An update from PACER Center in my Twitter timeline alerted me to the exciting news: the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) had given a PG-13 rating to the “Bully” documentary. In the words of the movie”s Facebook page, “This is a great victory for us all!”
The film was released in 55 markets and on 158 screens this weekend, as reported in “Speakeasy,” the Wall Street Journal”s arts and entertainment blog, http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/.
The MPAA originally refused to budge from its decision to issue an R rating for the documentary film, which follows families impacted by bullying.
An R rating meant that the film could not be shown in schools.
Weinstein Co. co-founder Harvey Weinstein appealed the rating and on March 27, MTV reported that Weinstein had decided to release the film unrated in the United States.
A viral petition by 17-year-old Katy Butler drew nearly 500,000 signatures according to the MTV report, which can be viewed at www.mtv.com/news/articles/1681835/bully-movie-unrated.jhtml?fb_ref=fblike_web&fb_source=profile_multiline.
A PRNewswire press release, dated April 5, relates an enormous victory for the documentary film: the MPAA agreed to lower the R rating to PG-13.
Three uses of the F-word were removed from the film but a crucial scene was left intact (PRNewswire).
This victory is personally rewarding to me because of my own experience as a survivor of childhood peer abuse: I was physically and verbally abused as well as isolated and ostracized by my classmates at Calistoga Elementary and Calistoga Junior/Senior High School.
Children on the autism spectrum are especially vulnerable to bullying.
A DisabilityScoop report dated March 26 cites research indicating that 63 percent of children with autism have been bullied compared to 12 percent of their typically-developing siblings: www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/03/26/kids-autism-bullied/15242/.
That a PG-13 rating will make this movie more accessible to children, I view as a personal victory.
No child should have to be bullied as I was and I hope this film expands the awareness of everyone in the community who can do something about bullying.
“The end of bullying begins with me.” Add your name to a digital petition at www.pacer.org/bullying/digitalpetition/.
The movie”s Facebook page gives special thanks to Butler and has posted a video link of her acceptance speech at the GLAAD Media Awards. View it at www.facebook.com/bullymovie.
Read the PRNewswire press release at www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pg-13-rating-granted-for-bully-by-mpaa-without-cutting-crucial-scene-146358165.html.
Cynthia Parkhill is the focus pages editor for the Record-Bee. She can be contacted at rbinfocus@gmail.com or 263-5636 ext. 39. Follow on Twitter: @CynthiaParkhill.
