Last night on Netflix, I watched the Lee Hirsch directed documentary titled, “Bully”, which was also produced by the Weinstein Co. Ever since this movie came out in theaters a few years ago, I avoided this movie for a few reasons: 1) This was going to bring back bad memories to my own childhood school days 2) It would be too painful and uncomfortable to watch. Now that the film is finally available for Netflix streaming, I decided to check it out. While it was a really great documentary as expected, it really was a bit too painful and uncomfortable to watch but I’m glad I did watch it finally.

This is a pretty important film that everyone needs to see. Especially, those who are parents and have kids. This film does a good job giving people a wake up call on bullying. This film is not just about gay kids being bullied in school, it is directed at kids of all types. The movie tells different stories of kids being bullied in school. It tells the story of Alex Libby, Ja’Meya Jackson, Kelby Johnson and others. The stories of Alex, Ja’Meya and Kelby were the main parts of the documentary. Alex was a young kid who is a loner and was being picked on because of his looks. Ja’Meya is a young black girl who pulled a loaded gun at a bunch of students on the bus and that earned her a bunch of charges by the police which were later dropped because she defended herself. Kelby is a young lesbian girl who is being picked on because of her orientation and she’s the type when you can’t tell whether she’s a boy or a girl.

I’m actually glad I watched this documentary ’cause it was pretty inspiring to me. The film kind of moved me. Pretty powerful flick. I hate most documentaries but this is a pretty good one.

Yes, I was a victim of bullying throughout my school years so I know what it is like. So, I had similar experiences with the kids in this film. People in school made fun of me ’cause of my appearance; my scoliosis and other insecurities I have. Other kids made fun of me ’cause they mistakenly viewed me as a mentally retarded person which is far from the truth. I’ve always believed that’s not what I am, I assure you of it. I may have physical disabilities yes, indeed, but not mental disabilities. Big difference between the two. Yep, I dealt with all of it. Getting picked on in class and on the bus. Gotten punched and kicked, sure. Even was threatened to get into fights with other kids after school. All that stuff.

Make no mistake though, I’ve had my share of bullying other kids myself!

Bullying has gotten out of hand in America, whether in school or out. Online and offline. I even still get bullied by people to this very day; online and offline, but you know what? I just learn to ignore what people have to say about me and learn to be tough. People can campaign to stop bullying all they want to — that’ll help — but they need to do more. Putting an end against bullying also requires great parenting skills. Training your kids not to be violent and hateful. Training your kids to stand up for yourself. Keep kids away from violent movies and video games. All that stuff. If I ever get kids of my own, I’ll keep all of this in mind so they don’t become victims of bullying.

This is a pretty important documentary that’s worth a viewing. If you have Netflix, please do check it out.

Kev