A Little Louder

Keenan Robertson

A Little Bit Louder

            In schools, on the streets, even in homes there is a persisting intolerance to homosexuals and even those who could be remotely identified as homosexual.  Bullying in schools hasn’t gone away, nor has is become any less harsh, and those who are victims do not have much to hold onto for support.  There are many articles and editorials addressing these issues and the possible actions to take against these problems.  The range of media is generally diverse, currently consisting of mostly YouTube videos, documentaries, and articles but is still expanding.  However, the audience who is exposed to the present texts seems to be somewhat limited and the expanding forms media are very necessary for the words of influence to reach their full potential.

            The 2011 film Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch, uses the big screen as window to see into the world of the tormented and teased.  Viewers witness the inhumane treatment of children by their own peers, as well as the neglect of the local school’s administration to effectively stop the bullying.  Hirsch did a great job capturing the natural environment of the six bullied children; giving each one their own voice, while at the same time attributing their plights to the same causes and the same failures to act on part of the administrations.  After seeing this movie in theaters or in a class, one leaves more depressed and tear-stained that motivated to act.  Nearly every review concerning the movie highly advises to bring tissues instead of popcorn.  It’s a shame really that more or less wastes the emotional power it has over its audience.  With everyone emotionally rattled to the point of tears, Bully has tapped into a very deep part of their audience’s heart, but then lacks a vital call to action.  The average person would leave the theater feeling more down then wanting to actually do something about what they just witnessed through the big screen.

            So how are these kids going to get help? Without a sturdy call to action from others, they have had to go out and look for it themselves, in most cases meaning simply logging on to a computer.  Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller started an online campaign in 2010 called “It Gets Better” in response to the many publicized gay-teen suicides.  Their story is an inspiring one, finally finding love after being tortured in high school just as millions of other teenagers are.  The point, of course, it for teens struggling with their sexual identity due to bullying would be able to see themselves in the video and give hope to those so desperately in need of it.  Through the use of YouTube, many other people and celebrities have uploaded their own videos also saying how it gets better.  While this is a great, positive thing that has giving hope to many individuals who might have taken their own lives as a response to bullying, there are a few aspects that make the “It Gets Better” movement not the best movement.  While its great, and in many cases necessary, to have a hard skin, the slogan and impressions of the videos is that the bullies are not going anywhere.  While it’s a fantastic source for those who are bullied, it does not touch on the fact that bullying should not happen in the first place. Secondly, Dan and Terry are quite an exceptional case.  Many videos have also been uploaded with the title “It Gets Worse”.  While this is an excellent effort for the cause, it does little to end bullying at its source.

            Bullying is a problem in itself but the additional struggle is that we as a society largely do not know how to properly fight it.  The policy that has been growing in popularity has been the strict “zero-tolerance policy’ which actually is not the answer that the victims of bullying are looking for.  Carolyn Laub, the Founder and Executive Director of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, writes about how tradition forms of strict punishment are not the answer to these emotional attacks on those who are victims of bullying.  In her blog article, Why Zero Tolerance Is Not the Solutions to In School Bullying, she points out that bullying will not go away if bullies are simply suspended, instead she pushes the idea to allow school staff to “intervene with counseling or other meaningful solutions that help the students engaged in bullying learn from -- and change -- their behavior” (Laub, Why Zero Tolerance).  Laub makes a very good point and what she has to say is extremely logical, but unfortunately her voice is not heard by the those who need to hear this information the most.  Her audience ends for the most part at people who already support the cause and those doing research about it.  While her thoughts and words are quite powerful; unheard they are not much more effective than a few protestors on the side of the road.

