TOW 14 - Bullying PSA

According to stopbullyingnow.com’s public service announcement “19,000 bullied students attempt to commit suicide each year.” Bullying comes in many shapes and forms and inflicts an even larger variety of victims. Especially in high school, it may be hard for students to realize that their words matter; they can hurt or help depending how they are used. To try and enlighten those students of the power of words, stopbullying.com shares a scenario in a public service announcement with exaggerated and relatable elements.

The 47 second video opens with the familiar scene of a girl checking her face in the mirror inside of her locker. Her facial expression suddenly changes to a panicked look when she sees two girls walking up behind her. She then looks back to herself and seems to shake off the anxiety that arose from seeing the girls. The girl’s facial expressions show her thoughts and how merely the sight of the two girls can cause fear. Most people can relate to feelings arising as soon a certain person or group of people comes into their sight. This ability to relate allows the audience to immediately understand that the girl, who has probably been bullied before, is the protagonist while the other two girls are the antagonists, the bullies. Also, the attempt to shake off the negative thoughts in her head, shows the mental struggle that a victim of bullying goes through. While there is external influence, much of the battle is within as well.

As soon as the girl attempts to move on about her day, the two girls compliment her, “Nice shirt.” The girl smiles, naturally, but then she receives a text message that harshly takes back the compliment and replaces it with an insult. The girl then holds a pained facial expression as a blood stain grows on her sleeve near her wrist. She then collapses and bleeds out on the floor. Everyone in the hallway is shocked, including the two bullies. Building the girl up to immediately put her down evokes strong empathy for the protagonist. Even though blood stains would not immediately appear in the hallway, the audience can imply that the girl harmed herself as a result of the bullying. The contrast between the seemingly futile comments from the girl and the devastating result leaves the audience heartbroken. The combination of the situation being logically plausible, relatable, the emotional toll it takes on the audience, and the staggering statistic about the number of suicide attempts moves the audience to want change. It drives the audience to root for the girl, and all of the other girls and boys who suffer from bullying while also causing them to root against the two bullies. Rooting against the them can cause people to think twice before making a comment, which as shown by the video, can save someone’s life.

With farfetched yet effective and relatable elements combined, stopbullyingnow.com was able to depict what can happen when bullying occurs. Even though bullying, in its many forms, is hard to conquer, hopefully with public service announcements like these, students and people in general can begin to use their words the right way.