More on 'Bully,' a 'Hungry Heart' for Higher Ed, and a School Board Sit-In
If you haven't yet seen "Bully," you might want to first read Slate's Emily Bazelon and find out what producers chose not to share with audiences when it came to the background of one of the documentary's central figures.
In the film, the parents of 17-year-old Tyler Long blame his suicide entirely on bullying. However, Bazelon reports that Tyler had Asperger's, and was also being treated for bipolar disorder -- both of which have been linked to a higher rate of suicide.
Bazelon makes the case that by withholding those important details about the teen's history, audiences were led to believe that intense bullying alone led to his taking his own life.
In the film, the parents of 17-year-old Tyler Long blame his suicide entirely on bullying. However, Bazelon reports that Tyler had Asperger's, and was also being treated for bipolar disorder -- both of which have been linked to a higher rate of suicide.
Bazelon makes the case that by withholding those important details about the teen's history, audiences were led to believe that intense bullying alone led to his taking his own life.
The film "is supposed to be a teaching tool, yet it offers some serious misimpressions about the connection