Jesse says Bully is a bully-good show
This text was to be a status update. But, it got a bit long. These sentences are just unedited, unproofread, heuristic postings before my workday.
Jesse Jackson wants now for Bully to have a PG-13. Sure, what the hell. Kids should see the documentary. If nothing else, film days are popular in class. Field trips are even a greater opportunity for "scholars" to fuck around and learn nothing. Bully is a harmless viewing experience that might even do some good.
I have three thoughts. One, students use and hear "fuck" a-fucken-lot. The fuck-word is the main issue with the MPAA, but vulgar (the vulgate=common, accessible) language might even be students' language.
Two, movies have the power to move us. And, documentaries have done a commendable job doing so in the last decade. Bully could really give students something to consider and call them to constructive, friendly action.
But three, "sensitivity training" videos can really, really backfire. And, how sensitive are an environment's worst bullies in the first place? Plus, how popular and effective are didactic films that warn students about their behaviors? Just think of anti-drug videos. Did they keep you from using drugs and driving drunk? (In my case, yes. I still drank. I used to use speed. But, they kept me away from the hard stuff, and I do not drive drunk EVER). Well, will Bully discourage or encourage more bullying?
So (I have to eat breakfast and get to work), students should see Bully. Jackson encourages a good plan here. But, the film might or might not plant seeds. Students see bullying everyday. Some educational material might or might not make them more sensitive or cognizant. As an ex-educator, I know that educator must be optimists. As a cynic, I wonder if the Weinsteins are simply drumming-up controversy for their documentary (a genre that does not always get large audiences), and I notice that the project has but a 6/10 on imdb so far.
Chillin'