How many people actually stop and listen to protesters?  Admirable for their passion for whatever their cause may be, protesters seem to only get attention by their numbers.  Alone, they are just people stating their opinion.  However, a single celebrity’s thoughts can influence thousands.  People have been disputing gay marriage for years and protests and gay rights actions have been going on for longer, yet one of the biggest uproar was caused when President Obama stated his support for gay marriages.  Those who saw Bully, mostly saw it for school or because they felt strongly about the subject already.  Those who watch the “It Gets Better” videos, are mostly those seeking that reassurance or for the same reasons Bully was seen.  Those who read Carolyn Laab’s article had to know what they were looking for.   The population that this media reaches, for the most part already knows what they are going to see.  While effective and powerful texts, they are more-or-less wasted on the wrong audience.  The people that need to hear it are those who are ignorant, naïve, or are those who choose to ignore the situation as a whole. 

            What better way to hear it than by song?   The rap music industry reaches out to most of this audience who is in dire need of getting some insight of the injustice done throughout the nation.  Ben Haggerty, better known by his stage name as Macklemore, is an extremely talented and rising hip/hop artist with a very eclectic range of song content.  He raps about some typical subjects of the hip/hop industry such as sex and cars, but stands out from the crowd for also hitting serious topics like drug and substance abuse, anti-violence, peace, and searching for genuine individuality.  Macklemore has set himself apart even farther from the rest of the rap industry by one song on his new album but released earlier as an EP: ‘Same Love’.  He is the first rapper ever to release a song, not only talking about gay marriage and rights, but in passionate support for their cause.   Typically most in his genre avoid this subject like it is the black plague.  One of Macklemore’s lyrics explains:

If I was gay

I would think hip-hop hates me

Have you read the YouTube comments lately

"Man that's gay"

Gets dropped on the daily

We've become so numb to what we're sayin' (Macklemore)

It is surprising then, that this song is not met with the same response. Not only is it not criticized, but also it is respected and has become the most popular song on Macklemore’s new album.  This is why Macklemore’s voice is more influential then all the other media; not only does it reach the really important audience, but its effective with style, emotion, and logic.  The key to solve the problem, the mistreatment and unjust acts against homosexuals, is reaching out to everyone and to unite them.  It is to get them on the same level of understanding and respect.  That is what Macklemore preaches:

Kids are walkin' around the hallway

Plagued by pain in their heart

A world so hateful

Some would rather die

Than be who they are

And a certificate on paper

Isn't gonna solve it all

But it's a damn good place to start

No law's gonna change us

We have to change us

Whatever god you believe in

We come from the same one

Strip away the fear

Underneath it's all the same love

About time that we raised up (Macklemore)

This angle on changing society is the most effective without a doubt.  Those in need of enlightenment are not going to read editorials or watch documentaries about issues that they may even be contributing to.  But they will listen to someone who has their respect.  The reason this song has so much influence is that Macklemore stands up and says what needs to be said, only a little bit louder in a way that everyone can hear.  Utilizing his personal exposure to GLTB bullying and inequality, he preaches words of truth and logic in a deeper way than just a celebrity supporting a cause.  He touches the subject on an emotional level, personal level, and logical level and to sum it all up he states that it will not change that easily but that legalizing gay marriage is “a damn good place to start” (Macklemore).  “Same Love” takes the cake for having it all when it comes to audience, tone, content, and call to action all in one, but each source works a different side to end this injustice in schools everywhere. 

Works Cited

Bully. Dir. Lee Hirsch. The Weinstein Company, 2011. Film.

It Gets Better: Dan and Terry. Perf. Dan Savage and Terry Miller. YouTube. YouTube, 21 Sept. 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IcVyvg2Qlo>.

Laub, Carolyn. "Why Zero Tolerance Is Not the Solution to School Bullying." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 May 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carolyn- laub/bullying-zero-tolerance_b_1521844.html>.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. "Same Love." Rec. 18 July 2012. Same Love. Ryan Lewis, 2012. MP3.

