6. Anti-Teamwork: Modeling Rudeness

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Mutual respect is an important aspect of good teamwork. I's hard for teammates to get along and cooperate if they don't show respect to each other.

Therein lies another problem of Kakashi's teaching methods: Kakashi is modeling – and therefore teaching – his students to disrespect each other.

Kids learn from example, as children look to adults for behavioral guidance and commonly model themselves after what they see. Kakashi is Team 7's parental guidance and their model for how a ninja should conduct himself, including how a ninja should treat their comrades. Unfortunately, Kakashi sets a very low bar in regards to respecting one's teammates.

It's ironic that Kakashi chews out Sasuke for acting so uppity with his teammates when Kakashi himself modeled rudeness and disrespect towards his teammates, therefore setting the example for Sasuke that it's okay to ridicule, scorn, and disrespect one's teammates if they perform badly. 

By insulting his subordinates, Kakashi teaches his team that it's okay to call each other names and degrade and disrespect each other. Because if Kakashi talks down to his subordinates, Kakashi can hardly expect them to respect each other either. Which is another form of teaching anti-teamwork, since good teamwork demands mutual respect and treating one's teammates with dignity and honor.

In fact, the first thing Kakashi does as Team 7's leader is condone name-calling teammates by bluntly telling them he hates them, or in the English dub version, he tells them that they're a bunch of idiots, depending on which translation you are using. Not exactly an auspicious start to teaching his students to value each other and treat their comrades with respect and dignity.  

Shortly after that, Kakashi labels Naruto weak for being his usual brash and outspoken self, and subsequently advises Sasuke and Sakura to "ignore the dunce". In other words, Kakashi is teaching via example that it's okay to ridicule Naruto, ignore Naruto, or write him off as stupid whenever the two please.

Fans have criticized Naruto insensitively and rudely insulting Sasuke's clan (and on occasion I myself have been one of them).

But ever wonder where that behavior may have come from?

I'm not saying with certainty that it was Kakashi's influence that set an example to Naruto that it's okay to insult the Uchiha clan based off Sasuke's failures or lackluster performances, but that can't be entirely ruled out as a possibility either, considering that Kakashi was Naruto's primary adult influence and role model. Naruto's rudeness to Sasuke could possibly be a product of Kakashi's rudeness to Sasuke, because after all, children tend to blindly follow adults' examples. Maybe that's why after the Land of Waves adventure, Naruto follows suit and likewise makes jabs at the Uchiha clan when Sasuke fails, because he's just following Kakashi's example.

In general, I'd say Kakashi's lack of respecting Team 7 at points likely contributed to them learning to not be the most respectful to each other either.

I understand that Kakashi may have needed to be a bit bunt or harsh at points, since these kids are shinobi and they do need to realize how serious and dangerous their line of work is and can be, and sometimes that demands a rougher approach. But name-calling children is never becoming of any adult, and there is a more tactful and mature way for Kakashi to deal with his students than to mock and ridicule his students as weak, stupid, or a disgrace to their families. 


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