The documentary, “Bully,” follows the lives of students and their families across the country. It observes the students closely when they are at school and at home. It also gives background on students who had committed suicide due to bullying and shows the effects on their families and friends. This movie was created to show viewers how they can step into a situation and make an impact. The organization that made this film possible, The Bully Project, wants to reduce bullying as much as possible, if not end it. The director of the film was bullied as a child, and believes there should be a‚ “gutsy” film made to give voice to those who are bullied on a daily basis. “Bully” tries to emphasize how students‚ parents and home life can greatly affect the amount of bullying in schools. 13 million students are bullied each year, and the bullied students don’t know what to do.
In “Bully” several situations were described. The most shocking situation was when the student didn’t inform his parents about what was going on. Being a very introverted person and a bit abnormal in appearance, the boy understood that what the other students were doing was wrong but did not know how to handle it. He told authorities about the boys that were picking on him on the bus. The specific way the students were harming him had stopped, but other forms of teasing and bullying persisted. As said before, the authorities made an attempt at fixing the boy’s situation, but did not end up helping him in any way. In most schools, they claim to be a no bully zone‚ or have a strong, anti-bullying policy. However, the authorities are not able to handle bullying, unless it is taken to an extreme.
The other situation that left the most impression on me was another boy who was picked on by peers for no reason at all. This boy understood that what the other students were doing was wrong, and stood up for himself. Most students don’t know what to do about their situation. Some hide what goes on, some tell their parents, and others stand up for themselves. This boy decided to take action. The film does not describe in what exact way the student takes control of the situation, but it does tell us that the bullies left the student alone afterwards. This shows how no school teacher, principal, parent, or policeman can really do much about a bullying situation.
One boy in the film, a friend of a boy who had committed suicide, said something along the lines of‚ “I wish we could all just be equal, then no one would pick on anyone else.” Society can strive to come close to this ideal. The Bully Project is trying to reduce the amount of bullying in schools and online. If students, and others, take enough action, then we can come very close to a world without bullying.
Students have to take the action. Adults and parents can lecture all they want and speak in schools as many times as they feel necessary but that will not accomplish much. Students must lead other students to create a stable learning environment and make everyone feel welcome.