**Download Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's "Same Love" on iTunes**

Andrew Ryan- Bullying Rhetoric Analysis

A Spark of Guilt in Everyone

By Andrew Ryan

            Bullying is a problem that has seemingly become more prevalent as of late. Many sources claim that bullying is a result of our culture, a result of our social pressures and inability to see depth beyond labels or secondary characteristics. Many groups, activists, and forms of media have done great work to try and address the problem of rampant bullying. From hopeful words to social outcries, and more in-depth research; People are doing their best to make sure that this problem is known to society. What these people hope to accomplish is to make the problem well known and allow society to see the ugly face of its social pressures. We can only hope to institute changes in social values and norms if we become more educated and see through our flaws in thinking. Until then, we have people being ridiculed and bullied because of small aspects of themselves that they should not be held at fault for. A forward thinker and “biphopbia” educator, Robyn Ochs said, “We are not responsible for what we do not know that we do not know”.  So the first step is to make sure that people know that they are ill-informed.

            There are many forms of media that do a good job of addressing the issue of bullying, either at the school level, or widespread bullying targeted toward homosexuals. The movie Bully is a documentary that follows bullied children and the families of bullied children during their daily lives; giving the audience a glimpse into what they had to deal with on a daily basis. Ellen Degeneres hosted the first lady, Michelle Obama, on her talk show and addressed how young people were being affected by bullying, and the deep rooted problems it represents. Robyn Ochs gave a presentation about bisexuals, and how society can simultaneously belittle and ignore an entire demographic of people. There is also a counter group to the campaign known as “It Gets Better” with a message of “it doesn’t get better”, and regardless of the negative feel behind the message, there are some interesting points put forth by the YouTube user, Jeffreycraigg.  These sources all put forth a message to be heard by the many, and hope to make people aware of this social problem.

Bully takes us into the life high school students, of varied locations, who are bullied and relentlessly tormented. It is a documentary, and the footage we see of the abuse is all real. From the dangerous school bus happenings, to the oblivious and ill prepared school officials, we get to taste a little bit of what these kids and families have to go through every day. Michelle Obama is the first lady of the United States, and has shown through her work that children are one of her top priorities. Ellen Degeneres was one of the first celebrities to come out publicly as a homosexual, and she is a very relevant and popular talk show host to date. Robyn is an esteemed educator, speaker, and consultant for sexual orientation and identity. Robyn has also experienced these difficulties first hand, declaring herself as bisexual.

            Anecdotes and emotional stories were rampant in the texts that tried to spread awareness of the problems. The movie Bully showed a school aged boy, Alex, being punched and stabbed with pencils on the school bus; and the school administration had the audacity to refer to the school bus as angels when they were on board. We were also given a glimpse into the lives of parents who had lost a child to suicide induced by relentless bullying at school. Michelle Obama and Ellen Degeneres also bring up the subject of suicides afflicting school aged children, induced by bullying, they are hopeful about the future and plan to spread awareness and make sure our culture of bullying is changed for good.  Robyn Ochs was able to tell us about when she came out and what a tough time it was in the nation to come out, with little resources available and the ones who were, were far away and could not provide support. She cited that as the reason she wanted to make sure that others who came out after her had more resources at their disposal, so they would have a better time of it than her.

            Ellen and Michelle Obama use a very emotional tone when addressing the issue on the Ellen show, while Bully uses the very same appeal through much of the movie. There is a very stark difference in the background of these people, yet they are still able to be bound together by their humanity and how they feel about the problem. Ellen and Michelle are famous and have wealth and tons of resources at their disposal, but the families in Bullly have little wealth and power over the situation that they and their children are in. Kelby, a young girl who is bullied at high school for being a lesbian, has aspirations of changing the views of her small town; she wants to persist and show these people that have wronged her that they are wrong and she does not deserve the treatment that they have given her. Kelby finally moves at the end of the film because the town was too overwhelmingly cruel to her, really shaking her faith in solving the problem. Through this we can see that Kelby’s tone shifts from defiant and hopeful and near the end of the film her tone transfers to a sad and broken. These tones do a good job of addressing the issue, because tone can show that everyone has the ability to empathize with people who are being mistreated; and in Kelby’s case, can show how a bad situation has affected someone for better or for worse.

