The bully?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Hope Floats
texasturkey — 17 years ago(July 12, 2008 10:20 PM)
Didn't anyone find that girl was a miscast for a bully? She relentlessly picked on Bernice for wearing glasses. But, she was very overweight! And a very unattractive little girl. Did she look in the mirror and see what she looked like? She was the fattest kid at that school! Why didn't the kids pick on her and call her names for being so fat? When Bernice was running out of the school, there must have been about 25 kids following them. None of them defended Bernice. Her cousin and her friend walked her home. Birdie had no clue what happened to her daughter, Bernice. All her cousin said was, "She lived". Then they all danced for her to cheer her up. Give me a break! That was so frustrating and unrealistic. In reality, even if the assault took place after school, the teachers would hear about it from the kids the next day. They would talk to the bully and Bernice. Birdie would be notified. The movie made light of bullying and swept it under the rug. That part of the movie was unneccessary and should have been left out entirely.
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chanteuse_ar — 17 years ago(September 02, 2008 02:00 PM)
Textbook child psychology. That is why bullies are bulliesthey have insecurities about themselves be it their weight, their looks, their intelligence or lack thereof, or something else. They then act out and bully other kids as a defense mechanism, sort of a "get them before they can get me" mentality.
Would the teachers have heard about it? maybe, maybe not. It was a small town school and likely, as is the case in a lot of schools, the bully had everyone convinced that it was her way or the highway. Many bullies never get turned in because the other students are just afraid of them and particularly in a small town where everyone knows everyone and where everyone lives. Also, this movie was made in 1998the year before Columbine. Up until that fateful day there was no real united push to stop bullying in the schools, least of all in a tiny town like the one depicted in the movie.
The movie made light of it yes, and in a recent airing of the movie on Lifetime, they completely edited out the whole bullying storyline, but the other kids would have been no more justified in picking on the overweight child than they were in bullying the Bernice character. -
kamarya89 — 14 years ago(April 28, 2011 08:36 PM)
actually most movies make out bullies to be this perfect human specimen, that's not true.
& many kids are bullied right in front of their peers, no one says anything. people see other people committing crimes for god's sake and they are reluctant towards taking actions, even when their large number can clearly overtake that person. -
coutterhill — 14 years ago(August 02, 2011 10:49 AM)
this is how bullying was treated before people started killing themselves and others over it: bullying is a part of life. She didn't really get bullied, she got beat up; the end. I was in many fights where the whole school followed the fight until we were off of school grounds. Kid fights used to be just between kids, the adults didn't get involved. People won't like me saying this, but kids are too sensitive these days. I mean, calling this an assault, jeez, they are kids!
Fact. Bears eat beets. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica. -
SataiDelen — 11 years ago(June 06, 2014 12:57 AM)
People won't like me saying this, but kids are too sensitive these days.
Actually, I agree with you that kids today are too sensitive. It's because of the whole "We must be politically correct, and everyone must treat everyone nicely and be considerate of others." And OK, yes, that's a great attitude, but it's just not realistic. Kids are mean to other kids. I was on the receiving end of the bullying antics as a kid. Yeah, it sucked. Yeah, I was miserable and lonely. But it helped shape me to become the independent person I am today. While most people can't cope with too much "alone time," because they're used to being surrounded by other people, and aren't really comfortable in their own skin, I have no real problem with it. When I do get lonely, I just call up one of my friends and talk to them for a while. Problem solved.
This whole "zero tolerance" for bullying in schools is just unrealistic. Where there are kids, there will be bullying, and trying to stamp it out is just going to make it go underground, and make it worse. That (IMO) is why there are so many instances of suicides these days in regard to bullying. The bullies are ten times worse than they've ever been, because they're now taking out their anger and frustration at having to "hide" what they do, on the person they ultimately choose to bully. Technology doesn't help, either. Kids can spread vicious rumors and lies about their target in seconds, and to a much wider audience than the local kids going to the same school. With Facebook, and Twitter, whatever other communication sites are out there, there is no place for the victim to hide to feel safe and secure.
Even so, kids need to learn to develop a thick skin if they're going to have a chance to grow up and become part of the "real world," and be successful. -
Jackie_Michele — 11 years ago(June 27, 2014 10:13 AM)
I completely agree with the sensitivity of children today. Of course I'm the crazy one who thinks it is in part the parents doing. When you raise a child to believe they will be best friends with everyone in they will live their lives crapping sunshine and rainbow while floating by on clouds. And let's not even talk about the entitlement
My 8 year old was accused by a parent of bullying this year. I listened as the parent told me what was happening, asked my daughter to apologize, and told the other little girl that she needs to speak up and let my kid know that she's not being funny and to stop. Then I told the parent this was not bullying. Yes, my child pulled her hair, chased her, and took her paper, but they did it together. Not wanting to stop the game despite protests does not make someone a bully. I, then thanked her for bringing it to my attention.
Not every single person will be best of friends. The best thing we can do is teach their children that.
I voted for Frenchie and Dia like a sex donkey on Xanax.