I’ve been reading a lot about his petition, and I thought it was fitting to mention it here. The documentary, “Bully,” releases on March 30, but the Motion Picture Association of America has rated it “R” due to language in the film, which means many students who need to see the movie won’t be able to see it.
According to the director Lee Hirsch:
“I made ‘Bully’ for everyone to see, kids who are bullied, who bully and the vast majority who are witnesses. Those kids can make change by speaking up, becoming upstanders instead of bystanders. We have to change hearts and minds in order to stop this epidemic, which affects more than 13 million young lives a year in our country. The stark realities of bullying are that kids say terrible things to each other, and kids in junior and senior high school use profanity. It is devastating that the MPAA, in adhering to a strict limit on certain words, would prevent this film from being seen by those who need its message the most.”
Katy Butler, a high school student from Ann Arbor, Mich., is taking a stand. She has launched an online petition urging the MPAA to reconsider its rating. In under 24 hours, more than 100,000 people had signed on. I encourage you to consider signing the petition as well, so that more people watch the film. It’s an issue worthy of the attention it’s getting. This film could help more people understand the devastation impact of bullying and what to do about it.
Like this post? Subscribe to Pass The Torch
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
11:36 am
MPAA Change the rating
10:55 pm
Wake UP!!! the middle school kids need to see this!!
11:02 pm
I was a bully. Part of the “in crowd”, picking on the weaker kids. I’m not proud of it. I made sure as my two sons grew up they always stood up for the kids who couldn’t stand up for themselves.
This movie should be mandatory for all school age kids. With what is on TV today, the content of video games, how could a movie like this not be rated so the target audience could view it.
11:56 pm
I would like to see this movie even if I weren’t of age.
10:24 am
It is absolutely ridiculous that this film has a rating excluding the people who need to see it the most. It should be required at every school in the country.
3:13 pm
Everyone needs to see this. As a victim back in the early 70’s to this day, it still haunts me in some things I do.
5:49 pm
America….This is a wake up call!! Take it!! Protect our children…give them the knowledge and tools to survive with!!
5:53 pm
It speaks about an age group that truly needs to be allowed to watch the effects of what the effects of bullying causes. All children should be allowed to watch it. Honestly most children are exposed to profanity in a day to day world this should not be a reason to restrict the viewing age. If parents truly have a problem with their children seeing a movie with offensive language allow them to make the ‘Adult’ decision to either watch it with their child or not.
3:35 pm
I believe that every one is different in there own way no matter how smart or not at the same time we are humans even for the kids of this time the bullying must stop every one have a different background every one is different in our own unique way and so we should learn to love one another and thats the point because life was not ment for bullying it was ment for just being who you are that movie should not be a r movie because thats the point it like a teaching tool and that how it is in the real world so nothing should not be r it should a t movie for teaching the kids how not to bully and that the other kid can hurt to and realize that bullying should be stop