Cevin Soling Says School Bullies are the Fault of the Schools!

(THE WAR ON KIDS director available to discuss the failing institution of schools.)

Filmmaker Cevin Soling says that the institutional environment of schools, where children are completely powerless, is responsible for creating bullies. After the suicide of South Hadley High School student Phoebe Prince, pundits debated the horrible ramifications of classmates bullying other classmates. Some have blamed students and believe there is a growing wave of cruelty in youth culture. Others have blamed parents for not raising their children to be respectful, and others blame the teachers and administrators for not intervening and disciplining the abusive children. No one has questioned whether the oppressive environment of school is responsible.

Cevin Soling argues "When people are forcibly trapped in an environment where they are subjected to authoritarian power, the try to find spaces where they can exert some kind of power. Bullying is a learned act which mimics the way kids are treated by administrators and teachers and is inevitable as long as students are deprived of any control over their lives."

Cevin is concerned that none of the proposed remedies will have any meaningful impact since no one is addressing the cause. "The exact same pattern of behavior can be observed in a prison environment. No one wants to examine this issue seriously because it would mean having to completely overhaul schooling."

THE WAR ON KIDS is a 95-minute documentary that shows how American public schools continue to become more dangerously authoritarian. In addition to failing in their mission to educate effectively, they erode the country's democratic foundation and often resemble prisons. School children are interviewed as are high school teachers and administrators, as well as prison security guards, plus renowned educators and authors including:
Henry Giroux: Author of Stealing Innocence Corporate Culture's War on Children
Mike A. Males: Sociologist, author of Scapegoat Generation
John Gatto: New York City and New York State Teacher of the Year
Judith Browne: Associate Director of the Advancement Project
Dan Losen: The Civil Rights Project, Harvard University
Dr. Peter Breggin: author, Toxic Psychiatry, Talking Back to Prozac

The Huffington Post's Jonathan Kim calls it a "must see documentary." Ronnie Shreib of Variety writes, "A startling wake-up call about appalling conditions prevailing in American schools," Jeannette Catsoulis in the New York Times notes, "A shocking chronicle of institutional dysfunction, 'The War on Kids' likens our public school system to prison and its disciplinary methods to fascism. At least now you know why little Johnny won't get out of bed in the morning." John Whitehead, who established the human rights organization, The Rutherford Institute, cites THE WAR ON KIDS as an insightful film. He writes: "Ironically, America's public schools were once considered the hope of freedom and democracy, the place where young people were to be instructed in the principles of freedom so that they could someday effectively participate in the democratic process. Sadly, that is no longer the case."

THE WAR ON KIDS is directed by Cevin Soling who won the NYIIFVF award for "best educational film" in 2009. His documentary, THE WAR ON THE WAR ON DRUGS won NYIIFVF's best experimental feature film. Cevin has directed and produced a number of films, including: RELAX IT'S JUST SEX starring Jennifer Tilly, Lori Petty and Cynda Williams; A HOLE IN THE HEAD, which was broadcast on Discovery and The Learning Channel; and URINE: GOOD HEALTH. He also created a number of animated works, including THE BILL JOHNSON SHOW, BORIS THE DOG (which broadcast on both MTV and the BBC), CAPTAIN STICKMAN, as well as the short film, DESTRUCTION.

http://www.thewaronkids.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-War-On-Kids/186264283398?ref=ts

PRISON SHIRTS AND HATS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS ONLINE AT www.thewaronkids.com

(Filmmaker Cevin Soling says, "if kids are going to be treated like prisoners, let them dress the part and dispel any hypocrisy.)





An authentic prison T-shirt and cap at http://www.thewaronkids.com

Cevin Soling is making available authentic prison shirts and hats in support of his movie, THE WAR ON KIDS.  These shirts and hats are the same clothing issued to prisoners when they have to serve time.  No logo or web site appears on the clothing, just black and white stripes will be on these shirts, while the word “Inmate” is printed on the hats.  The cost for a shirt or hat is $15.00, and the shirts are available in Small, Medium, and Large. Visit http://www.thewaronkids.com, and click on "buy the DVD."

Soling is making people aware that schools have taken away children's civil rights and THE WAR ON KIDS shows the uncanny similarities between schools and prisons.  As a result of appearances on THE COLBERT REPORT, MSNBC, The Leonard Lopate Show, Mancow, and other top media, THE WAR ON KIDS is also heavily downloaded illegally online.

The Huffington Post's Jonathan Kim calls it a "must see documentary."  Ronnie Shreib of Variety writes, "A startling wake-up call about appalling conditions prevailing in American schools," Jeannette Catsoulis in the New York Times notes, "A shocking chronicle of institutional dysfunction, 'The War on Kids' likens our public school system to prison and its disciplinary methods to fascism. At least now you know why little Johnny won’t get out of bed in the morning."  John Whitehead, who established the human rights organization, The Rutherford Institute, cites THE WAR ON KIDS as an insightful film.  He writes: "Ironically, America’s public schools were once considered the hope of freedom and democracy, the place where young people were to be instructed in the principles of freedom so that they could someday effectively participate in the democratic process. Sadly, that is no longer the case."

Soling is interested in following up on stories about kids who wear these shirts to school.  He predicts that efforts will be made by teachers and administrators to prohibit them from dressing like a prisoner which would be supremely ironic. Soling states: “Every aspect of their being is so rigidly controlled that they are not permitted to display the degree to which they are controlled.  By not being allowed to wear the shirts, students would then become instruments of propaganda designed to present an image of free choice when no real choice is permitted.  How are children expected to grow up and perform the most essential obligation of citizenry in a democracy - protest tyranny - when any attempt to exercise civil rights in school is immediately squelched? If students are not permitted to complain about unbearable conditions in their school, they will not attempt to protest breaches of government power."
 

CEVIN SOLING'S THE WAR ON KIDS, THE MOVIE

Cevin Soling is doing interviews for his movie, THE WAR ON KIDS which is about how schools today are being run like prisons. The documentary had a successful this past November at the Quad Cinema, and he's been showing the film for discussion nights at conventions and colleges.

ReThinkFilm.com/Young Turks' film critic/The Huffington Post columnist Jonathan Kim says that The War on Kids "may be the scariest movie you'll see all year."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-kim/rethink-review-emthe-war_b_421321.html
MSNBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman and Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert also had Cevin on their shows, and quite a conversation. Here's the link for Colbert Nation.
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/256926/november-30-2009/cevin-soling

Please contact me if you're interested in connecting with Cevin for your media outlet.

http://www.thewaronkids.com

News Briefs

Cevin Soling's THE WAR ON KIDS' documentary won "Best Educational Film" in the New York International Film and Video Festival this past April. The film shows how public schools have been taking away children's civil rights. More info--including a screener-- at www.thewaronkids.com.

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