Alan Turing: autistic in ‘The Imitation Game’

Keira Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game.
Image courtesy of The Weinstein Company Publicity

For Christmas Day, Jonathan and I (joined by a neighbor, also named Jonathan) saw The Imitation Game at Varsity Theatre in downtown Ashland. This film dramatizes an effort by Alan Turing in England during World War II to create a machine able to crack the Germans’ “unbreakable” Enigma code.

Teacher reacts to Bully movie depiction of incompetence

On Tolerance.org, Jill E. Thomas comments on a scene in Bully that struck me plangent too: a school administrator forces a child to shake hands with a child who has bullied him and, when the victim is reluctant to shake hands, she tells him he is no better than the bully.

My “No Bully” mug shot

In my review of Bully, I commended filmmakers’ willingness to depict school administrators’ self-incriminating behavior. I believe adults bear strong responsibility for climates that tolerate bullying.

Here is how Thomas, an Oakland educator, reacted to that scene: “While all of us hope that we have never handled a conflict between students so poorly, we also know that in the rush from one task to the next and in the depths of the busy-ness that is the work of public school educators, we have made mistakes that when replayed might resemble this scene.

“I left the theater knowing I never wanted to dole out such a superficial solution to a student suffering from bullying, which meant I could never again suggest high school students already have the tools to resolve conflict on their own.”

Outrageous ruling in teen suicide case

Lynne Soraya shared news via Twitter that a judge ruled for the school district in the case of a bullied teen who committed suicide. The parents of 17-year-old Tyler Long were profiled in “Bully,” a documentary about bullying.

‘Bully’ reaches Lakeport

Hand-fashioned “No Bully” design, prior to stitching onto shirt

It’s casual Friday and I planned to wear anyway, my hand-fashioned “No Bully” shirt. But today turned out to be even more of an occasion to wear my “No Bully” shirt.

The film “Bully” opens today in Lakeport. I hope everyone who is at all influential upon a child’s education will go and watch this film.

I know of at least one class-wide trip to see “The Hunger Games;” how much more vital if Lake County schools arranged field trips to view “Bully” on the big screen.

Looking ahead, once the film has been released on DVD, I hope it is shown in every classroom and to parents during back-to-school events.

I would like this film to become part of orientation for newly-elected school board members. I would like bullying to be a campaign issue for anyone who seeks election.

Put simply, it is that important. Bullying is serious. Bullying is wrong. It can have devastating short- and long-term consequences. Every child (and adult) should be protected from bullying.

More ‘Bully’ blogging: Refashioned ‘No Bully’ shirt

 The “No Bully” button that a theater manager gave to me because, well, I asked for one, inspired me to refashion a shirt into my own “No Bully” shirt.

Step one in the creation of my shirt involved cutting out the letters and the circle shape.

Step one in the creation of my shirt involved cutting out the letters and the circle shape.

The letters were cut freehand from yellow floral fabric and the circle with line through it was cut from a red bandanna. The bandanna pattern worked perfectly, forming a circle with its paisley motifs.

Letters and circle arranged on the shirt in preparation for sewing

Once cut out, the next step was to machine-applique the letters and circle to the shirt.

Wearing the finished shirt, I cuddle my crafting helper Starfire.

The completed shirt turned out great; the base garment is a T-shirt I bought through Toastmasters International. Much love and thanks to my helper Starfire for keeping me company while I worked.

‘Bully’ highlights shared experiences

“No Bully” promotional pin given to me by theater manager because I asked for one

Viewing “Bully” on Saturday was an opportunity to reflect upon shared experiences with the children who are profiled in this film.

I viewed this film with especial solidarity with Alex Libby and Tyler Long, two youths on the autism spectrum who were bullied by their peers. Those traits of autism possessed by Long and Libby, clearly identified in the film, are traits that I share as well: sensitivity to crowds and to loud noises and a difficulty with social communication.

Like Libby and Long, I believe these traits made me a vulnerable target for bullying.

Long committed suicide at the age of 17 and the film documents his parents’ efforts to advocate for  school environments in which bullying is not tolerated. It’s a crusade that I share.

