What I found interesting is just how casually institutions take reports on sexual assault. What was eye opening in this documentary was the fact that sexual assault does not discriminate based on intelligence. It happens on Ivy League campuses as well as at community colleges.
Absolutely no school should ever put athletics before someone’s safety. Understandably many of these schools with multi million dollar stadiums and athletic programs have a lot to loose if their star quarterback is convicted of rape, but I think that interestingly enough, it just points out how flawed our priorities as a society are. One human being is not worth more than the next so why is it that just because someone plays a sport well that it makes them almost untouchable/un-punishable for such a heinous crime.
After watching The Hunting Ground, I couldn’t help but wonder how many male students were subjected to that film on a larger scale and also what their reactions would be. What if that film were shown to the entire FSU football team? Would they still rally around their glorified quarterback or would morality take over and would the team come to their senses and not only give Winston the punishment he deserves but also give Emma Kingsman the apology that is long overdue. I can’t help but feel like it should be a requirement to screen this film to incoming freshman around the country to possibly prevent assaults from even taking place. Make students uncomfortable and squeamish during that film to possibly save students from an endless amount of feeling much worse if assaults were to happen to them. I personally know people who have been assaulted and this film even in itself might make them feel better knowing that they aren’t alone.
For an english course I’m taking, our professor had us read an article entitled The Inside Story. It’s written by a producer, Peter Guber, who has produced the original Batman andThe Witches of Eastwick, and more recently, The Kids Are All Right and Soul Surfer. It goes into detail on how stories for films are picked – I found it fascinating how Guber wasn’t interested in Soul Surfer until he met the “soul surfer” herself, Bethany Hamilton. Her personal story touched him so much, that he just knew he had to make the film. While it was for monetary reasons as well, (he knew many people would come see the film), this brings up the idea of passion in film. If someone doesn’t have a passion for storytelling or doesn’t find the story they’re telling compelling, they will not be successful in film. The reason why you’re telling a story and your interest in that story is just as important as the act of telling the story.
Overall, I think that this documentary was disturbing, unsettling, and incredibly effective. So many times, I think I view myself as somewhat invincible, in that nothing truly bad could happen, that’s only stuff you unfortunately hear about in the news, or about people you sort of know, or a friend of a friend. This movie served as a type of wake-up call for me. Truly no one is immune to such serious experiences. This film was so relatable because, like so many people already said, the film deals with college students; people my age, people with whom I interact every single day. This topic is much more relatable to me than I had previously thought. It definitely raised my awareness of how prevalent rape is across college campuses.
I was also appalled by how nearly all of the colleges handled the victims coming forward asking for help, justice, and safety. A college should be a place of safety for all students, not one where a victim is blamed, doubted, and not supported or helped at all.
After viewing Kirby Dick’s documentary The Hunting Ground, to me it was the most powerful documentary we have viewed all year. Throughout the entire documentary, hearing story after story about how so many people were raped, yet almost none of them received any sort of action from their respective college or university which shocked and disturbed me. Additionally, I believe the documentary was more relatable to me due to the fact that all of the people who had been the victims in the film were also college students who never thought they would be victims and survivors of rape, which is definitely a scary thought. The documentary was also very effective for the people who were interviewed for the documentary all went to different schools and all had their own story, making the documentary more relatable to more people in my opinion. Not to mention, while the documentary was about a very serious topic and was extremely serious, shocking, and disturbing at some points, Kirby also decided to incorporate some humor into the film which I appreciated for it lightened up the mood and the appalling stories of the women and men who were interviewed for the documentary. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Hunting Ground and believe that more parents, students, and college faculty members should see the documentary to raise awareness about the issue.
I was particularly intrigued by Owen’s story. I was actually going through my Facebook newsfeed when I saw a video clip of Ron Suskind talking about his breakthrough with Owen when he discovered he could communicate with Owen through the voice of Iago. This was about a week or so before we attended the talk with Roger Williams. I think that this documentary will be a really great portrayal and representation of Owen’s personal story. I believe Mr. Williams mentioned that it would be shot from Owen’s point of view. That will be very effective in getting an accurate point of view about what it is really like for Owen. It will also provide an interesting window into Owen’s progress.
I thought this was a fantastic documentary that did a beautiful job of discussing a very sensitive, heavy, controversial topic. i have seen many films that are centered about the topic of rape, but none of them have spoke to me as much as this film did. I think a big reason of why this movie hit home is because these girls are my age. It makes it more personal when it’s people who are your age, doing the same things in life you’re currently doing because then it makes it personable. A movie that is personable and relatable can thoroughly impact the way the viewer interprets the film. People are more like to make a difference about a topic when they feel it is close to them. No one ever thinks they will be raped or someone they know will be raped, but after seeing this movie I think it helps people realize rape is everywhere. A friend, classmate, or someone very close to you may have been raped and has never said anything because they are scared. Overall, I think this film was incredible and did an outstanding job at indulging the viewer in a topic that needs attention.
One thing that I thought was interesting from the piece was how much these large Universities acted like a business. Just like large scale companies, Universities try to cover up any controversy or events that may make them look bad and sweep it under the rug. For example, if a school has a high percentage of reported rapes, many parents may be hesitant about sending their child there. This leads to many faculty discouraging students from speaking out in order to keep the information from reaching the public. Another thing these schools fear is that those who are falsely accused of rape will sue the University. As a result, the school becomes more hesitant when taking complaints and questions the victims.
In addition, frats have had many instances in which rape cases were reported. Colleges however are very lenient when it comes to punishing the frat and those in it. This goes back to the point about the school being a big business. Frats offer a lot to a school. This includes alumni who eagerly donate money and are very active in the spirit of the school. If frats start being thrown off campus, alumni would be outraged and stop giving money.
Rape on college campuses is a very hard problem to address. If faculty starts speaking out, they run the risk of getting fired, as shown in the documentary. By filming this piece and screening it around college campuses, we are taking a step in the right direction.
0ne thing that really stood out to me was the victims interviewed were all well educated girls decorated with many honors and rewards for their academic success. For some reason this stood out to me. Any thoughts on why this was?
One topic that I find particularly interesting about The House I Live In (Jarecki, 2012) is recidivism. Being convicted of a crime and having that on a permanent record forever makes it incredibly difficult for previously incarcerated people to move on from their crimes. So many rights and privileges are revoked from ex-convicts. Getting hired as an ex-con is much more difficult. If it is so hard to get a job, it becomes increasingly difficult to support yourself and make a living. Due to such circumstances, it is very easy to resort to previous ways of life, which could potentially put them back in jail. It seems as though it is sometimes a vicious unending cycle of being in jail, getting out, trying to find work, but not having proper support or opportunities to get a job, and going back to jail.
Another thing I found particularly interesting was that some of the men that had been in prison said that in some situations, jail is a better situation for them because it provides them with a place to live, sleep, and eat. This is sad because it is indicative of their living situations, or lack thereof, outside of jail.
