According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, O’Neill was a sixth grader at Darby Township School in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. He was allegedly bullied by classmates, one of whom punched O’Neill in the face, breaking his nose and causing a serious concussion. Soon after, O’Neill began having seizures and was put into a medically induced coma.

Stephen Butz, superintendent for the Southeast Delco School district, has released a statement expressing condolences and assuring the public that the school district is working with authorities to investigate the death.

The statement, in full:

Dear Southeast Delco School Community,

Late yesterday, we were informed about the death of Bailey O’Neill. Bailey was a sixth grade student at Darby Township School. Our school community is deeply saddened by this loss. Our condolences are with Bailey’s family and friends during this very difficult time.

Additional counselors have been made available to assist our students and staff with the emotions around the death of Bailey.

The school district continues to work with local authorities in their investigation into the cause of Bailey’s death.

During this time, our thoughts and prayers are with Bailey’s family and friends.

Stephen D. Butz, Ed.D.
Superintendent

The Inquirer report states that there is video of the bullying incident in which O’Neill was punched. The Delaware County District Attorney’s office is investigating the incident, and an autopsy will reveal more about the cause of O’Neill’s death.

(Image courtesy the Prayers for Bailey O’Neill Facebook page)

But I’m sure that some of your mothers (or fathers) told you once that the only way to deal with a bully is to stand up to them.

And if YouTube has given us anything better than cat videos, it has to be the “bully gets what they deserve” video. They’re everywhere, and here are seven of the best.

[NSFW, for violence and language]

Just a few days old, this one may turn out to be one of the more controversial bully videos on the web. That’s because the bully happens to be a girl:

This old guy obviously has enough of this young bugger:

We’ve got to take the uploader’s word on this one, as the video starts after the alleged bullying. But according to him, the little guy took crap for about 30 minutes before deciding it was enough:

Those two punks probably shouldn’t have messed with this guy, who clearly has some experience in the ring:

This one is more sad than anything. It appears that the younger guy just won’t leave the Vietnam vet alone, and he pays for it in blood:

Although this bully didn’t choose it, someone his own size decided to mess with him:

Finally, the king of all bullying videos on the internet. Casey decides he’s not going to take it anymore:

So there you go, someone saw this video on Facebook and downloaded it to Youtube so the world could see how these terrible kids were treating this wonderful lady. One person who saw this video is Reddit user Max Sidorov of Toronto, Canada. The Ukrainian immigrant decided that he wanted to try to give Karen the vacation of a lifetime, so he put a project up on Indiegogo. The project had a goal of sending Karen on the vacation of a lifetime but only if they were able to hit the $5,000 goal that was set.

Well the project and the video and everything about it went viral. Now the project has 30 days left to get the necessary funding of $5,000 and it sits currently at a whopping $200,000!!!! In the hour that I spent researching and writing this article, the total rose from $180,000 and I fully expect it to skyrocket over the $250,000 mark.

There was a little bit of a controversy as some people were wondering how Karen was going to get the funds since the account was made by Max and they were worried that he was going to take the money and run. “People are still accusing me of taking the money to run with,” Sidorov told Mashable. “So until I get Karen’s PayPal, its just indiegogo’s payment system for now.”IndieGoGo has now come forward to say that they will make sure that all of the money goes towards Karens fund.

Josh covered it thoroughly here, but as a recap, the movie was originally rated R due to, among other things, course language. However, because the story was “so important,” the director, Lee Hirsch, and the Weinstein Company balked, wanted the rating changed because, according to their press release:

Hirsch made the documentary with the intent to give an uncensored, real-life portrayal of what 13 million children suffer through every year.

And so, after removing the three uses of the word “fuck,” the movie was given its PG-13 rating, apparently making it more accessible to parental units who don’t know how to discuss the use of such language with their children, and so, they’d rather shield them from it. While such capitulation is fine and good, the guys over at South Park Studios asked an important question about the movie, as well as all the grandstanding involved with it.

