Don't take your kids to see ‘Deadpool’ > The movie is rated R for a reason, folks Rebecca Peterson Staff Writer ere’s a fun new drinking game foryou all. Go to your local theatre, make yourself comfortable, and take a shot for every parent-and-child pair you just know is about to buy a ticket for Deadpool. Two shots if the poor kid selling the ticket tries to warn them and the parents wave him off. Finish your drink if you see them storming out of the theatre half an hour later like they had no idea what they were walking into, like there was no way they could have known. There is, though. There totally is a way to know what you're about to watch. Movies, very luckily, are rated on a system based on appropriate subject matter for age groups. A hint: “R” stands for “Restricted.” Parents, don’t take your kids to see Deadpool. I know, it’s a free country and you know what’s best for your child—but clearly you don’t if youre taking them to Deadpool. Just because it’s a Marvel superhero movie doesn't mean it’s Disney material. I do not care how big your 10-year-old’s eyes are or how much they beg and insist that the other kids in their class have seen it. The parents of those other kids are either desperately vying for the “Cool Parent Award” no matter the cost, or are now scarred for their lives because they just took their child to see Deadpool. Don't make that mistake. Be mean. Say no. Most likely, your kid already knows how to torrent movies and can find a bad rip online, and you never have to know about it. Ignorance, in this case, is not only bliss; it will also save your sanity. I'm thinking of the children, obviously, but I’m also thinking about me: the adult who just walked into an R-rated movie, ready to watch the naughty anti- hero of my dreams get pegged by his girlfriend during a goofy sex montage, only to see that there is a goddamn baby in the theatre. Really? Really, Suburban Parent #3? Now | have to sit there, in my seat, knowing that some of the first images that child is going to have on this good green Earth will Illustration by Ed Appleby involve torture, dismemberment, and someone fracturing their leg on a metal crotch. I'm scared of sentient children in the audience, because oh boy do they ever have questions. And we, the rest of us, the ones who have lived long enough to be exposed to the diverse and fascinating mating habits of our species either through hearsay or our own misadventures, have to Pink Shirt Day uses buzzwords, propaganda, and corporate sponsorship to create false positivity > Why this awareness campaign does more harm than good Cazzy Lewchuk Staff Writer (”” February 24, many people across BC will participate in Pink Shirt Day, which was initially organized after a male student was bullied for wearing pink. Other students wore pink t-shirts the next day to stand up for him. Today, thousands of people across BC wear pink clothes, pink T-shirts covered in corporate logos, and/or buttons to show that they too are on board with the “anti-bullying” cause. There’s no doubt that taking a stand against bullying is an important issue that should be encouraged at all levels in society. The severe harassment faced by far too many people daily can have severe psychological and physical effects that can last the rest of a victims life. It is an issue discussed more today than ever, and schools are finally starting to incorporate “anti-bullying” measures into their curriculum and policies. At the surface, Pink Shirt Day is a national occurrence reminding us to have the conversation. But like many awareness campaigns, it has become a cesspool of propaganda, buzzwords, and a false sense of security and accomplishment. People wear the pink shirts and feel good about taking a stand, but they aren't. Pink Shirt Day allows participants an easy way to feel like they’ve contributed, which potentially eliminates a need to take a further stand. We wear the shirts, we say something about how bullying is bad, and we go back to the status quo. Meanwhile, bullying continues to be a very harmful and often hidden presence in many victims’ lives. When the heads of our government smile for the media wearing pink ties and buttons while cutting support for mental health, education, and social services, Pink Shirt Day is a problem. When a school’s Gay- Straight Alliance or counselling service is cancelled due to budget cuts, a lack of interest, or complaints from outside influences, it shows that actual anti-bullying measures matter. Image via spulukwuks.sd38.bc.ca When a student no longer feels safe at school, is afraid to express themselves, and/or listen to your child ask why the joke “now it’s down to fists” or “sounds like your last Saturday night” is funny. We don’t want to hear that. No one wants to hear that, especially, not in your child’s helium-esque voice. And if none of this is convincing you, think of this: We all get to watch you drag your kid out of the theatre when you can’t take it anymore; the exodus of poor decision making after we've hit F-bomb 36 out of 84 (according to IMDB, the Naughty Word count racks up to “about 84 F-words and its derivatives, 3 obscene hand gestures, 21 sexual references, 34 scatological terms, 19 anatomical terms, 8 mild obscenities, name- calling, exclamations, 2 religious profanities, and 9 religious exclamations.”) You, as a parent, have been given a gift: the chance to shape the future of our world by nurturing the next generation. Deadpool is a great movie that is entirely not for that generation. Not yet, at any rate. In the meantime, Captain America: Civil War is only a few short months away (and that one is a Disney movie!). For the love of God, I won't even see Deadpool with my parents. I don’t want to have to explain the fisting joke to them either. suffers physically and mentally for the things they endure in a learning environment, real discussions are crucial. “Spreading awareness” is not enough. Taking a stand against bullying is something that should go without saying, and it’s time to take real actions against it instead of patting ourselves on the back for wearing a T-shirt. It’s time to stop failing our students and the rest of society by having real discussions and actions. We don’t need pink shirts. We need adequate funding, discussion, and the support of mental health services, designated safe spaces, LGBTQ+ alliances, stigma reduction, and a curriculum that teaches tolerance and non-violent communication. But hey—I’m sure the many victims of bullying who committed suicide or were murdered because they didn’t get the help they needed would be just thrilled to know that we're wearing pink shirts on February 24.