THE IMPACT OF ‘BULLY’
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photographer: George Whylie Videographer: Maxine Nolan“STAND FOR THE SILENT”. All throughout our lives we meet unkind individuals who try to make those who are different feel more and more insecure and as if they are flawed. A bully is mean and vindictive.
Now through the power of film, we are exposed to the threat of the “Bully”. This is a touching and forceful documentary that was made to deliver a persuasive message to the world. The film was directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker, Lee Hirsch and was introduced at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival and also seen at the LA Film Festival. It focuses on bullying in U.S. schools and follows the lives of 5 students who fall prey to the ‘Bully’.
Bullying seems to continue to be an unrecognized problem and yet accounts for over 13 million cases of American kids being bullied each year. This sadly makes it one of the most common forms of violence today. It touches the lives of innocent people and turns their world upside down within an instant. It goes from the school to the community and right into the home. Acknowledgement is key to making a difference and bringing about change. The consequences can sometimes prove to be fatal and unfortunately, parents find out once it is too late.
Hirsch is very close to this issue as he was a victim himself when he was a child. He knows what these threatened kids go through all throughout their lives and how horrific the constant picking can be.
Funding for the film came from a few sources; the non-profit organization known as Fractured Atlas, Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, The Fledgling Fund, BeCause Foundation and Gravity Films. This goes to show that there are numerous advocates for the cause but it needs to go much further in order to cure the problem. The documentary has proudly won eight awards since its first release.
“Bully” tells the story but then also highlights solutions for the short and the long-term. The call to action is “STOP BULLYING. SPEAK UP!” Go to that student that is sitting alone on the other side of the room and get to know him or her and become their friend and make them feel comfortable and welcome.
Kids who become this target to be ostracized and ridiculed and even harmed in many cases fall into a deep depression with nowhere to turn. They have a strong sense of fear and cannot give that required cry for help. They hold it in and some go to desperate measures and take their own lives. For others, they minimize the situation as if it is really just nothing.
If parents model positive behavior in their children by treating others with respect and speaking up when they see bullying behavior, a definitive change will come about. But it doesn’t end with parents and students. Educators should be aware in the classroom, in the halls and on the campus. Accept the responsibility to notice and take action in an effort to prevent a bad situation from happening.
Solutions can be plentiful. Get better trained resource officers, student honor councils can better enforce and encourage good behavior, establish parent advocate groups to help families approach school officials on bullying issues and unite churches and support groups to educate families on spotting both bullies and the victims. But it doesn’t just stop there because looking outside of the school, it happens on the streets and therefore community leaders and legislators have to become part of that call for action. Take it all the way to Washington.
Only when the problem is recognized by all can a true transformation be completed and bullying conquered. Even after you walk out of the theater after seeing “Bully”, you can take part in this monumental campaign and contribute to Creative Visions Foundation (CVF), a non-profit publicly supported 501(c)3, which supports activists who use the power of media and the arts to affect positive change in the world today. All contributions are tax deductible.
Check out the movie, “Bully” and like them on Facebook.
PHOTO CREDITS: “Bully” website and Facebook page.
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