"It Starts With One"

          Bullying has always been an issue in American schools.  It is a problem that crosses generational boundaries, as it has been going on for quite some time.  Children are bullied for a variety of reasons, ranging from differences in race, intelligence, physical appearance, personality quirks or unconventional demeanor, sexual orientation/gender identity, religious affiliation, etc.  But in recent years, the nature of bullying has become more pervasive and insidious and its ensuing ramifications more devastating and grave.  Although this issue has received national attention from the media due to the shocking increase in youth assaults and suicides, society appears to be at a loss to explain or solve this disturbing trend.

Why do children behave in such an atrocious way and why does it seem so much worse today?  There are sound, long-standing explanations that seem to hit the nail on the head in identifying some of the causes for bullying behavior.  Some bullies may be deeply insecure and/or lash out at those who are perceived as vulnerable or weak to gain a sense of confidence, power, and/or authority.  Some bullies may feel jealous, threatened, or fearful of those who appear to be “abnormal”  or different.  Similarly, some propose that bullies are often influenced by the ignorance and prejudice that they learn at home; that they have been bullied themselves and are seeking retribution or simply imitating what they have suffered; or may have personal issues, such as anger and mean-spiritedness.  

It may be one or a combination of the aforementioned reasons that motivates a bully.  But uncovering the reasons why bullying has become so much “worse” is a bit more perplexing.  First it is important to identify how bullying has become worse.  The type, degree, and severity of bullying and the corresponding reactions from victims have escalated to dangerous and outrageous levels.  No longer is it simply a matter of hurt feelings and tears over name-calling or an after-school fist-fight. 

Rather, bullying has evolved into an intense, full-time, violent barrage on victims.  With the advent of the internet and virtually unsupervised forums like Facebook and texting, bullies have access to their targets round-the-clock, with no limits on what they verbalize.  In this type of environment, the content and parameters of the bullying knows no bounds.  Moreover, the bully has a much wider audience and the probability of group bullying rises.  Finally, today’s youths are exposed to so much more, so much sooner.  The ease with which young people can view adult material through the internet and other home media is unprecedented. 

Likewise, the types of images and ideas that young people are exposed to now are so much more graphic and unrestrained than those that were available thirty years ago.  This may be causing a cultural desensitization.  To illustrate, consider the savage gang attack that left one girl permanently damaged a few years ago.  The girl was lured to a house by a group of her female peers, locked inside for hours, and was brutally beaten while her attackers filmed the incident and later posted it on the internet.  This highly-publicized attack shocked the nation; however, the bullies in this incident were given a lecture and probation by the judge. 

Older adults cannot even fathom the scope of this type of bullying.  The kids of yesterday did not have today’s technological forums or pressure points; therefore, parents, school administrators, and those in the legal system often minimize the problem, relating to the more innocuous acts of bullying they experienced or witnessed as children.  Consequently, it appears that part of the problem in dealing with bullying today is a generation gap.  The social landscape for today’s kids is pressure-packed and if the pressure builds long enough the results are often catastrophic, for those who bully as well as those who are bullied.

The effects of bullying are usually not as dramatic as the previous example, but are no less destructive.  The results of bullying can be chronic and are almost always seen right away: poor academic performance, physical wounds, low self-esteem, depression, shame, isolation, and feeling trapped.  All of this can perpetuate the cycle of bullying or lead to possibly the most dangerous of all…suicide.  Certainly, over the last few years, there have been many advocates who have launched campaigns utilizing an array of vehicles to raise awareness about modern bullying. 

Many of these vehicles have presented clever strategies in an attempt to end bullying and its aftermath through films; televised public service spots; books; billboards; and merchandising, such as t-shirts, hats, and posters.  One such text is the documentary Bully directed by Lee Hirsch.  Bully offers a multi-faceted presentation of this issue and through the use of some very effective rhetorical and film techniques, does an outstanding job of exposing the complexity and severity of this social issue.  More importantly, Bully establishes a very strong connection between the audience and the people in the film, revealing and emphasizing the reality of the human tragedy that is bullying.

