Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Mahri Irvine" <>]

Hi LB,

 

Thanks for sharing! This is a very… interesting video. I appreciate the sentiment behind it, but wow – basically it’s sending a message that it’s okay to “caress” a girl who is just standing there, but it’s not okay to slap a girl? It’s almost as though by trying to teach the viewers a lesson about not committing domestic violence, the film producers are telling us that it’s okay to commit sexual assault by “caressing” someone without asking for her consent. The whole premise is really quite disturbing to me. Basically, I could interpret this video as an objectification of a “pretty” girl who is standing there letting an unknown adult male tell boys to do what they want to her.

 

Also, the reasons the boys give for not slapping her are problematic, as I’m sure we can all agree. Not slapping somebody because she is pretty sends us a message that it’s okay to slap somebody who is not pretty! And, not slapping somebody because she is a girl, is a very different message than not slapping somebody because she is a human being.

 

Anyway, that’s my two cents worth. Thanks for sharing!

 

-Mahri

 

 

Mahri Irvine, PhD

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Department of Anthropology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program

St. Mary’s College of Maryland

www.mahri-irvine.com

 

From: LB Klein [mailto:]
Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2015 11:31 AM
To:
Subject: Thoughts on "Slap Her: Children's Reactions" Video

 

Hi Colleagues,

 

I hope this email finds you all well and that you had some restorative time off and a great start to the new year.  

 

A video has been circulating a lot lately from Fanpage.it in Italy. It has close to two million views.  Trigger warning: themes related to gender-based violence, depiction of children being asked to commit violence. 

 

The subtitled version is entitled "Slap her: children's reactions" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2OcKQ_mbiQ

 

Personally, watching it makes me uncomfortable and several folks I've talked to have found it triggering. I find it problematic for many reasons and am currently writing a full reaction to it. However, I've been receiving it a lot from folks who are advocates or prevention professionals in the movement who seem to be seeing it differently. I thought I would check in with others in our field to see what y'all think. 

 

Thank you for anything you have to share.

 

My best, 

LB

LB Klein, MSW | Educator & Consultant Based in Atlanta, GA

MPA Candidate, Program on Gender-Based Violence

University of Colorado at Denver School of Public Affairs

Lead Trainer

Prevention Innovations, University of New Hampshire

Pronouns: She, her, hers

        

 

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