Bully-it’s a word we have all heard, a word some of us may be more familiar then others, a word that can break us into a million little pieces, a word that can end lives. In the past few years there seems to be a bullying epidemic, everyone is a victim of bullying, but to fully understand what bullying really is head to your nearest movie theater. School counselors, teachers and professors throughout America are flooding to the movies to see “Bully,” however every seat in that theater should be filled with parents and teenagers. As an audience we see a day in the lives of the true victims of bullying and their parents. I’m not talking about being shoved on the playground or having your lunch money stolen, this is the kind of bullying that causes twelve year old kids to take their own lives, this is the kind of bullying that makes life not worth living.
We need to stop making excuses for kids-‘oh they will grow out of it’, ‘it’s just a phase’, ‘kids are mean’, ‘toughen up’, ‘I was bullied at your age too and I turned out fine.’ As adults we forget what it is like to be a pre-teen, how everyday is a struggle to fit in and not embarrass ourselves. That smile or eye roll from Jimmy or Sally could make or break our entire week. Getting asked to the school dance is more stressful then that upcoming Math final. Not getting invited to the slumber party with the popular kids is the most devastating day of our lives. These are normal woes we have all experienced, events we can look back on and laugh. Getting stabbed with pencils or strangled on the bus. Being shunned by your entire town because you are gay. Having someone tell you to just ‘go kill yourself.’ THAT is bullying. That is the type of bullying kids don’t even tell their parents or teachers about because they are so ashamed, so embarrassed to even be alive. Putting it down to ‘kids will be kids’ is beyond unacceptable, it is life threatening.
As adults who have been pre-teens we need to step back in time and remember, relive those events in our lives where we wanted to crawl under our covers and never come out. We then need to multiple that by a thousand and we still won’t understand. Help us advocate for those kids who have lost their voice due to bullying. Stand up and fight for our future generations. Save a life. Help Keep the Beat.
For Showtimes near you visit: http://www.fandango.com/bully_145958/movieoverview
