Last night I settled in on the couch to watch a movie. I flipped through Amazon Instant planning to choose between a comedy or drama. The plan was to watch "Flight", but I happened across a new documentary called "Bully". I'm not the type of person that regularly has "life-altering" moments after watching movies, but this in an exception. I have never been as moved by anything as I was by this movie.
If you haven't seen this movie, please find it and watch it. Redbox, Amazon Instant, ITunes, and most big box stores carry it. Never before have I seen a more disturbing representation of what happens every day in our schools. This isn't a fictitious movie plot. It's not a dramatized depiction aimed to create some sort of scandal. This is an honest, real look at the lives of children who spend their days being absolutely tortured in schools across the country.
Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this film is that it centers around real families that are dealing, in some cases, with the loss of their children. These children were so tortured that they actually took their own lives in order to escape the pain. Footage included in this documentary showed buses, hallways, and classrooms where children mocked, hit, and screamed at each other in full view of adults who stood by doing NOTHING!
When parents came to the school officials, they are pacified and ignored. This isn't an isolated incident. It's not a school in another state that has an issue. This is a world wide issue. Every school should be dealing with this. My mother talked about bullies when she attended school. There were bullies when I attended school and there are bullies in schools now. The only differences is that we have now made bullying so much more convenient.
Children, many of whom are in grade school, are accessing social media websites. While much of this interaction may be harmless, it can easily become an avenue for spreading hatred and rumors. It's no longer enough that children are bullied at school; now bullying can follow them home.
I cried through most of the movie. I wasn't bullied in school. I had friends and family and an excellent support system. I was happy and healthy and I never doubted my worth. I didn't bully others, but I know that others were bullied.
I wish I could say that I stopped it, but I didn't. I didn't join in, but I just stood back and allowed it to happen...and that's what is happening now. We are standing back and allowing children to be tortured. We are standing back and watching while young people suffer to the point of taking their own lives.
Teachers, Administrators, Staff, Parents, Friends, and most importantly--children need to become aware of the impact that bullying can have on a child. They need to know that words can hurt. They need to see it. This movie can educate and inspire. It ends with a phrase...Everything starts with one, and it does. One person can change everything. The child that is being bullied can be saved by one adult that steps in. The bully can be changed by words from his/her parents. The friend can get through to their peers who engage in hateful and hurtful behavior. The child who has no friends can see their entire world change when one child reaches out to them.
One person really can change everything.
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