Since Bully is a full-length documentary, the director has time to craft the bond between the audience and the people portrayed in the film.  By showing real people who have been directly impacted by bullying and by spending enough time following each situation in a day-to-day format, i.e. filming these people in their towns, homes, and schools, viewers begin to “know” these people.  In addition, the film is raw and natural.  Nothing seems staged.  All of the dialogue and the locations are very real and personal, the emotion is genuine, and at times, overpowering.   Because of the film’s candor, the audience can easily relate to the people in the film who are just like themselves or their brother, best friend, or daughter.  This film has the “Every Man” appeal and before long it works to emotionally pull the audience right into the center of the issue.  The effect is “I care because this could happen to me…”. 

Bully goes even further and uncovers some of the barriers to combating bullying.  For instance, the film shows how many of those in authority minimize and deny the issue when it is brought to their attention.  Many of the people in official positions either say that bullying does not exist or that it is not that bad.  But moreover, when the bullying is acknowledged, one school administrator admits that she is not sure how to deal with it.  Additionally, the consequences for the bullies are either ineffective or nonexistent.  This is in stark contrast with the actual instances of bullying the film shows.  This technique is very effective since the audience is invested in this issue, and so, it inspires the viewer to anger and motivates the audience to want to change the status quo.  The film winds-up with a moving portrayal of how these people are overcoming tragedy by taking action and inspiring others to do so.  This offers the audience hope and a viable path to change.

   Similarly, “It Gets Better”, a video made by some of the employees at the company Pixar, aims at instilling hope into LGBTQ youth by sharing personal stories of surmounting adversity and despair.  Just like Bully, “It Gets Better” uses very effective techniques to make an emotional connection with the audience.  The simple backdrop and set (each person is sitting alone, situated in front of a black background as they are speaking) along with the direct way in which each individual looks into the camera and shares a very personal experience creates the atmosphere of two friends talking.   This culminates in a feeling of intimacy and empathy or sympathy, for even if the audience member has never been bullied, he or she certainly can feel for the obvious pain it caused this individual.  This piece was effective in reaching its target audience: teens who are being bullied because of their sexual preference/identity; however, it is able to touch an even broader base of people because of its successful use of rhetorical techniques and staging.  Just as in Bully, the piece was long enough to allow an emotional connection between the subjects and the audience.  

On the other hand, Hillary Duff’s “That’s So Gay” a Public Service Announcement (PSA) and the FCKH8 campaign’s “FCK BULLIES” poster target a much narrower audience and use vastly different techniques to make their points.  “That’s So Gay” and “FCK BULLIES” are not trying to elicit emotional connections with their audiences.  They are targeting a select, younger audience.  Both pieces use contemporary language and quips to grab viewer attention.  Their aim is to make a quick, sharp impact that is lighter and memorable.  The messages in both texts are short, fashionable, and catchy.  These pieces are designed to be thought-provoking and aim at changing attitudes but present in a format that is probably much more palatable to the fast-paced sensibilities of a generation who receives information in blips and sound-bytes and communicates in acronyms and catch-phrases.  Furthermore, they are different types of texts altogether. 

            Obviously, bullying has become a grave, pervasive social blight and can no longer be ignored.  When youths are treated as pariahs, pushed to the breaking point until they feel their only recourse is self-annihilation or retribution against their tormentors, something must change.  As stated before, one of the main barriers to solving this problem is denial and/or minimization.  Many people do not realize the extent to which bullying goes; therefore, these texts are vital in raising the consciousness of the public.  There must also be a continuous, concerted campaign at the local level in order for any meaningful change to occur. 

By raising awareness and providing educational forums for parents, children, educators, and law enforcement in a “town hall” meeting format, communities may finally begin to make real progress toward exposing bullying as the serious epidemic it is and implementing solutions that work.  One practical step toward ending this pandemic is to increase the monitoring of students in schools and on buses by parent volunteers.  Another is to make the consequences for bullying much more stringent, for instance, expulsion from school and/or criminal prosecution. 

Communities must take a zero-tolerance approach to bullying.  Parents must also talk to their children about this issue, just as they are encouraged to about drugs and sex.  In addition, society must create an environment in which children are not fearful of divulging bullying, where they know that measures will be taken to end the harassment.  Finally, therapy for those who have been bullied as well as for those who bully is essential in breaking this vicious cycle.

