MEF Receives Gift of $30,000 to Distribute Documentary Fighting Anti-Arab Discrimination
A Conversation with Karen Green Stone & Rob Stone
A Soft Sell for Hard Drugs
Producer's Corner: April 2006 With Adriana Barbaro
The Macho Paradox: A New Book by Jackson Katz
Brandhype.org: A New Web-based Resource About Product Placement in the Movies
MEF Board President Michael Morgan Remembers George Gerbner
George Gerbner's Influence on MEF: An Interview with Sut Jhally
MEF Videos & Underfunded Institutions
Behind Hijacking Catastrophe
'Wrestling with Manhood' Sparks Protest in Burlington
Militarism & Video Games: An Interview with Nina Huntemann
The Media and Iraq: War Coverage Analysis
Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Media Education & Preventing Sexual Violence
Free Press
Beyond the Frame
Speak Up! at GLSEN/Boston Conference
Interview with Michael Levine
Jean Kilbourne on The Oprah Show
MFN NYC Premiere
MEF: Firehouse Re-Use & Renovation
MFN at SXSW Festival
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The month of April brings with it thoughts of new beginnings and warm weather, but unbeknownst to many April is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). This directed effort for national awareness and education about sexual assault brings attention to the all too prevalent reality of this heinous act. Sexual Assault is defined as any kind of sexual activity that is unwanted, enacted by one person on another without consent — it may include the use of physical force (but many sexual assaults do not), and it involves some combination of coercion, threats and intimidation.
According to the National Criminal Victimization Study (2001), 248,000 people over the age of twelve reported being raped. An American is sexually assaulted every two minutes. However, only 38% of sexual assaults are reported to the police and even more horrifying, less than half of those arrested for sexual assault are convicted.
In an attempt to help prevent sexual violence through education and media literacy, the Media Education Foundation (MEF) has created several videos dealing with the gender-related issues of sexual violence and harassment in conjunction with the way mainstream media powerfully manipulates our culture. Our society is flooded with images on a daily basis, which promote stereotypical masculinity, objectify women and normalize violence in relationships. Videos, such as Tough Guise, Wrestling with Manhood, Dreamworlds II and War Zone, force viewers to recognize this phenomenon and reflect on the 15-18,000 hours of television watched daily by children between the ages of 2 and 17. These media images have a damaging effect on the way our young people develop relationships with others and how they come to understand themselves and their role in society.
As educational resources, MEF videos are being utilized daily across the nation by thousands of colleges, universities and high schools, as well as rape and sexual assault prevention programs. In an effort to spread awareness about sexual violence, many college campuses are implementing MEF videos in their Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities and presentations, among them the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Duke University, California State University at Sacramento and Colorado University.
Heather Sturm, Coordinator of the CU Rape and Gender Education Program (COURAGE), will be hosting two public showings of Wrestling with Manhood this month for the Colorado University campus, as well as the community, in hopes of encouraging open dialogue among men and women on sexual violence. Sturm sees mainstream media as having an apparent influence on our culture’s attitude towards sexual violence.
“Wrestling with Manhood is a powerful and provocative look at how the professional wrestling industry has wrapped up inhumane, degrading, sexualized violence in a nice little package and sold it to the public as ‘entertainment’…The film encourages viewers to engage in the critical thinking necessary to breakdown individual and societal beliefs, attitudes and norms that perpetuate and encourage sexual violence,” says Sturm.
MEF videos have also proven to be a valuable asset in sexual assault trainings and workshops. Brad Perry, Training Coordinator at Virginians Allied Against Sexual Assault (VAASA) and Vice President of the National Organization for Men’s Outreach for Rape Education (NOMORE), uses Tough Guise in his trainings to “teach men the importance of male-to-male education more comprehensively.”
“…It is a way of looking at the issue and understanding the incomplete picture the media paints of men and masculinity. It is a useful tool because it helps men to see that the media can mirror society and we can use that mirror to change what we see,” says Perry of the video Tough Guise.
Laura Paley, Health Educator at The Door Adolescent Center in New York, frequently uses War Zone in workshops to help others “gain a broader perspective” on the problem of sexual harassment and gender roles, teach younger generations about sexual assault and harassment and incite inspiration for activism.
“War Zone consistently proves to be a unique and indispensable learning tool that captures the attention of youth in a way few films can…I am fascinated with the film, its ingenuity, bravery, style and provocative edge,” says Paley.
The horrific problem of sexual violence is an unfortunate reality in our society. However, sexual assault educators possess the ability to break down attitudes about sexual violence and gender roles created by the mass media. By implementing MEF resources in their curriculums, educators bring awareness and a forum for discussion about the influential and dangerous effect the media has on others, our interpersonal relationships and ourselves.
For more information about this subject, see “Media Education & Sexual Violence Prevention”.
http://www.rainn.org
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