WASHINGTON - The growing movement to stop bullying in schools may have found a new hero in Katy Butler.
Not that I am for bullying, but I'm sick of a society with such an obsession about it when the government is the biggest bully on the planet.
The self-assured 17-year-old from Michigan, bullied in middle school, was outraged when she learned that a sobering new documentary about the problem would be rated R, keeping those under 17 from seeing it without an adult.
Looking back I realized I was bullied in school. So who can I sue?
Butler started an online petition in late February to change the rating of “Bully’’ - and over three weeks, her own world changed, too. More than 300,000 people signed on. She met the producer and director in New York, then leaders of the Motion Picture Association of America, or MPAA, in Los Angeles.
Her rising profile comes as bullying gets increasing attention nationally. Earlier this month, the Cartoon Network unveiled a 30-minute documentary on bullying at Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Washington. The film opens with a message from President Obama, who held an anti-bullying summit at the White House last year.
The head bully.
The MPAA hosted a small audience for an early showing and discussion of “Bully.’’ Panelists included District of Columbia Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson, who announced a new advisory committee to address bullying and pledged to show the film to D.C. students....
Asked to speak, Butler made another plea for changing the rating to PG-13. Seated beside her mother, Anne, a Michigan pediatrician, she said that with an R rating, “the kids can’t go to see the movie by themselves - and, honestly, how many 13-, 14-, 15-year-olds want to go to the movies with their parents?’’ she said. “That’s just not cool.’’
The MPAA says its rating is not punitive or a reflection of the value of the film, but reflects language used in the film so that parents can make informed decisions....
Joseph L. Wright, who has worked on bullying issues for a decade and leads the Child Health Advocacy Institute at Children’s National Medical Center, was part of both D.C. events and said he has never seen a stronger interest in change - and believes students themselves are the best hope.
As long as they channel it into an agenda-pushing interest.
“I think Katy represents how this movement is really going to be galvanized by young people,’’ he said. “The adult community, in my opinion, has a very steep learning curve.’’
“Bully’’ examines the devastating experiences of five students, including two boys who commit suicide. It ends with the idea of change....
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