Lee Hirsh’s documentary, Bully, premiered in some Toronto theatres over the weekend; It premiered in the United States two weeks ago. Luckily for Ontario viewers, the documentary was given a PG rating, meaning that children of any age, with parent’s consent, will be able to see the film. After a lot of controversy in the U.S. over the documentary’s original R-rating, it ended up being released with no rating, leaving it up to individual theatres to decide for themselves.

Judging by the reviews the documentary has received, I think U.S. theatres made the right decision in leaving the film unrated. The message portrayed in the documentary is an important one, for people of any age because bullying doesn’t just happen in elementary schools and high schools., It can also carry into adulthood and even the workplace.

While adult bullying can often be physical (for example a parent attacking a referee at their child’s game), it is more often emotional.  Emotional bullying in adulthood is particularly prevalent in the workplace, where it sometimes is (mis) interpreted as a particularly strict boss.

The Canadian Safety Council
defines adult bullying as a "grab for control by an insecure, inadequate person, an exercise of power through the humiliation of the targer." It involves humiliation or abusive words that lower a person's self-esteem. It can take the form of rude, degrading or offensive remarks; intimidating gestures; or discrediting a person by spreading rumours or ridiculing him or her. It can also be about belittling a person by making him or her do tasks below his or her skill level.

This is not to say that anytime your boss, or co-worker is stressed about a task or in a bad mood one day, that they are bullying you. But, just like with children and youth it is not something that should be tolerated for any period of time.

Have you experienced adult bullying yourself, either directly or seen it happen to someone else? How did you handle it? Do you think workplaces do enough to monitor and deal with workplace bullying? Let us know your thoughts