All in all, the documentary Bully is the most effective text in educating and inciting the public to action regarding this serious social dilemma.  It aptly showcases some of the different types of bullying (those who are bullied for a variety of reasons, e.g. sexual orientation as well as being or looking “different”); some of the motivations of bullies; and the severe consequences of and barricades to solving this important issue.  Bully offers hope for change through an ultimate answer: “It begins with one…”.  This empowers the audience in that every person can take a stand against bullying personally, when it rears its ugly head in everyday life.  It informs and inspires, but more importantly, motivates its audience to action.  With expert use of assertion, anecdote, example, tone, and language as well as setting this piece masterfully achieves a broader goal, appealing to all of humanity and brings its audience full-circle. 

 Although the other texts are effective in communicating their messages, the scope and range and use of rhetorical and film techniques are not as comprehensive or persuasive as are found in Bully.  Every one of these texts contains a similar core assertion that bullying is bad; however, each text molds this message differently, resulting in varying levels of impact and value.   

For instance, “It Gets Better” zooms in on a smaller target audience: youth who are bullied about sexual orientation/identity.  While it makes the same general assertion about bullying, that it is bad, this piece narrows the scope, focusing specifically on LGBTQ youth.  While “It Gets Better” does successfully reach this group and goes even farther by engendering sympathy in anyone watching this video, it does not have the same “every man” appeal as does Bully, if you are not LGBTQ, it does not affect you.  In other words, because its intended subject is confined to LGBTQ youth, a heterosexual viewing “It Gets Better” may feel badly that this group gets bullied and may be convinced that bullying LGBTQ individuals is wrong, but will not necessarily feel the same sense of urgency to change as is created in Bully.  That being said, “It Gets Better” does achieve its primary goal of lending hope for the future to those LGBTQ youths who are struggling now and may be in despair.  Moreover, it does an excellent job of explaining this specific dilemma in such a way that elicits sympathy from all who view this piece for the pain, fear, and loneliness that LGBTQ youth experience at the hands of bullies.

Likewise, “That’s So Gay” and “FCK BULLIES” do not cover the problem of bullying as broadly as Bully.  Just as with “It Gets Better”, these texts contain their subject matter to a specific type of bullying against LGBTQ individuals.  Furthermore, the length of “That’s So Gay” does not lend itself to establishing any emotional connection while “FCK BULLIES” is simply a visual image.  These texts do cover the core assertion that bullying is bad but aim at making a quick, memorable impact on a younger audience.  The quips and catch-phrases that these pieces make use of are designed to appeal to the younger generation in order to get this group to think about their attitudes and verbalizations about their LGBTQ peers.  These pieces are very adept at achieving this goal.

Two additional, rhetorical techniques that Bully and “It Gets Better” utilize which “That’s So Gay” and “FCK BULLIES” do not use are anecdote and example.  Bully begins with a close-up of a devastated father talking about his son, Tyler.  The close-up makes a huge impact as it focuses attention on the pain so obviously present in this man’s eyes and on his face.  As this father is talking about his son that he loves so very much, the close-up of this man’s tormented face is alternated with happy images (pictures and videos) of Tyler at different ages.  Within minutes, the audience has already become so invested in this father who clearly loves his first-born and this young man who is so full of life and potential in the images presented that one hopes beyond hope that the horror that is anticipated was somehow diverted.  Just then, the father utters those words the audience has been dreading, “I think he had just had enough…”  The impact is heartbreak. 

Bully’s filmmakers continue to brilliantly use these techniques in this very personal way.  The audience is introduced and becomes very familiar with each victim and his or her family.  Instead of objectively reporting the facts of each case, the audience finds itself right in the middle of the victims’ lives.  For instance, the camera takes the audience into one boy’s home and follows him through his days on the school bus and at school.  The audience sees the stark contrast between the close-knit environment of his home and the harshness, mean-spiritedness, violence, and loneliness that he faces every day.  The audience sees the confusion and grief of his parents when they are shown footage of what their son endures on a daily basis and the denial and minimization of the Vice Principle when they go in to talk to her about the situation.  Similarly, the filmmakers cut to Iowa where an eleven-year-old boy has just committed suicide and the audience is suddenly transported to his funeral.  The shock and fresh grief is visceral as one watches his mother who cannot bear to even speak about her boy and his father who struggles to hold back a flood of emotion.  The image of the pallbearers carrying the mid-sized casket to the grave.  Unforgettable.  Overwhelming.  Senseless.  By making the audience a silent witness, the film evokes many different emotions and gives viewers a personal stake in what is happening.  One wants to jump through the movie screen and yell “Stop this madness!”  This is no longer some tragic event that happens to other people.  The people who are portrayed in Bully are like all of us and are no longer strangers; moreover, because the movie actually shows the anecdotes and examples, often as they are happening, and their impacts, the problem is here, now, and very real. But, the film leaves its audience with a sense that there is hope, even in the wake of tragedy, if each of us does his or her part.  For instance, near the end, the film cuts to a memorial service that is being held for the victims of bullying that have fallen.  The audience eavesdrops on one of the fathers of a boy who took his life talking to a small group of kids, encouraging them to befriend that new student that is standing alone and to stand-up when they see a child being bullied.  The film leaves its audience with the powerful message, “It starts with one”.  Although one person cannot save the world, if each of us does our part to intervene when we see bullying in our own lives, it will make a difference and may even save a life.