I commend the filmmakers’ willingness to depict behavior by school administrators that self-incriminates to say the least.

A school administrator forces a child to shake hands with a child who has bullied him. When the victim is understandably reluctant to accept this forced, insincere overture, she chastises him, telling him he is no better than the child who bullied him. She is clearly lecturing the wrong child in this scene.

A school board member, stating on-camera that bullying is not a concern at the school, nods her head “yes” as she speaks. I am grateful for body language insights gained by watching the show “Lie to Me.” Here is “Lie to Me: ‘Bully’ Edition.”

A concern by some members of the autism community was that the film did not disclose Libby and Long’s autism spectrum diagnosis.

I would like to quote a statement by Jackie Libby, Alex Libby’s mother, because it’s a viewpoint I share concerning how bullying should be addressed:

“My son Alex is also a subject of ‘Bully’. He also has Asperger’s and it was also kept out of the film. Admittedly at first, I did not prefer it because of the comments people would make about Alex’s ‘weird’ behaviors in the film. I thought if they had an understanding as to why, it may have softened their sometimes cruel remarks. However, after being around the country and meeting so many families and kids who have been tormented by this issue I came to realize it shouldn’t matter. This is not a film about Aspergers, it is a film about bullying. It shouldn't matter if it’s Aspergers, homosexuality, race, religion, or even if the child is just perceived as ‘weird’ for no reason at all. ALL KIDS have the right to be protected and to feel safe at school! By removing our labels we only invite more individuals to relate, to discuss, and to resolve these issues. Because at the end of the day, we all want our kids to feel safe and accepted and if we stick together, they can.”

I am one of those children who was perceived as “weird” for no reason at all because when I was going to school, “autism” was more rigidly defined than it is now.

Being diagnosed at 39 was a revelation for me. Suddenly, my feeling out of place and even being targeted for bullying finally made sense. My condition had a name, it was understood and documented and I was not alone in my experiences.

But the bottom line for me is that bullying is wrong. Who the victim is, what characteristics incited the abuse and ostracism, should be less a consideration than to have zero tolerance.

The victim is not to blame, is not responsible, for the bullying.

People need to be aware that children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to bullying, but they should be prepared to advocate for and support all targets of bullying. Abuse and ostracism is wrong, no matter who directed against. No one deserves to be bullied.

Some of the most hopeful scenes in this film show people getting involved through organizations like Stand for the Silent and Challenge Day.

Stand for the Silent was founded by Kirk and Laura Smalley, whose 11-year-old son Ty committed suicide to escape constant bullying. Its mission is: “End Bullying. Save Lives.”

For more information about “Bully,” visit http://thebullyproject.com/ and http://action.thebullyproject.com/. Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/bullymovie.

To learn more about Stand for the Silent, visit http://www.standforthesilent.org/. To learn more about Challenge Day, visit http://www.challengeday.org/.

Should ‘Bully’ have disclosed youths’ Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis?

I pose a question to accounts on Twitter: Would revealing two boys’ autism spectrum diagnosis make a difference in the depiction of bullying in a documentary film?

‘Bully Recognized, Bullying Resource Launched’

David Long, Tina Long, and “Bully” director Lee Hirsch at the National Center for Learning Disabilities’ 35th annual Benefit Dinner at the Mandarin Hotel on April 18 in New York City.
(Brian Ach /AP Images for National Center for Learning Disabilities)

I received a press release at work today about a partnership between “Bully” and the National Center for Learning Disabilities to raise awareness of bullying’s effect on children with special needs. Here is what it said:

“Lee Hirsch, director of the groundbreaking documentary ‘Bully,’ was honored last night at The National Center for Learning Disabilities’ (NCLD) 35^th annual benefit dinner, held at the Mandarin Oriental hotel.  During remarks, Hirsch urged Americans to move from awareness to action, citing an anti-bullying toolkit  just introduced by NCLD that gives children, parents and educators immediate means to open dialogues and help save lives.  Among the evening’s special guests were David and Tina Long, whose anti-bullying advocacy to honor their son’s memory is chronicled in Hirsch’s film.  Paula Zahn served as the evening’s Master of Ceremonies. Mayor Bloomberg, Anne Ford and Paul LeClerc were also in attendance. The event was chaired by philanthropist Nancy Poses.

