Recently there was a video shown to a class of grade seven students, which has been called "inappropriate, gratuitously violent and horrific," as CBC paraphrases a parent of one of the students.
The video titled, Love is all you need?, was made by WingSpan Pictures. The short film is set in a world where everyone is gay and an ordinary girl is bullied profusely for being straight, leading her to eventually commit suicide and showing viewers what people go through when bullied.
I read the article and found that CBC had provided a link to the Youtube site it could be located at, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCoFoKvfc6Y&feature=youtu.be. I proceeded to watch the 19 minute video finding that it portrayed an accurate account of bullying while promoting an attitude of tolerance. Though I personally would not show it to students younger than grade seven and feel that it was more appropriate for grade eight students, I do not believe it is inappropriate or horrific for grade sevens.
All of the scenes including physical abuse of swirlies, name calling, and being beaten by a group have come from real accounts of bullying, while cyber-bullying through social media and texting is also shown. Though the ending did show blood and the arm of the girl cutting herself, it was impactful but not something that would be very scarring to this age group today because of the lessened impact of violence due to pop culture including movies, video games, and even music videos.
The complainant in Winnipeg, Mr. Alan DeBaets, told CBC, "The target audience is impressionable 12- and 13-year-old children. At 42 years old, I can hardly stomach the contents."
Though the video is emotional and impactful, kids are playing inappropriate, violent, and horrific video games today where there is blood and gore at every turn that is much worse than what the short film portrayed.
Love is all you need?, reveals the emotional impact bullying can have on an individual and what it can lead to while turning the issue around allowing straight students to identify with the main character allowing them to see what life is like for those who are considered different.
The film is now being distributed to schools in southern California to be shown in classrooms because the Los Angeles Unified School District expressed interest in using the film as a teaching tool. Though grade seven is considered a younger age than the director, Kim Rocco Shields, intended to view the video, the main character and her peers seem no more than 13 or 14-years-old.
In my opinion students that are 12 or 13-years-old would be able to grasp the video and learn to develop empathy through placing themselves in someone else's shoes. The video was also not overly violent in my opinion; it showed the different types of bullying that actually happens in junior high and high schools.
DaBaets exclaims his son fainted during the final scene of the film, however, when I was in grade eight a historically accurate remake of a battle was shown to my class. A student watching the video fainted during that film because this was simply his reaction to blood. In this same year we watched, Tagged: the Jonathon Wambak Story, that shows a youth beaten badly by a group of his peers resulting in brain damage. It was also an impactful display, which used violence but got its message across, similar, in my opinion, to Love is all you need?
In addition to my experiences and personal opinion of the video is the fact that in Canada youth of 12-years-old are able to be held criminally responsible for their actions in a court of law. Youth are considered developmentally responsible, able to understand their actions and the actions of others as well as be able to make their own cognitive decisions at this age.
According to bullying statistics from DoSomething.org, physical bullying actually peaks in middle school. This can lead to children, as young as 12-years-old even committing suicide. Recently in the Huffington Post it was reported classmates of a 12-year-old girl, in Queens, New York, who committed suicide held a rally to end bullying.
Junior High students are therefore not immune to suicide meaning it is important they are educated about suicide, bullying, as well as the importance of becoming empathetic and accepting of people. Therefore, the video is a good teaching tool. Though the ending is impactful it is a reality for youth including those as young as grade seven. The director is going to be creating an alternate ending, which will remove this now controversial ending in favour of a less graphic one.
The health teacher within the Louis Riel School Division has apologized to DeBaets in an email, but Debaets feels this is not enough. He is concerned that she is not being taken out of the classroom and remains to teach the students. The school division has expressed dislike for the film and has said it will not be shown in schools again, but is this really the solution?
Racism, homophobism, and hatred are usually learned, thus, schools and teachers attempting to teach tolerance are very important. Having watched this short film I feel as though this is what the health teacher was trying to do and although there has been a backlash against the teacher in Winnipeg, the film should still be shown to students as I feel it is a beneficial tool.
I think if the main issue is with the ending, then if the director is willing to make a film that is less graphic it should be welcomed into schools, however, I do feel as though the current one is acceptable though the teacher should have warned the students of the content or sent home a permission slip regarding the scene. This was simply a mistake on the part of the teacher and the video, in my opinion, is an educationally beneficial tool that schools should utilize and not ban.