“It Gets Better” also uses anecdote and example to connect with its audience.  Members of the Pixar staff take turns sitting in front of a black backdrop and reflect on some painful memories of when they were taunted and bullied for being LGBTQ.  The setting is effective as it is dramatic and keeps focus on the speaker.  Moreover the casual way that each person speaks creates the feeling of a friend sharing something   Each speaker relates something personal that was obviously painful, evidenced by the nature of the incident and the emotion that is still visible in that person.  For example, as one woman shares the humiliation and pain she experienced in high school when she was playing basketball as people yelled-out insults like “dike”, the tears begin to well-up in her eyes and the viewer sees the emotional scar that is still there.  When one man shares that he felt very alone and fearful on campus as he was shoved and bullied for being gay, one can still see the fear on his face as he relates his experience.  This method is very effective for even if a person has never had the type of experience being described, one can see that the effects are lifelong and very real.  These people are reliving the feelings as they are describing what happened years ago.  More importantly, when a person who has been or is the victim of this type of bullying sees this, he or she will be reminded of his or her own pain and automatically empathize and connect with the speakers through their shared experiences.  As the speakers go on to relay how and why things got better as they got older and found places where they “belonged” professionally and personally, the message of hope and inspiration is obvious:  “Just hang in there….I’m glad I stuck around….It got so much better!”  “It Gets Better” does achieve its goal.  It connects with its target audience in such a credible way, providing perspective through example and anecdote that the LGBTQ individual viewing this piece can believe these speakers, they have been through the hard times, walked through it, and overcame.  These are successful, happy people who have created their own destinies as adults.  It can be done just don’t give up!

All in all, the four pieces that are reviewed in this piece are successful in achieving their shared goal: to bring attention to the issue of bullying.  “It Gets Better”, “That’s So Gay”, and “FCK BULLIES” focus on a specific type of bullying against LGBTQ individuals.  “It Gets Better” creates an emotional bond with its audience through shared experience and transmits the pain of those who have been victimized so aptly that any viewer should certainly be able to sympathize.  It offers hope and encouragement to those struggling with this issue to keep moving forward, as each subject who shares in this video stands as proof that things will change.  Life will become worth living.  This too shall pass. 

“That’s So Gay” and “FCK BULLIES” take a different approach to bring about a change in consciousness about LGBTQ bullying.  Using techniques that appeal to the popular youth culture, such as the language and tone of the images presented, young people are sent the message that it is not “cool” to bully others for their sexual orientation or gender identity.  Although these pieces do not elicit a deep emotional response to bullying, they do succeed at making their audience consider how they communicate and think of this topic. 

Having said all of that, however, Bully takes the discussion of bullying to another level.  It is a shining example of persuasive argument at its finest.  Bully weaves an extremely intimate emotional bond with its audience through its real-time use of setting, anecdote, example, tone, and language.  The audience is transported into each situation and becomes part of the action.  It covers a vast scope of different types of bullying and pulls its audience into the eye of the storm.  The raw emotion and frustration of the people in the film is experienced by the audience as it is happening in such a way that it feels as though it is happening to the viewer as well.  Then it brings the viewer full-circle.  As the viewer sits with his or her grief, anger, outrage, and bewilderment, feeling that this must be stopped but wondering how, the director lays the answer at the viewer’s feet: “It starts with one”.  This brilliantly simple device is so effective.  Each one of us can be the immediate solution.  Bully is by far the most in-depth, persuasive piece.  It is haunting, unforgettable, and complete.