So this morning in my Social Policy Class (which I love) we watched the latest episode of What Would You Do? I'm not sure how to rate it because it was good/bad in different ways. The first part of the episode is what really stood out to me... It was about domestic violence and it spoke volumes about how we interpret and value different situations. I am going to post the link so be sure to watch it... It’s about 50 min long, but the part I will be talking about is in the first 15 minutes... Honestly you HAVE to watch it... I think what you see will shock you and I think it is important to see how wrong one of the situations was so we can do better.
There were 4 different scenes acted out in which the woman is clearly being abused. The first was a white couple that was dressed normal and seemed like an everyday couple except that the woman had bruises all over her face and body and she was being screamed at. The other scene was exactly the same except the couple was African American. The third couple was the white couple again, except this time the woman was dressed in "scandalous clothes" that could suggest she was a prostitute. The last scene the same as the third, only it was the African American couple again.
http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_feminism/94984.html ( watch the first box, and then the second)
Scene 1- It was amazing to see the married could jump in and help, and then later more men joined in. This situation was played out perfectly because people actually jumped in and helped out…Which is what we should all be doing for each other all the time, no matter the situation..
Scene 2- This scene was also good... Two women noticed the beating and took the first chance they could to go talk to the woman who was being abused and when the boyfriend came back they stood up to him... How awesome is it that women stood up to a man larger than them, that has a history of being abusive... They put themselves in harm’s way to help... and that is awesome... I have to wonder though... Why were there no men in this scene? I would hope that at anytime men actually saw a woman being abused they would step in to stop it...
Scene 3 and Scene 4- These scenes break my heart... It really shows where we have our values and who we determine as worthy to be helped or not... Because these women were dressed more scandalous, maybe like they were prostitutes they did not receive the help like scene 1 and 2 did. Two things really stand out and make me upset... 1- Because they looked like prostitutes they didn't deserve help... Well the last time I checked NO ONE deserves to be abused.. Just because someone may not have a job that is determined acceptable by society does not mean they deserve to be beaten... I understand that not everyone believes in Christianity and what the Bible says... But Jesus hung out with prostitutes, and people that were not socially “acceptable”... If they were acceptable to Him then why aren't they to us? We should help everyone. We have not right to determine is worthy and who is not. 2- Some people had the actual nerves to say “THIS is not the PLACE for THAT”... Why didn't they say, "THERE is never a PLACE for THIS" I mean really... That breaks my heart because it just goes to show that we have made very little progress in women's rights... Women have rights, and being abused is not one of them. Unfortunately most domestic abuse occurs behind closed doors, so if you see a little of it in public, I suggest you do something because if they do that openly in public think about how much worse it is behind closed doors…
I am so thankful for this show because I feel like it's showing us that we do not handle things the way we should. I hope it challenges us to make a change and become the society we need to be in every aspect. We do do not help out our neighbor when we should. I know a lot of times the controversy is, "I don’t think it is my business to get involved" Well let me tell you, when innocent people are being hurt... It is our job to make it our business. Often times we are the only help for people that are being abused... Abusers often isolate the person they are hurting so it is easier for them to get away with it and it makes them feel powerful. Abused have no way of getting help because they have no one and they have been isolated from society.. They DEPEND on us! Pick up the phone and call 911, or confront them yourself... Just make sure you do something..
To learn more about domestic abuse visit http://helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_types_signs_causes_effects.htm
Don't forget to watch What Would You Do on Fridays at 10.. And dont worry you can watch them online!
Let me tell you...
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