If the story is such an important one to tell, why not release it on the Internet. For free. And they have a point. The scene in question comes up when Kyle and Stan decide to confront one another in the school bathroom (around the 1:20 mark):

And that, folks, is a very good question. In fact, if the Weinsteins actually went that route–incredibly doubtful–they could logically get sponsors to help offset the costs of such a bandwidth grab. Unfortunately, it’s highly likely that Kyle’s suggestion fell completely on deaf ears.

To help this documentary outreach to the generation its focusing on (teens), a new trailer for Bully has emerged, featuring young teen music star Justin Bieber singing Diane Warren’s “Born To Be Somebody.” The trailer shows various clips and teasers from the documentary with Bieber’s song performed behind it. To view this trailer, please click on the video provided below.

The PG-13 version of Bully releases tomorrow. This comes after much criticism after language concerns have arisen from the film’s original release on March 30th.

Yesterday, New York’s YES network released a video promoting the new anti-bullying documentary, Bully. In the video, some of the Yankees’ biggest names – Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Curtis Granderson, and Alex Rodriguez – talk about the serious problems bullying is creating in schools. They encouraging students to step in (safely) when they see classmates being bullied, and to always tell an adult. They also direct viewers to the Bully Project’s website. Check out the video below:

The documentary film Bully has received a lot of attention in recent weeks. When The Weinstein Company, the production company behind the film, submitted it to the MPAA, the agency slapped it with an R-rating. TWC appealed the decision, arguing that the rating would keep many of the very kids at whom the film was aimed from seeing it. The MPAA denied the appeal, insisting that the R-rating wasn’t as big a problem as TWC argued.

A massive petition, support from celebrities, and even a letter from Congress fell on deaf ears. After an initial unrated release at the end of March, the MPAA finally agreed to give the film an R rating if director Lee Hirsch agreed to remove three f-words.

Here’s the official trailer for the film:

The MPAA decided to lower the film’s rating not after hundreds of thousands signed online petition letters, or because high-profile Hollywood celebrities came out in support of it, but because director Lee Hirsch cut three f-words.

Apparently, the three f-words that got the boot were not part of one of the film’s most crucial scenes. The main scene that the MPAA has had such a problem with has actually been left alone. The scene involves on teen being bullied on the bus and contains quite a few upper-level profanities – enough to make the MPAA think it warranted an “R” rating.

Director Lee Hirsch had this to say on the decision:

I feel completely vindicated with this resolution. While I retain my belief that PG-13 has always been the appropriate rating for this film, as reinforced by Canada’s rating of a PG, we have today scored a victory from the MPAA. The support and guidance we have received throughout this process has been incredible, from the more than half a million people who signed Katy Butler’s petition, to members of Congress, Governor Mike Huckabee and the many celebrities and others who raised their voices to express deeply felt support for a film that can inspire millions. The scene that mattered remains untouched and intact, which is a true sign that we have won this battle. With an array of great partners, a fabulous educator’s guide and extensive online tools, we can now bring this film unhindered, to youth and adults across our country.

That scene was not on the table, according to Hirsch. His refusal to edit the schoolbus scene in any way eventually led to the workaround involving the removal of other f-word instances.

For Bully, it’s been a bumpy road to get to PG-13. After the film was initially slapped with an R rating, The Weinstein Company implored the MPAA to change their minds. Then, a high schooler began an online petition to lower the rating on change.org and it blew up, garnered hundreds of thousands of signatures. The MPAA was even approached by a U.S. Representative and various Hollywood celebs.

The MPAA reiterated their initial decision, and shorty after that The Weinstein Company decided to buck the MPAA and release the film unrated. It hit select cities with a “pause 13″ rating from another movie ratings board and AMC theaters distributed permission slips that parents could sign allowing their child to see the film.

Bully has been marketed as a must see for kids and adults – to alert everyone to the growing problem of systematic abuse within our nation’s schools. The PG-13 rating definitely means that the film will be seen by a lot more kids.

Was this the right move from both sides? What do you think about the MPAA, especially the way they played the whole Bully thing? Let us know in the comments.

That rating, according to the Common Sense Media website, means the film is appropriate for 13-year-olds, though some content may not be right for kids. A parent must know their own child in regards to whether the movie would be inappropriate, and to that end the controversial content of the movie is combed over in detail in the Common Sense Media review.

