MPAA: Stand Up For the Bullied, Not the Bullies

If you’ve been keeping up with the news you’ll know that Bully, the documentary that was Harvey Weinstein after he saw it at the Tribeca film festival, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America. The reason given is that the film includes “some language.” This decision will keep Bully out of schools and prevent it from being seen by the very audience that needs to see it most: teenagers.

The MPAA might have one reason to give bully an R rating, but there are many much more important reasons why Bully should be given the PG-13 that Harvey Weinstein wants for the documentary.

Reasons to Stand Up For BULLY

• Bullying is a serious problem, affecting millions and Bully is a film that could actually make a difference.
• Bully will give a supportive message to teens saying “You are not alone.” In a world where teens commit suicide over being bullied, surely “some language” is not reason enough to keep them from this support.
• R ratings don’t keep “some language” away from teens anyway, and as Bully director Lee Hirsch says, “To capture the stark reality of bullying, we had to capture the way kids act and speak in their everyday lives – and the fact is that kids use profanity.” Why not enlighten teens to the harm of language rather than closing our eyes?
• The decision to keep teens from watching Bully conveys a message of being pro-bullies, anti-bullied.
• In a world where teens watch whatever they want anyway, the only difference this R rating will make will be to prevent Bully from being watched at school, in a controlled environment and where it will have the most effect.
• Unlike 90% of movies, Bully actually uses bad language for a reason: to faithfully portray the reality of bullying.
• Because Alex Libby, a kid who has suffered from bullying himself, is appealing with Harvey Weinstein, and he represents the voice of those too often voiceless.
• Because, as Weinstin states, “As a father of four, I worry every day about bullying; it’s a serious and ever-present concern for me and my family.  I want every child, parent, and educator inAmericato see BULLY, so it is imperative for us to gain a PG-13 rating. It’s better that children see bad language than bad behavior, so my wish is that the MPAA considers the importance of this matter as we make this appeal.” [br] [br]