The Making of a Bully

It is very difficult indeed to watch the new documentary "Bully" without experiencing both an intense sadness and a feeling of helplessness.

The film opens with the heartbreaking ruminations of a father whose son committed suicide after being brutally bullied by his classmates. We hear a number of similar stories throughout the film, and we also are allowed to watch and listen as very real kids are pestered, belittled, mocked, and in some cases, physically assaulted — just because they are, in some sense, different.

The most memorable figure in the movie is a young man, around 12, named Alex. He seems to be a good-natured kid, happy in the embrace of his family, but because he's a bit uncoordinated, geeky, and odd-looking (his brutal nickname is "fishface"), his fellow students mercilessly pick on him. Alex's daily ride on the school bus is like something out of Dante's Inferno.

What would be funny — if it weren't so tragic — is the cluelessness of the school officials (and of the adults in general) who should be doing something about the problem. We get to watch the vice principal of Alex's school as she deals with aggressive students, and as she tries to mollify Alex's parents. What we hear is a pathetic mixture of bromides, self-serving remarks, boys-will-be-boys platitudes, and; worst of all, a marked tendency to blame the victim.

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David Etzel

When I read this I first thought of Obama trying to bully everyone into believing in the same warped way he does. Come on November 2012. GOD BLESS AMERICA
- daves
  
  Seriously?
  - Bobseeks
    
    Seriously, fool. Maobama is a classic bully and thug.
    - daves
      
      and whoever says ‘Fool’ WILL BE SENT to fiery hell.
grammyjune

I am the mother of a daughter who was bullied in school and she has suffered issues with self-estee her entire life. No one would listen or beleive her because she was not one of the cool kids. She had severe eczema so often looked as if she had something contagious It was not true but it did not stop teachers and kids from shunning her and calling her names. Teachers in many ways are no better than the kids. The "beautiful"ones get the attention and are pro9tected from those who truly neee protection
- Guest
  
  I am fully aware of the problem. My grandson is and was always a gentle, sweet natured child. He was bulled, tortured merciless, because he would not fight back, he was different. He spent years of counseling because of it, and still today, suffers from the effects. This was not a huge school in a large city, this was a very small country school where the teachers did not seen to know or care what was going on. Parents were also unaware of the circumstances. As soon as we discovered how our child was being abused we took him out of school and finished his schooling at home.
  
  Bullies learn to be bullies at home, I believe. They are been made insecure from abuse received there and all of their self esteem destroyed . When these bullies get into trouble away from home, for their behavior, here comes Mom or Dad or both:YOU DARE TREAT MY SON IN SUCH A WAY.I'LL LET YOU KNOW JUST WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH. Well, child sees how his vile behavior gets positive attention and there is a budding bully, if he has not already reached that point.
msjallen

My youngest daughter was bullied at school and we did everything we could to stop it. She even went to a different school and that helped some. She now has three daughters that have been bullied but they are all very beautiful girls but different because of their conservative stand on things. The elementary school tried to stop the bullying but it took a great effort on our part to help. One thing we did was to buy bikes so they could outrun their attackers after school. Also they waited 10 min after school before leaving. That helped too. Now two are in middle school and it all started again. However, that school has some method of stopping all bullying. The bullied one goes to the office and fills out a form, giving names and one of them did and there has not been any more bullying. We do not know what the school does but the bullies do not bother the girls at all. All schools need to adopt their method.
http://twitter.com/lambsev11 @lambsev11

Isn't it true than some parents are bullying their children and causing them to become bullies?
Penny

Now what does the general audience here say of my classmate Aaron, who was repeatedly bullied in school for being gay? Or of my friend Kelsey, who was pushed in the mud for challenging the idea that creationism should be taught in biology?

Let the double standards come forth.
paxcat

In my humble opinion, the reason there is more bullying and more overt bullying goes right along with the less morality being taught and supported by public institutions. I use the term morality broadly to include how to treat other people, how to be civil and respectful, how a person's character is determined by these actions and why character matters in the big scheme of things. There have always been a few "low self esteem" bullies around, but the degree of bullying has gotten much larger and isn't helped when parents allow their children to participate in all sorts of social media where "typing/texting goes before thinking or walking a mile in someone else's shoes!"
Matt Holm

In my experience, and based on observation of what happened to my now 17-year old son, (who was diagnosed as High-Functioning Autistic, with mild Asperger's Syndrome), anything that causes a child in public school to appear different IN ANY WAY, subjects that child to teacher and administrator-led bullying, taunting, and discrimination.

The "cool" or "beautiful" or "socially popular" kids are protected and the school officials look the other way when they bully the kids with "special needs" in their classes. Many times, the "special needs" kids are made into scapegoats and the school administrations have the balls to blame them for their own victimization at the hands of the school bullies! We went through this numerous times, as we fought their efforts to lobotomize our son with potent psychoactive drugs.

Parents need to get much more involved with what's happening in the classroom, just as Akian Chaifetz's father did, in resorting to having his son wear a "wire" to school, so Dad could finally get an honest, raw depiction of how the teachers, aides, and school administration were demolishing all the positive efforts being made at home, and torturing a 10-year old boy to the point that he was acting out, because his own teachers were mercilessly bullying the crap out of him.

It's well past high time that we as parents demand the schools stop making our childrens' lives into a Living Hell!