Despite intense pressure the Motion Picture Association of America would not budge on its stance that the move should be rated ‘R’ for strong language. The movie highlights the plight of many children across the country who are bullied at school and online. According to the Common Sense Media Review, the harsh language in the movie is used by children to bully other children:

“The most brutal language appears in a threatening scene on a school bus, in which an older student tells a younger one that he’ll ‘f—ing end you and shove a broomstick up your a– … I’ll cut your face off and s–t.’ Also several other uses of ‘f–k’ (and its derivatives), especially in the early part of the movie, as well as ‘s–t,’ ‘ass,’ ‘p—y,’ ‘bitch,’ and many derogatory terms for homosexuals (‘f-g,’ etc.).”

It was reported earlier this week that the movie would be released without an MPAA rating, a move that would normally result in a movie not being screened at major theaters. The grassroots support for ‘Bully’ may change this, though, as the movie will be screened in major theatres. AMC Theatres has put a link to a permission slip on its website, stating:

AMC Theatres believes people of all ages can benefit from the message of this film. That’s why we are allowing all guests to experience the version of this film that is not rated.

Has the MPAA finally doomed itself by remaining inflexible? Let me know in the comments section below.

(via ew.com)

On Monday, TWC announced that they would be releasing the documentary as unrated on March 30th. This came after a long struggle with the MPAA over an “R” rating that they gave the film.

Bully was given the rating by the MPAA, narrowly missing the preferred PG-13 rating by just one vote. The Weinstein Company objected, as did hundreds of thousands of people who signed an online petition started by a high school student on change.org. The main qualm that people had with the R rating (for language) was that it would prevent kids from seeing the film, which of course is largely educational.

The MPAA said that “the R rating is not a judgment on the value of any movie” and that “the rating simply conveys to parents that a film has elements strong enough to require careful consideration before allowing their children to view it,” but TWC decided to buck that rating and go unrated.

Now, TWC and the filmmakers want Twitter users to “dedicate their tweets” by retweeting this:

The link takes you to a site where you can sign up to be part of “The Bully Project.” Cynically, this Twitter initiative is good free advertising for the film which opens up soon. On the other hand, it’s a great way to spread awareness of a serious issue and get people to do their own research on the epidemic of bullying in today’s schools.

As of the writing of this article, Bully has not yet become a national trend. But people are tweeting the message as well as their commentary on the film (which premiered last night in LA).

If you haven’t seen the heartbreaking trailer yet, check it out below:

The film, which chronicles an epidemic of school bullying, was given an “R” rating for language (and missed the PG-13 rating by just one vote). Naturally, this angered those that felt that an R rating would hamper the film’s visibility, as many schools couldn’t show it in their classrooms. Of course, this kind of defeats the purpose of a film like this, which is meant, in part, to be educational.

Not only did TWC ask the MPAA to reconsider their decision, a grassroots effort to change the rating began online. Through social media and a huge online petition begun at change.org, hundreds of thousands of people expressed their disapproval of the rating. While such public outpouring definitely hit on the MPAA’s radar, they maintained that “the R rating is not a judgment on the value of any movie” and that “the rating simply conveys to parents that a film has elements strong enough to require careful consideration before allowing their children to view it.”

But it was clear that an R rating would scare off some parents and schools, who would be wary of showing it to children and young teenagers.

“The small amount of language in the film that’s responsible for the R rating is there because it’s real,” said the film’s director Lee Hirsch. “It’s what the children who are victims of bullying face on most days. All of our supporters see that, and we’re grateful for the support we’ve received across the board. I know the kids will come, so it’s up to the theaters to let them in.”

“While it’s often heartbreaking and deals with tough issues like suicide, the movie addresses bullying in a frank and relatable way that is age appropriate for teens and relevant for middle schoolers if an adult is present to guide the discussion,” said James P. Steyer, Founder and CEO, Common Sense Media. “The MPAA’s ratings system is inadequate when it comes looking at a movie’s content through the lens of its larger thematic issues.”

In the past couple of weeks, the MPAA has been approached by a U.S. Representative regarding the film. The cause has also been championed by some Hollywood elite, like Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep.