Layne Binkley RAP

          Bulling has always been happening all over the world but today, it is one of the leading killers of teens. Bullying can be in many forms and affects children and adolescents greatly. Being anything besides "the norm" can lead to bullying and ultimately impact people for the rest of their lives. Both verbal and physical bullying are being fought against strongly by hundreds of organizations and movements to attempt to raise awareness against this unnecessary problem. It is time for people, as humans, to stand up against bullying to save the lives of the innocent.

http://www.autismnebraska.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/bully.jpg

        The movie Bully is a documentary that features children that are bullied, their stories, and what their parents think about the situation. Originally, the movie was intended for teens to gain awareness, but was rated R and therefore cannot be shown in schools. Although the documentary is extremely effective, it does not impact the target audience as desired. Most of the parents in the film did not even know that the bullying was going on and they were quite surprised when they found out what was happening to their children. When the parents addressed the schools on what type of behavior their children were enduring, every single authority figure tried to point fingers in directions without answers (Bully). The way the director/producer chose to cut the scenes together really had an impact on how the viewer saw the authority figures. It showed that even though they are in separate states with completely different circumstances, they really have no clue on how to handle bullying.  The bullying was not handled and the bullied were left to fend for themselves.  
     This documentary used a lot of “pathos” which pulled on everyone’s heart as they watched this movie.  The anecdotes, especially Alex's story, allowed the viewers to relate to the children and made everyone agree something had to be done (Bully). Also, the documentary presented a great deal of knowledge to appeal to the viewer’s sense of Logos. It not only brought the bullying to the attention of the viewer, but it taught that children can be extremely mean. It also showed ways of how to unsuccessfully deal with bullying. Hopefully in the  future after enough trial and error, a solution will present itself. The director made the authority figures in the schools to be perceived as; ignorant, rude, and a complete “bad guy”. In Bully, the educators come off as if they don’t really have time to deal with bullying or that it isn't a “real” issue. The documentary focuses on several different cases of bullying across the entire United States (Bully).
       One of the main victims in the documentary was a 13 year old boy named Alex. Alex lived in Iowa and was mostly bullied due to his appearance. He was tall, skinny, wore glasses, and had “fish lips”. Alex also followed students around and came off as annoying to some of his schoolmates. Alex chose not to file complaint with the school because he believed those bullying him were his friends. This just shows how important bullying awareness is because there may be children out there that do not know how they are being treated is wrong (Bully). Alex’s parents first became aware of the severity after the filming for the documentary when the director told his parents out of concern. When confronted Alex said to his mom “If you say these people aren't my friends, then what friends do I have?”
     Alex’s parents went to the principal and expressed their concerns about Alex riding the bus and were met with the principal trying to deflect the situation instead of solving the problem. Later, the vice-principal commented about Alex not getting his head sat on anymore, it made her seem as if she felt she had solved the problem. While it may have been true that this specific action had stopped, it does not change the fact that the school really did nothing to stop bullying overall (Bully).  Weather they are perceived this way, or actually are, the director makes us believe in a common enemy which brings the watchers together to possibly raise awareness about the problem at hand. 

 http://www.glogster.com/katiegriner/stop-bullying/g-6lhcu57dlk9j62unu5ho3a0

      Similarly to Bully, this picture allows us to get a feeling for what many children and adolescents have to deal with on a daily basis. The words written harshly surrounding the deeply burdened girl evoke feelings of sadness, sympathy, and empathy towards those who are bullied. Words like “Fat…” “Nerd…” “Hoe…” “Whore…” “Skinny…” “Emo…” and “Stupid…” written in bright white, jump out and really make a statement (Griner). The lack of structure of the insults may relate to the chaos that they bring upon their victims.
     The reason the image is successful is because it makes the viewer feel uncomfortable as if they are almost the ones being insulted. The lack of color in the image provides a dark, ominous tone from the very start. Centered between all the words is a girl who is hiding, and most likely crying, from all of the pain she has been put through. Another possibility, that may be more apparent to those who have been in similar situations, is the sweater that the girl is wearing. Her long sleeve sweater that completely covers her arms and half of her hands may be hiding her way of coping with the pain. There is an image in the background that appears to be a computer monitor which may imply the newer epidemic of cyber-bullying. Only later does one see the organized plea written in black on the right of the image. The ending thoughts of the image makes the viewer forget the hurtful words and focus on the overall important message; stop bullying.
     Both the image and Bully are designed to put the viewer in the shoes of those being bullied. By targeting what could have happened to the viewers, and emotionally involving them, both campaigns to stop bullying use Pathos very strongly to gain support. Although the target audience for the image is unclear, it is very effective, like Bully, in evoking strong feelings.

      The Dutch anti-bullying video provides a shocking, intense look on bullying that shows the viewer that bullying is not a local issue. The Dutch video is created with such contrast to the videos produced in the USA. The severity, and thus effectiveness, of the video is much greater than any US produced video against bullying. The video was created as a commercial to help stop bullying. It follows a homosexual male, Dave as well as other victims of bullying (Children's Ombudsman/ Every Child Has The Right to... Dave's Story). He is assaulted daily at school sometimes averaging 50 beatings a day starting when he walks in in the morning. He says, “I have almost no feeling in my arms and legs from the kicking and punching...”. This brings about feelings in the viewer that no commercial legal in the United States could produce. The writing is in red that could represent the blood and pain suffered from the beatings. The language is all spoken in a whispering, chilling voice (Children's Ombudsman/ Every Child Has The Right to... Dave's Story). This may represent the extreme wickedness of the situation as well as the fear in Dave and the other victims in the video.
     Like Bully, Dave says that the teachers cannot do anything to stop the beatings he suffers. This shows that the inadequacy of the school system is a global problem that needs to be resolved. Like the image, the language in the video is harsh, blunt, and scary. There is no “dancing around” the problem in either of these pieces. This not only grabs the attention of the viewer but it nearly makes the viewer feel as if they themselves are being bullied. Bully also accomplishes this, but only after hearing the full story of the victims.
     Logos is also used in all three pieces by pointing out the obvious epidemic of bullying and showing real life examples that anyone can relate to. After viewing these pieces, it is near impossible to deny the severity of the issue at hand. All of the pieces are effective in conveying the necessity to find a solution to bullying but the Dutch video, however, is most effective because it succeeding in effecting its target audience. The Dutch video and Bully provide a contrast to the common belief that schools are safe. They show several accounts of abuse, both physical and mental, that prove schools are not always safe and that they are not fixing the problem. All of the pieces come back to the idea that the school is not providing the support and solutions necessary to deal with problem of bullying. While this may be more apparent in Bully and the Dutch video, it is also an underlying problem in the image. Regardless of the source of the girl’s bullying, she should, ideally, be able to find refuge available at school.

     The Dutch video is the most moving piece of anti-bullying literature because it affects the viewer so deeply in multiple ways. Even with the language barrier, the viewer feels so strongly sympathetic towards Dave because of his inhumane treatment. The scary whispers, fast paced abuse scenes, and interjection of taunts all come together to make the viewer truly understand the severity of the situation. All of the pieces discussed were thought provoking and allowed for sympathy from the viewer but the Dutch video nearly makes the viewer sick due to the inhumanity. 
     Bullying is an ongoing problem that needs to be stopped. Only once everyone becomes aware can this epidemic truly be put to rest. Sir Francis Bacon once said, "Knowledge is power". I believe that these pieces, along with the other hundreds of advocates and supporters are doing everything in their power to spread awareness. and show that no child is alone in their struggles. One day, hopefully soon, children and adolescents will be able to overcome bullying and be the person they were intended to be. 

Works Cited

"Children's Ombudsman/ Every child has a right to... Dave's story" YouTube. Dutch Children's             
     Ombudsman.9 Nov 2011. YouTube video. 14 Mar 2013.

Griner, Katie. Stop Bullying. N.d. GlogsterWeb. 2 Mar 2013. 

Hirsch, Lee, dir. Bully. Writ. Cynthia Lowen. 2011. Film. 13 Mar 2013.

*Image at top is an original image by Layne Binkley