“Also honored last night for their extraordinary work in child advocacy were Dan Tishman, Chairman and CEO of Tishman Construction Corporation, and his wife Sheryl, and Dr. Stevan J. Kukic, who was given the Distinguished Education Achievement Award.

“A lead supporter of ‘Bully,’ NCLD has a long-term commitment to helping families understand and deal with bullying. Twenty-five percent of school-age children report having been seriously bullied, a proportion that swells to 60 percent for children with learning disabilities such as dyslexia and other special needs, according to findings by Ability Path.  The Longs’ late son, Tyler, was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction.   

“‘Bully the film is one part of a growing, national effort to inspire positive change toward eradicating an epidemic in this country,’ said Hirsch. ‘Committed partners like NCLD and resources like its anti-bullying toolkit are vital to this effort.’

“‘The sad fact remains that millions of kids are bullied every day, and children with special needs like our son Tyler are all the more vulnerable,” said Tina Long. ‘We want to thank NCLD for sharing our understanding and determination to end bullying, and are urge parents, educators, and anyone who cares about kids’ well-being, to access this toolkit.’”

I share personal interest in any resources that can raise awareness of bullying. I was diagnosed in adulthood on the autism spectrum and believe my social impairments contributed to my being bullied and ostracized in school.

“Bully” examines the impact of bullying upon students and their families. One of the students, Alex Libby, is on the autism spectrum. So was Tyler Long, who is mentioned with his parents in the press release above.

I learned this week that the film will be shown at a Santa Rosa theater. I plan to view it in a spirit of solidarity with these boys for our shared bullying experiences. The anti-bullying toolkit is available at http://specialneeds.thebullyproject.com/toolkit.

Curated responses: Bully opens in 55 U.S. markets

‘Bully’ is rated PG-13

PG-13 logo. Source: http://www.facebook.com/bullymovie

An update from PACER Center in my Twitter timeline alerted me to the exciting news: the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) had given a PG-13 rating to the “Bully” documentary. In the words of the movie’s Facebook page, “This is a great victory for us all!”

The MPAA originally refused to budge from its decision to issue an R rating for the documentary film, which follows families impacted by bullying.

An R rating meant that the film could not be shown in schools.

Weinstein Co. co-founder Harvey Weinstein appealed the rating and on March 27, MTV reported that Weinstein had decided to release the film unrated in the United States.

A viral petition by 17-year-old Katy Butler drew nearly 500,000 signatures according to the MTV report, which can be viewed at http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1681835/bully-movie-unrated.jhtml?fb_ref=fblike_web&fb_source=profile_multiline.

A PRNewswire press release, dated April 5, relates an enormous victory for the documentary film: the MPAA agreed to lower the R rating to PG-13.

Three uses of the F-word were removed from the film but a crucial scene was left intact (PRNewswire).

This victory is personally rewarding to me because of my own experience as a survivor of childhood peer abuse: I was physically and verbally abused as well as isolated and ostracized by my classmates at Calistoga Elementary and Calistoga Junior/Senior High School.

Poignantly, children on the autism spectrum are especially vulnerable to bullying.

A DisabilityScoop report dated March 26 cites research indicating that 63 percent of children with autism have been bullied compared to 12 percent of their typically-developing siblings: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/03/26/kids-autism-bullied/15242/.


That a PG-13 rating will make this movie more accessible to children, I view as a personal victory. No child should have to be bullied as I was and I hope this film expands the awareness of everyone in the community who can do something about bullying.

“The end of bullying begins with me.” Add your name to a digital petition at http://www.pacer.org/bullying/digitalpetition/.


The movie’s Facebook page gives special thanks to Butler and has posted a video link of her acceptance speech at the GLAAD Media Awards. View it at http://www.facebook.com/bullymovie.

Read the PRNewswire press release at http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pg-13-rating-granted-for-bully-by-mpaa-without-cutting-crucial-scene-146358165.html.