The Boiled Frog Syndrome

Take a six-quart pan. Fill it with water. Put it on the oven. Turn the heat on high. While waiting for the water to reach a rolling boil, catch one mid-sized frog. When the water achieves that boil, toss the frog in. Don’t worry; the frog won’t get hurt. The shock of the temperature change will compel the amphibian to immediately leap out. It happens every time.

Now refill the same pot with warm water. Put the frong in before turning on the heat. Enjoy watching the frog demonstrate the backstroke. Turn the heat on "low." Every couple of minutes, increase the heat incrimentally until the water is boiling. At that point and with apologies to the ASPCA and PETA, you'll have one very dead (and well done) frog. The gradual change in temperature will go unnoticed by the little guy into it's too late.

What just occurred is called boiled frog syndrome. 

(From http://www.randgolletz.com/articles/2012/12/dont-succumb-to-the-boiled-frog-syndrome/)

This syndrome has been applied to everything from education, business, and even to politics and religion. Click here for a video on this concept: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyBKz1wdK0M

How can we apply this in our own community? It seems a tad bit silly to compare the activity of a cold-blooded animal to the actions of a warm-blooded animal like humans. But look around, and you can see the temperature of the pot of water - our community - rising on a constant basis.

How do we know we are sitting in a pot of boiled water? Unlike the frog, humans have the cognitive awareness to look around them and make assumptions based on their situation. When it looks like the temperature is getting hotter, are you going to sit and bake, slowly adjusting to the surrounding changing until you die, or will you hope out of the pot and make a difference?

How may times have you heard this:

"That government leader, he/she is so wrong about everything."
"I hate that school, they have so many problems."
"I'm so mad at [insert big box business here]. They are destroying our local businesses."
"It's cheaper to eat unhealthy food, I can't afford anything healthy."
"I hate living in this neighborhood, no one seems to take care of their car/yard/children." 

Stop letting the water boil around you. 

Tired of your government? Vote to change it. Better yet, run for office and take a stand against changes.

Tired of schools closing? Join a board to help spread the word about budget changes and legislature. Take an active stance in your Parent Teacher's Association and bring about change. Don't wait for some agency to advise children on bullying issues. Take a stand in your own home and don't let you children bully, or be bullied, or be a vicimized bystander.

Tired of big box stores destroying local business? Don't shop there. Klamath is blessed with many local places for all your needs. Go to the local Farmer's Market (runs from June - October every year) and support local farmers who produce healthy alternatives. Shop at Thunderbird, a locally owned and operated grocery store. 

Tired of of your neighborhood? Offer to do some yard work, and plant some flowers to brighten the front of the house for know that neighbor that struggles to mow their over grown lawn once a week. Offer to let the use of your trailer to help them that neighbor that has garbage piling up outside their house, who probably doesn't have the resources to take care of it themselves. 

It's easier to complain than it is to change the world.

It's also easier to let the water boil around you instead of getting out and making a stand. 

Don't be a boiled frog.

(Special thanks to M.F. for sharing this concept with us.)

“The Bystander”

Anti-Bullying Art Showcase by Dave Carpenter

This week we talked to local artist Dave Carpenter about his upcoming showcase, “The Bystander.” This anti-bullying display will feature art related to victims of bullying, as well as actually bullying testimonies from those who were bullied, bullies, and those who lost their lives as a result of bullying. This is an important issue in our community. Citizens for Safe Schools has been actively campaigning to start anti-bullying classes and information spread around our schools, including raising money for a national program and hiring more professional staff to instruct kids about the effects of bullying.

Nevada Parents Educating Parents Reports these startling statistics about bullying. 

Why is this a passionate issue for Dave? It begins with a song. Inspired by rock artist Shinedown’s song “Unity,” Dave first began the concept of an anti-bullying showcase. Last year, Dave, a navy veteran, and a fellow veteran attended a Shinedown concert in Knoxville, TN. Dave purchased front row seats and backstage passes, so that he could meet with the band personally and tell them how they had personally inspired him. After hearing their new release, “Bully,” he was intrigued at the story behind the song. Research lead him to the distressing story of Amanda Todd, a young woman who recently committed suicide due to bullying. Dave was appalled to see how many negative responses there was to the case of Ms. Todd, and decided that Shinedown had a point – Bullying happened everyday, everywhere, and there wasn't enough people doing anything about it to make a difference.

Dave and Shinedown 

(See the video with lyrics for Shinedown’s “Bully” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWPjk5iwGac)

Already with a heart for the impact of social art, Dave decided that he could reach out to others, before they ended their life like Amanda. He wanted to create a mural, dedicated to those that lost their life to bullying, and create awareness that the bystander holds the life and death of a victim in his or her hands.

Dave has a different idea about anti-bullying programs. Unlike many programs that are informational based, his showcase seeks to present to the public the very real, and often lethal, consequences of bullying. He will also be demonstrating how kids that witness bullying, “the bystander” are affected.

Once a bystander himself, Dave looks back on the instance, and realized he had stood by and done nothing. Later in life, in the workplace, he was again a bystander. But this time, he took an active role and saved someone’s life. He wondered how many other people had had the same experience. He told us: “If you’re a bystander, the situation is gray. You’re forced to make a last minute decision that will impact your life forever. If you have a true heart to help someone, you can save someone’s life.”

Inspired by his professor at Klamath Community College, Dave decided to put his artist abilities to use by creating a large display of bullying inspired art and testimonies. Via the use of social media and personal contact, Dave has collected over 20 true stories about the bully, the victim, and the bystander.

Although Dave is hoping that his mural showcase will provide children and adults with the tools they need to stop bullying, he is also hoping to reach out to people who are bullies – not only children, but the parents that may not be aware of their child’s aggressive actions. David said, “It’s always easy [for parents] to say their kids is being bullied, but are you strong enough as a parent or loved one to step up and say your child IS the bully? Will you do something about it, so they don’t continue to hurt others people?”

 Whether you have been a victim, a bystander, or even been the bully, come witness Dave’s powerful art and messages about the effects of bullying. It will change your life. Stay tuned to their website below for information about this powerful showcase.

For more information about The Bystander and to submit a testimonial to become part of this bullying awareness project, please go to http://thebystander.org/.