            Robyn had a very approachable use of language and tone. She used common language and had a very positive and happy tone, regardless of what she was talking about. She made sure that her audience was very comfortable when she was speaking, and that they felt comfortable responding to her. In a stark contrast to Robyn’s tone, the “it doesn’t get better” video has a rather melancholy tone. This video used pessimism where Robyn used optimism, even though they were trying to address similar problem of not being accepted into a community. The different tones used by each source reflect back on what they are hoping to convey. Robyn is hoping to spread education and awareness of a problem plaguing almost everyone, unbeknownst to most; while the video “it doesn't get better” by YouTube user jeffreycraigg is trying to convey that things don’t always get better even if these people make it through high school.

            All of the language used in these sources has been very approachable language. Middle school children would probably be able to fully comprehend what was being said. This really helps the spread of these sources; if a portion of the population cannot understand what you are trying to say, then how can you hope to spread your message to these people. An underlying theme in all of these sources, whether stated or unspoken, is that bullying is a result of not fitting identities that there are social pressures to uphold; and the more people that are made aware of this problem, the easier it will be to solve it, if it can be solved.

            Many of these sources use comparisons and basic reasoning as a great defense of their argument. They question the values and do not blindly accept what has been laid out before them. Michelle Obama and Ellen talked about how our culture is one of bullies, and that children will certainly grow up to bully people if they are subject to the rampant bullying that we put out in the open every day.  They also point out that these young people are very valuable to society, and that it is always a tragedy when we lose one to something as ignorant as bullying. The movie “Bully” takes us to the school officials who swear that things are alright, but when they are confronted about the hostile environments or the poorly policed school busses, they say that there is not much that they have the power to do and that school busses are notorious for being rampant bullying zones. The show points out just how silly that this seems to be that they have effectively given up on doing a good job protecting students on the bus because it’s accepted that it is hard to accomplish.

Robyn spoke of how the society that we live in has ambivalence with sexuality. Pointing out that our values say that women should be attractive and sexy, and that the genders should follow how their gender is attractive, but then we condemn sexuality and label women as sluts if they do follow those guidelines of attractiveness. Robyn’s lecture was full of interesting anecdotes and analogies. She asked us, “If you were to see me walking down the street by myself, what would you assume that my sexual preference was?” and most, if not all people, would have thought her to be a heterosexual. She really pointed out a flaw in our “Binary Thinking” by asking what she would have to portray for people to assume that she was bisexual. Robyn showed us that there are entire spectrums of people who can be erased by binary thinking. One example was, “if you’re not white you’re ____, if you’re not liberal you’re ____, if you’re not straight you’re ____.” These comparisons really showed how silly that sort of binary thought was, while simultaneously showing how easy it is to fall into that mode of thinking.

The YouTube video entitled “It Doesn’t Get Better” tries to dispel the ideas that spread a hopeful message for all those high school children to stick it out after high school. The speaker in this video says, “I don’t think it gets better, for some people it gets less bad”, and brings up the struggles that still plague people after high school has ended. He brings up how, even in the queer community, there are “systems of difference” and they do not allow a true sense of community. This is a pretty reasonable argument based on what we see so widespread in society. Robyn even brought up that a struggle that bisexual people face is that there is a “one of us or not one of us” mentality in the gay community, and how hard it seems even from the eyes of someone not in the community. These are very logical arguments from people who are trying to spread different messages, in response to what appears to be the same problem.  

            We can see that society is fostering bullying; we think that it can be changed if we get people to be informed and aware of the problems. Our steps are to educate and make sure that people know that they do not know something, and we have to insure that we don’t accept or abide by bullying tactics that are in place in society, like the aggressive political climate. These sources are hoping to make people aware of the fact that there is a problem affecting us, and it is as deep as our culture.  Through personal stories, emotions, reasonable arguments, and the endorsements of many people, celebrity or not,  these sources hope to one day change a culture that has grown a society of normal people and not normal people. Before one can be educated though, one has to be aware that something is missing.

