I just saw this documentary on Netflix and watching it really rattled me a bit. The movie was an examination of hook-up culture and everyone's feelings about it, mostly professors, British party douche bags, and college students. It was shot down at one of those big spring break parties also, probably to intensify how shitty giant groups of young people can be. The big ending was an overview of an awful gang rape that happened right on Florida's crowded beach. How people are raised and how everyone is confused and the media is awful. That wasn't all the rattling to me though, it went pretty much as expected, although it's wildly concerning they got some random dude on the beach say verbatim, "oh yeah, all these girls are fucking sluts, just give them a couple vicaden, a percaset, and a few shots and yeah their panties just fuckin drop" which last I checked is at least a prelude to date rape but like, what do I know?
The rattling thing to me though was how new they made all of it sound. They dove hard into gender norms and how that come into play but I don't remember any mention of personal accountability. That was the biggest lesson I remember being stressed in history classes when we were learning about nazi Germany in school. Large groups of people will do terrible shit like torture burn millions of people and participate in gang rapes and that. It's literally probably a science by now. So that the documentary still had divisions, I guess it'd be called. The problem that wasn't addressed was why there were so many people just recording the rape, and no one did anything. I mean, everyone went off about how terrible it was of course and blamed hook up culture. It is terrible. I hope those people feel awful. And they usually do in the aftermath. They should have focused more on that.
The story reminded me of Kitty Genovese, a woman who was brutally raped in her own neighborhood out in the middle of the street over somewhere on the east coast in 1964. It was like early evening and she screamed and screamed for help. So many of her neighbors could see but nobody came to help her. Not one person even called the police. It was like in Brooklyn or somewhere like that, many apartments facing the street. Many of the residents just watched as kitty was defiled and eventually killed by that bastard. Not their concern but what a show. She was a good woman too. Just trying to get by. If she wasn't a "good" woman, I know I wouldn't have been able to Google the story later on.
Hook-up culture is my fave, I'm partial to it. I can't actually say I've even had a hookup where it could be compared as assault. It's usually someone i know and/or love where i probably could say things have gotten out of hand. I'm actually just realizing that documentary wasn't even really about hook-up culture, that's straight up rape-culture and it's being used to discriminate against being a hoe and having fun. The real lesson is a personal choice we should all make and think hard about that's not necessarily partial to rape. If we see someone doing someone wrong, do we take action? The strongest ones at least try in my opinion and the chances are great we all have to make that choice someday. Some of us have to make it a few times over already, and if you have I think you'll understand what I'm on about. The times I chose to do nothing are the times that leaves me the most sick with myself. It was so easy though and I get it. I don't want that for myself. I don't want people around me being victimized and I sure as fuck don't want to be that asshole filming it either. I'm not a scared girl anymore. I'm a woman now and I aim to be a good one. A strong one and how I see fit. I hope other folks feel the same too.
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