The Bully Project--Update!

Now this is great news.  I just got an email from the young lady who started the petition on change.org to get Bully a decent rating, and the MPAA granted it a PG-13! If you aren't already on the email list because you had signed her petition, here's the email:

Judson -

I have some amazing news to share.

Last month, I saw the new documentary, Bully, which reveals the raw and honest reality behind bullying in high schools and middle schools. I cried when I watched the movie because I was horribly bullied in middle school. That’s why I was shocked to find out that other young people like me might not be able to see the movie because the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) gave it an “R” rating.

Outraged, I started a petition on Change.org asking the MPAA to change the rating to PG-13. After more than half a million people signed -- including you! -- the MPAA agreed. When Bully is released on April 13, it will be rated PG-13, and the most controversial scene in the film will remain unchanged, reflecting the reality and brutality of bullying.

This happened because people like you -- 500,000 strong -- came together to say that we think the issue of bullying in schools is important, and if this movie can help, then kids should be able to see it. We were even joined by people like Ellen DeGeneres, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Michael Jordan, Drew Brees, Justin Bieber, and 35 members of Congress. My petition was covered by almost every major TV station and newspaper in America.

When I was bullied, I felt alone. But today I feel the power of half a million people standing beside me. Thank you so much.

- Katy

 If this doesn't give you hope that we can affect change via social media, then I don't know what will. 

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Anonymous attacks the Home Office

Anonymous was going to shutdown the internet. But, that did not happen. Instead they attacked the Home Office, which is a goverment site; and it informs people in the UK on many different things like: Terrorism, Drug Laws,and so on. Anonymous attacked the website shutting it down for several hours. A potential reason why they did it was a proposal that would allow the UK government to be able to see everyone's emails. More surveillance on UK citizens hits a sour note as they are the most watched country. Another claim is that Anonymous' shut down of the Home Office is of extradition(legal surrender of a fugitive in a another country). They did not want UK citizens, with no evidence against them, to go to the US because they committed a crime by US laws.

This is the story
This is the website

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Jim Duffy and the Incredible Streaming Memorial

I'm not sure whether this post has anything to do with what we discuss as a class; at best, it's a stretch.  However, this is something close to me and I say that's good enough.

I learned of the passing of a friend and mentor last Saturday afternoon as the posts began popping up on an animation group page on Facebook of which I'm a member.  Jim Duffy, whom I worked with for several years at Hollywood animation studio Klasky Csupo, died of a prolonged illness at 74.  He was a great guy, hard working, good-natured (understatement), experienced and talented, kind and generous and willing to explain how to do it, witty, whip-smart.  If it wasn't for him and a number of artists and technicians who did not fit the stereotypical cut-throat entertainment industry jerks, I wouldn't know nothing about animation or storytelling.  Jim had a hand in the production of animation that anyone 45 and under grew up on, from happy little blue people to adventurous babies.  His passing shocked and saddened the animation community and I was really disappointed that I wouldn't be able to attend the memorial service in Los Angeles.  But there was a fix: his daughter, as equally amazing as her dad, sent me a link to a service that makes it possible to virtually attend funerals.

It sounds kind of crazy but why not, right? What if the funeral of the future included the option of remote viewing and combined that with interactive postings of readings, images, or eulogies to be shared with the attendees?  What if--thanks to internet technology--this wasn't in the future but actually happening now? You can't always hop on a plane and fly thousands of miles to pay your last respects to your dearly departed but you can always open the stream to the memorial service thanks to Event by Wire.  By no means am I trying to pitch them but I really am delighted that they exist.  You can send flowers to the family and even sign the guest book.  I realized that this isn't too far from our discussion about podcasting and streaming with live chat updates.  In addition to facilitating memorial streaming they can also create an online video tribute that can be updated and downloaded for DVD burning.