Works Cited

Bully. Dir. Lee Hirsch. The Weinstein Company, 2011. Film.

"It Doesn’t Get Better." YouTube. YouTube. 19 Oct. 2010. web. 30 Oct. 2012.

Obama, Michelle. "First Lady Michelle Obama Talks about Bullying" YouTube. YouTube. 28 Oct. 2010. web. 30 Oct. 2012 (date you accessed it).  

Ochs, Robyn. “Addressing Binaries.” Ohio University. Ellis Hall, Athens, Ohio. 15 Oct. 2012

Cassie Rhoads Rap

Rhetorical Analysis Portfolio

            Today bullying has become a big issue in schools and after watching the movie bully it seems like the school staff is not doing anything to stop the bullying, they just say kids will be kids. This has become a problem because when parents send their child to school they want to know that their child is in a safe environment to learn. So how can a parent feel like their child is in good care when they are being bullied and no one, not even the teacher is taking action and stopping the problem at hand? So now since no one is taking time to stop the problem this child could start feeling like an outcast and does not belong, or even worries start to think that these peers are their friends. These children do not want to come to school when they get to this point or even worries they want to take their own lives. It is time for teachers and staff to step up and take control of the problem and set ground rules for their class rooms and need to make it known that bullying will not be tolerated.  It is important to make sure as a teacher that each child feels safe when they are in your care.

            When a child feels like they cannot talk to a teacher about what is going on that is a big issue, because a child should be able to find a since of safety in their teacher. It is important to make sure that each child feels safe and know that if something is bothering them that they can talk to you or another staff member but it is important to make sure that the child is getting the suppurate that they need, but as seen in the movie bully a lot of the teachers just set back and done nothing as each child in the movie was being bullied day in and day out.  The movie Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch, is a movie that films the lives of five children that are being bullied at school and how it has become a problem that needs to be addressed. The article Gay Teens Bullied to the Point of Suicide, by Kenneth Miller, this article talks about children how have committed suicides, this children were of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender). Another is the episode of the television show Ellen, where Ellen DeGeneres and Michelle Obama discuss how bullying has become a major problem, also giving ways to stop bullying.

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            The Tone and language of each sources is very serious also heartbreaking, they do not take the problem at hand as something to joke about. When Ellen DeGeneres and Michelle Obama talk about bullying you can see that it is emotional and personal to the both of them, in the interview Michelle Obama talks about how she can personal understand bullying because she sees her husband get bullied by politics, but even the things they say she still stays positive. You can see that Ellen talks this serious because see is a part of the “it gets better” project. Now Miller’s tone is very strong and firm, he gives you ways to help as parents, and as a community. Bully is a movie about five children who have been bullied; the tone is very emotional and powerful. The movie shows first-hand the issues of bullying and how the parents went about resolving the problem. Each of these sources does not take bullying lightly.

            A lot of assertions were used in each source; assertions are what the author argues. Bully use an assertion at the end of the movie when Ty Smalley’s parents have an anti-bully project, were his father gives a speech to a group of children talking about standing up for children that are being bullied. Telling this teens and adults that standing up can help put an end to bullying and as an example of what bullying can lead to he talks about his son’s death. An assertion that was used on Ellen was when Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres talk about it does get better, but they talk about how we as adults have to set an example for them as well as making sure that every child has a safe environment. Miller it seemed like he only had one assertion and that was when he said “those kids should be in their classrooms, not in caskets.”(Miller) He is talks about the teenagers who committed suicide because they just felt like there was no other way.
Millers Article Gay Teens Bullied to the Point of Suicide

