As pink day in Carlyle quickly approaches the talk around town is high. Some of these talks include the recent dramatics involving the movie Bully.
The movie received an R rating originally in the U.S., and a PG rating in Canada.
It is described as "A look at the abuse endured by a handful of school children at the hands of aggressive classmates."
It includes the stories of five students and their families, and shows how each of them is impacted differently by bullying.
The movie started a large debate, as to whether or not the rating was understandable. Many parents agreed that the swearing involved and harsh reality was too much for children to handle, whereas the other parents said that their children already saw these situations every day.
After all the fighting, the director was forced to release a re-edited version, where many of the swear words were cut out. The film now includes a scene with three f words, which is two more than typically permitted in films without an R rating.
The new version will expand from its beginning three markets to 100 theatres on April 20.
So as parents prepare to make the decision of letting their children view this American film, just how bad does Canada rate amongst the other countries in bullying?
According to www.prevnet.ca, Canada consistently ranks below or in the middle of international groups in most bullying surveys.
The recent drop in Canada's relative ranking, in spite of always having stable bullying rates, could perhaps suggest that other countries have been making the efforts to prevent further bullying problems more effectively. Anti bully campaigns have started around the world, and the higher ranking countries have all been using them.
A recent Ipsos Reid survey released some shocking facts. According to the results, 64% of kids had been bullied at school, and 12% were bullied more than once a week. These results don't even include accidental incidents; these incidents were all meant to harm the victim. The survey also revealed that 64% of these students considered bullying a normal part of school life.
The education minister from Saskatchewan, Donna Harpauer, recently urged the importance of Pink Shirt days around the province.
"These events are opportunities for communities and individuals to come together for one common goal," said Harpauer, "To celebrate diversity and to stand against discrimination."
Bullying affects entire families. Parents often feel the frustration, and feel a guilt and helplessness because of being unable to protect their children.
For bullying to stop, it would take a town effort, and not just one parent. The goal of the Pink Day event is to get the community working as a team.
"The government of Saskatchewan believes that all students have the right to a caring, respectful and safe school environment where bullying is not tolerated," Harpauer stated in a recent news release.
You can purchase your anti bullying t-shirt now, and join Carlyle in fighting bullying problems. Don't forget to join the community Chain for Change. The linking symbolizes the community and the schools combined goal of combating the issue of bullying.