Bringing this back to our podcast and streaming conversation, this implementation of technology to fill needs is not only innovative, it's inevitable.  Whereas before, when our involvement with the news or radio shows was only as an audience member or occasional call-in listener we are now participants in all of these events.  It's almost as if the spotlight that once only shined on the stage has been replaced by lights that can be directed throughout the theater and at any time any one of use can be in that spotlight. I think this will have a profound effect on global cultures since, as participants, we are imbued with responsibility for the content of programs; apathy and powerlessness has to dissipate.

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Hope everyone had a great weekend!

The Bully Project

I have been wanting to post about this for the past few weeks. I am not sure why I am just getting to it now, but perhaps it is because it is a topic that generally stirs up quite a bit of emotion for me. 


I was fortunate enough to go through school without encountering too much bullying directed towards me. Of course there were times in elementary school that brought on hurtful comments from my peers shortly after being diagnosed with myopia (nearsightedness) that put me into some mighty large eye glasses in the mid 90s. Overall, I was very fortunate to have a few good friends, and a brother just a grade ahead of me with a decent amount of popularity that kept me off a bully's radar. 


However, my younger brother wasn't quite as lucky. He is three years younger than me which was just enough of a gap to have him go into junior high and high school just as I was exiting. We had a few years together in elementary school and he was very young when the bullying started. 


I remember being in 5th or 6th grade and waiting for him towards the back of the school to meet before we got on the bus home. He would have been in 2nd grade at the time. A boy who was my age, and much larger than my baby brother, started picking on him. He push him and pulled him back and forth by his backpack. I immediately walked up to the kid and shoved him away from my brother and started yelling at him. From there my brother and I retreated to the buses all while a teacher was yelling at me...


As my happy-go-lucky brother continued on through school the bullying got worse. He didn't have many friends and if he did they were girls. Most of the boys called him a fag, gay or a homo. He pleaded with my parents to take him out of school, and I don't think they really knew at the time what he was going through.


Shortly after I graduated high school I came across a scene I will never forget. I was enjoying a hometown festival with a friend of mine when I saw my brother amongst a crowd of teenagers. I noticed he was with our neighbor, but two larger boys where pushing him and taunting him. I heard one of them say, "What are you going to do now that a teacher or a principal isn't here to save you?" Obviously, I immediately went into big sister mode, which is similar to mama bear mode, and put myself in between my brother and the bullies. 


My brother immediately told me to get out of the way because they didn't care if I was a girl- they would hit me too. I demanded my brother start walking home immediately, and I would handle the situation. The boys continued to make fun of my brother and added me to the mix as well. Once I knew my brother was walking home I told the boys to get out of there and never to speak to my brother again. They continued to taunt so I finally told them if they didn't get moving they'd be the talk of the school because they were about to get their asses kicked by a girl. 


Eventually things got so bad my brother had to see a therapist since thoughts of suicide continued to enter his mind. My fearful parents took him out of public school and enrolled him in a local charter school. He didn't graduate bully free, but things started to get better. 


When I hear about young kids taking their life due to bullying I can't help to think of my brother. What if he would have been one of those kids? The thought still scares me beyond belief today. 


I am sure most of you have heard about The Bully Project. The movie opened in select theaters last Friday, March 30th. The Motion Picture Association of America gave the film an R rating. They asked the film creators to edit it due to the "language" in the movie. An R rating meant schools would not be able to show the film and many kids would be prevented from seeing it. 

A young girl named Katy Butler, who is also a victim of bullying, started a petition on change.org. The rating issue gained national attention, and she was even on the Ellen Show. This young girl was able to make a huge impact, and brought a tremendous amount awareness to the issue and the film. The MPAA didn't drop the rating so the film makers chose to release the movie without a rating. 


Although my post is long, I do believe people support issues they feel connected too. If they don't have a personal connection they may develop one through another person's story. As we continue on with our projects were are sharing and telling stories hoping we gain support for something we believe in. That is why I shared mine.