t spend much time with their children. But, wait a second – they already have. In a study based in the UK, Spain and Sweden, UNICEF has concluded that UK parents “struggle to find enough time with their children”. Thank you, sergeant obvious. Next up someone will extensively research and eventually prove that prove humans are less likely to eat food if it is on the floor of a farm and covered in faeces. (I have copy righted this already, don’t even try.)

Despite the research’s uselessness the issue with bullying on the basis of possessions is not an new problem. Nor is it a solved one. With the construct of modern day teenager circles social materialism arises immediately. More often than not, however, the problem is entirely social, not psychological. 11 year olds do not really care whether its Nike or Adidas, they just want to run into trees and shout “poo”, but in order to get to that they need to present themselves a certain way. Adolescence has now become a carnival with a ticket that costs parents their hard work and children their individuality. It seems now, you cannot just be a teenager in order to enjoy carelessness and simple joys, but you also have to look, dress and speak like one. When I was 10, which was not so long ago, I assure you, everything was much simpler. You did what you wanted to do and that freedom made you a child, but as with everything in society, you have to be given boundaries in order to be protected. We can’t all enjoy the joyfulness of swings and roundabouts. This seems to be kids’ way of taking back the power. They don’t require much from you, to join. There is no exam, no interview, no personal statement – a 14 year-old has even outlined the candidate specification in the simplest terms – “You could live in a dustbin and as long as you have an IPod and a Blackberry you are accepted.” They are keen, but not discriminative. They are demanding, but not pushy. They are clear, but not complicated. They are the future of society. Soon, they will become my (and your) potential employers. Adults – prepare the BlackBerries.

Mirela Ivanova