Although the publicity surrounding the O.J. Simpson case has ebbed somewhat, the shock waves are just starting to be felt in the video market, as older titles dealing with the subject of violence towards women are dusted off, and new ones speed into production. Three new videos, primarily aimed at teens, deal with the subjects of sexual harassment and violence towards women and--as a certain precursor of what's to come--sometimes mistakenly equate the two. The mildest of these programs is Club Connect: The Gender Show, a glitzy episode of the PBS series that--here, anyway--bears a strong resemblance to the content-lite format of similar programs on commercial network television. Teen hosts promise segments with musician/actor Will Smith (the Fresh Prince) concerning demeaning stereotypes of women in music videos, and a talk with former 10,000 Maniac's lead singer Natalie Merchant about being the only woman in a male band. Yet, when the touted interviews arrive, they turn out to be comprised of tepid "star" questions that are neither critical nor inquisitive. Other segments include a poor knock-off called "Wendy's World," in which the female equivalents of Wayne and Garth ogle their interviewees' butts, and receive a sermon, and a good report on date rape (the only hard-hitting piece on the video). But there's no time to address such a large issue as gender differences (plus sexual harassment, plus date rape) in a half hour; instead, we're offered such shorthand mythbusters as on-the-job visits with a male nurse and a female electrical apprentice. Yes, this might make some teens think...but mostly in terms of sound bites they've already heard a million times.Date Rape: Behind Closed Doors, on the other hand, is a tough program that pulls no punches. Combining interviews with rape victims, counselors, and therapists, the program explodes the myriad of myths surrounding the subject of rape: what rapists look like (anyone); rape is a sex crime (rape is a crime of violence), acceptance of a dinner date is an acquiescence to have sex (of course it's not), etc. Interviewees talk about the devastating emotional and psychological effects of rape, the stages of recovery and the importance of family and friend support, and the various precautions that can be taken to reduce the risk of rape (good home security, traveling in pairs, keeping car doors locked, etc.). Where the program falters is when it comes to statistics: although the stats are not very good for rape (since many rapes go unreported), there are such a bewildering array of figures that no one is quite sure what or who to believe. Here, we're told that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men claim to be raped. Later, we're informed that 90% of all date rapes involve alcohol, and somewhat cryptically, "95% with men." No explanations--let alone sources--are offered for these statistics. Finally, we're given some very skewed versions of reality as seen through the eyes of rape victims: one young woman says "I plan every day around rape," a remark that is profoundly sad--but, given the woman's status as a campus activist, the line is offered almost as if it were advice. a male rape victim tells us this about our culture: "If you're going to be a real man in American society, then rape comes along with it." That's simply not true: there is no automatic continuum that, say, runs from smoking Marlboros and wearing a cowboy hat to becoming a rapist. Date Rape: Behind Closed Doors is very strong in its condemnation of a horrendous crime; but it's also off the map in a few areas.Sexual Harassment 101 doesn't fudge: it rewrites Webster's from the get--"Sexual harassment is violence towards women used to silence and intimidate girls. Each time it happens to one girl, it sends a message of fear to all girls." Here, we've finally come to Alice's wonderland where nothing is what it seems. Shoot somebody the finger or just shoot somebody: both acts of violence and both punishable in a society that no longer chooses to distinguish between words, gestures, and physical violence. In one chilling--and unchallenged--remark, a boy says: "If you say something wrong, you should be arrested." Divided into two parts, Girls and Boys, the first part offers interview clips of girls in school talking about their experiences ("Now I'm realizing I have been sexually harassed every day"), and gives suggestions for what can be done about the problem. Some of the suggestions are good ones: say "no" clearly, report the offender, make sure the school has a strong (and enforced) sexual harassment policy. Other suggestions are a little odd: form support groups and travel in bands, take self-defense courses, and start a NOW student chapter. These suggestions become crystal clear in the second part on Boys, which is not--as one might have expected--about boys in school being sexually harassed, but about boys as a group being guilty of sexual harassment. "I'm guilty," says one boy--setting the tone for what follows, while another points out that "every single act that's done, it escalates into violence and rape." Besides the fact that Sexual Harassment 101 is shoving a truly Neanderthal notion of biological determinism down our children's throats--not to mention trampling on free speech--it's sneaky and dishonest. Feminist politics is a valid and vital area of public discourse; it doesn't deserve to be snuck in (start a NOW student chapter?) under the guise of a sexual harassment video aimed at students.Club Connect: The Gender Show is an optional purchase; those with other episodes from the series may want to consider. Date Rape: Behind Closed Doors is an optional purchase. Sexual Harassment 101 is not recommended. (R. Pitman)
Club Connect: the Gender Show; Date Rape: Behind Closed Doors; Sexual Harassment 101
(1994) 30 min. $59.95. PBS Video. PPR. Color cover. Closed captioned. Vol. 9, Issue 5
Club Connect: the Gender Show; Date Rape: Behind Closed Doors; Sexual Harassment 101
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