https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnOJgDW0gPI
This short film paints a picture of a world where being gay is the norm and where straight people are the minority. The story follows a young, straight girl and the daily struggles she faces surrounded by people who are gay and make her feel like an outsider. I chose this video because I think it has great demonstrations of the different levels and types of violence that Stephen Onken brings to light in his article, Conceptualizing Violence Against Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered People. For example, the "structural-cultural level" of violence shines through in this video as society, (portrayed by the girl's family and friends), has traditional beliefs and views about sexual minorities, (portrayed by the young girl), being substandard and detestable. Straight people are also categorized as abominable at the "individual level" of violence, as the straight girl's peers and parents take violent actions toward her that show disapproval of her sexual orientation. They publicly taunt her, verbally harass her, and even use physical violence. While watching this video, see if you can identify scenes that characterize the three types of violence suggested by Onken:
1). Omission: "failing to help someone in need".
2). Repression: "depriving people of their rights".
3). Alienation: "depriving people of self-esteem and identity".
Hi Bridget! That video was very interesting and enlightening. I think one of society's problems understanding homosexuality and the struggles that those who aren't accepted by family, friends, and society face is that they haven't had to endure the bullying that comes with being different from the rest of society. One of the articles from class, Intersex Narrative by Abby Ferber, say that those who are intersexed find others and create a support network to help one another deal with the trials of being different from others and the bullying and judgment that they may receive. I think that this is a great idea for homosexuals who are affected by bullying or judgment from others but I also think that heterosexuals could do this too. Not as a way to deal with bullying but as a way to understand why the feel the way they do about those who are different and to change their outlook on the subject. Those who bully homosexuals think that they are right to do so because they see it as not "natural". I think this video helps to open up the discussion how heterosexuals would feel if they were the ones being bullied because people saw them as not "natural". It also helps to open up the discussion of how the bullying is affected those being bullied and why we should work to stop.
ReplyDelete-Ali Marnon
I actually saw this video a couple months ago, and I think it's really great that you shared this with everyone. The role reversal that occurs really accentuates the dangers LGBT youth encounter and puts their shoes on the other foot. This video shows all of the struggles that the LGBT community faces and seeing it through a straight person's eyes can show a lot of people how some of their hateful attitudes can affect people. I feel like this video can sort of relate to my own topic of sexuality in film. While this isn't a feature length movie, it certainly still can be considered a film. This is a brilliant video, and I feel that if more people saw it, it would change a lot of peoples minds about homosexuality. Thank you!
ReplyDelete-Casey Coulter
This short film is a very powerful way to show the way that LGBT individuals are sometimes treated by society. By swapping the roles of the straight and gay individuals in the film, the filmmakers are able to help straight individuals to empathize with the struggles that many LGBT people face in their daily lives. I think that the film is very important in helping to foster an attitude of understanding and acceptance.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this!
--Melissa Condon
I'm not going to lie, this video made me tear up so bad that I had to pause it as soon as she turned the bath's water faucet on. With this being said, I think the short film does a good job at convincing the viewer that bullying is wrong, but doesn't do a good job at convincing the viewer homosexuality is okay or natural.
ReplyDeleteI say this because I was raised in a family who was against homosexuality. I recognized the reasoning that was used analogously to say that homosexuality is "gross", "bad", etc. But, there wasn't a suggested solution to that reasoning. I feel like if I had shown this video to my parents when they were against same-sex couples, they would've said "Yeah, bullying is bad, but straight people get bullied too", and maybe even, "The video's just trying to use emotional appeal too much, there's no logical argument here", or something along those lines.
All in all, the video does a good job at having the viewer understand that people shouldn't bully other people, which is awesome. However, I think it could be made better. Thanks for sharing.
--Josephine Hicks
As soon as you described the video, I knew exactly what it was. I remember seeing this about a year ago on a blog, and had found it interesting in a different way. It certainly does show the struggles and hardships of non-conforming individuals in the society we live in, and of course puts it into perspective on how this would be if the roles were reversed. Which brings me to why I find this interesting. Mainly it's the idea of the role reversal. See, in some places of the world, some people believe in heterophobia, which is in essence the same as homophobia. Except it doesn't exist. And this video shows (if also proves) that it doesn't exist because children who are straight don't get treated like this, or other straight people don't get treated like this. Essentially, they don't get bullied the same. Sure they can be bullied, near every kid has been, but it wouldn't be over the same reasons and it wouldn't create consequences the same as to a non-conforming child. Just really something to think about, as the roles of oppression are not and cannot be so easily reversed.
ReplyDelete- Tarryn Priestly
I've also seen this video before and cried like a baby! It hits everyone who watches it, but I feel like the only people who ever get to see it is the LGBT community and allies. Who else would seek it out or see it recommended on YouTube? It has a really powerful message that should be spread to more people, but I fear it never will be.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it is a great reminder that we are all human and feel the same pain. Not to mention it was extremely accurate to today's society.
-Erin Lucas