New movie "Bully" becomes controversial

By: Jocelyn Arends

A new movie simply entitled “Bully” is creating a lot of buzz lately and not just for the blunt, real, and inspiring message but also for the rating. The MPAA has the movie “Bully” rated R but thousands and thousands of people all around the world are up in arms saying that the movie should be rated PG-13 and not rated R. The main reason for this is that the movie “Bully” which is a documentary depicting the lives of bullied students everywhere in America, is that the movie is aimed towards the 13-16 year old audience the most and with out at least a PG-13 rating the movie can not be shown to as many kids that should be aware of the cause and effect that bullying has. The movie showcases the lives of 3 boys ages 12, 16, and 14 and the lives of 2 families that have been affected severely from the result of bullying. It’s a great and real movie that will change minds and lives everywhere. But why is it rated R? The reason is because there are just 6 swear words in the movie, just 6. Many people, including myself believe that this is not a movie that should be rated R just because of 6 swear words. For someone who has been in high school and junior high in recent years, I know that swearing is a language used everyday in the halls and though it’s hard for many adults to admit it, 12, 13, and 14 year olds use that language everyday as well. So why take away an opportunity for thousands of kids to see a movie that can help the issue of bullying in all ways if it’s only language used by the students anyway? If you don’t want your child to see the movie, then don’t let them see the movie but this issue must be put out there. Even in the movies trailer it shows that 13 million kids will be bullied this year, this is an issue that can’t be un-noticed. Schools should not be a place where kids feel scared, hurt, and worthless. This is why the filmmakers created such a documentary and thousands of people have signed the petition to make the MPAA change the “Bully” rating to PG-13. Even famous celebrities like Ellen Degeneres and Justin Bieber have signed the petition to show that “Bully” should be shown to 13 to 16 year olds especially. Whatever the rating ends up being, I strongly recommend seeing this documentary. I believe for teachers, parents, and students alike, it can change the way we all treat each other and how we all handle important issues. To sign the petition to change “Bully” rating to PG-13 go to www.change.org and to see the trailer just search “Bully” on www.youtube.com.