 Now Miller is really the only one to use authority and does it many times throughout his article. This authority’s comes from doctors and other experts. People say that “homosexuality is compared to incest, bestiality, even violent crime.”(Miller) Then Dr. Scott Quasha, PsyD, a professor of school psychology at Brooklyn College goes to say that “This trickles down into the schools, where bullying occurs, a gay child is an easy target for classmates looking to make trouble.” (Miller) Dr. Quasha also say that “despite recent cultural shifts, kids still get the overwhelming message from society that homosexuality is not acceptable.”(Miller) “Being a teenager is tough enough” says Jody M. Huckaby, executive director of parents, families, and friends of lesbians and gays (PFLAG) he also points out that “There’s so much peer pressure. And when you’re constantly getting messages that you’re not okay, the pressure can just be too much. For some kids, it’s hard to imagine that life will ever get better” (Miller) Dr. Ryan says that “You can say, ‘I think this is wrong but I love you and I’m going to be here for you, and being willing to listen. Give your child a hug.”(Miller) This just a couple but he use many more.

This sources use anecdotes a lot so they can help their audience with relating emotionally. The anecdote Michelle Obama talks about in her interview with Ellen is how she hears so much negative things about her husband and she then says “You can focus on the negatives or the Positives.”(Obama) but sometimes it is hard to look at the positives. The movie Bully shows how five children have become the victims of bullying, these stories are told to show what these children went through and as they each told their story it makes the audience’s very emotional. The one that was very emotional to watch was Alex because he was picked on every day and he thought these children were his friends at one point he even says to his mom “if they’re not my friends then who is.”(Bully, Alex) Also the teacher did nothing to stop the problem at hand. Miller’s article is very similar to Bully because it is also about five children who are being bullied but this children are being bullied for being LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) and about children that felt like there was no other way to handle it and they end up committing suicide. Like all the other sources this is a very emotional anecdote. 

            Reasoning is how you tell your audience how they should do something, this is when you use logical steps to reason, but it does not always mean it is true. Miller does the best job at this, because at the end of his article he has The Zero-Tolerance Plan. Starting with “Checking yourself. Take a look at your own prejudices, stereotypes, and educate yourself about diversity issues. Discuss Values, Tell your child that even when you disagree with people, it’s important to treat them with respect. Have a plan, encourage your child to stand up for bullied classmates and to tell an adult when bullying occurs. Demand respect, if your kid’s the bully, make it clear his behavior is unacceptable and there will be consequences. Push for a policy; find out if your school district specifically forbids antigay bullying. If it doesn’t, file a complaint.” (Miller) On Ellen her reasoning is to let people know that if we want kids to stop bullying that we as adults have to set an example and let them know that it is not ok to bully others because they might not seem the same as you, there is no reason for it. The one reasoning that stands out  the most in Bully, is at the end when Ty’s father has the anti-bully project, his dad gets up and talks to the audience about how children need to stand up together to stop bullying because it is taking the lives of children. Now the movie bully their reasoning is the same but just to show you what children go through every day of bullying and how it can affect them.

Bullying has become a major problem all around the world in school. It is not going to stop until we all take the steps we need to take is showing children that bullying hurts.  All of the sources do a good job in pointing out the problems of bullying. Miller does a good job at give steps in supporting the child and ways to stop bullying which is his zero-tolerance plan. Know bully show firsthand how teachers do not take actions in stopping bullying, like when Alex was being bullied on the bus, his parents went in and talked to the principle all she said was “I’ve been on that bus and they are as good as gold.”(Bully) This why like Michelle Obama said in her interview with Ellen “that we as adults need to set an example for these children.” (Ellen) The only way things will really change is when bullying is out of the school completely and the school staff has a zero-tolerance for bullying.

Work cited

Miller, K. (2012) Gay Teens Bullied to the Point of Suicide, Ladies’ Home Journal.

Obama, M. (2012, October 20) The Ellen DeGeneres show (E. DeGeneres interview).

Hirsch, L. (Director). (2011) Bully [Motion Pictures].