<commit_before>---
layout: post
title:  "Outlaw & Disorder"
date:   2016-06-16 20:13:51 -0400
categories:
---

For a while now, I've been getting pestered to watch *Game of Thrones*. Most of my friends have described it as something that I would like, mainly because of the subtle politics that make the show so gripping. But pretty much everyone has given me the same warning: "It's graphic. **But you get used to it.**"

Switch gears for a second. These past few days, my Facebook feed has been filled with outraged posts about <NAME>, a student from Stanford University who, *as two witnesses verified*, sexually assaulted an unconscious woman and got off with a mere six months of jail time. Criticism of how this case has been handled, both on the side of the law and the press, has been extensive. The courts were criticized for such a light punishment of such an obvious offense. The media was criticized for not using the mug shot of <NAME> in their articles and instead choosing more flattering, innocent photos. The father was criticized for describing the incident as "20 minutes of action" and complaining about how his son's life will never be the same. Regardless of however you personally want to spin these events, you *cannot* deny that these are instances of people or groups not treating rape as the horrific, serious crime that it is.

Switch gears again. I finally caved and watched the first episode of Game of Thrones. Within one hour-long episode, I witnessed rape, incest, brutal murder, attempted murder, and a good deal of nudity. The one thing I didn't really see, though, were the subtle politics that everyone had mentioned. When I pressed the issue with people, they told me just to keep watching and that the drama would suck me in eventually.

"**Suspension of disbelief**." That's how one friend described this to me. Just overlook what you don't want to see. Suspend your faculties and suspend reality for the instance of your enjoyment. *Blatantly ignore* the fact that characters are being raped and murdered so you can get hooked on a new show. And it is *so easy* for us to suspend our disbelief when we are told of the promise of something better to come, like some awesome subtle politics. But when there's a case like that against the Stanford student, there is *outrage*. Some might say that this is a result of the Stanford case being real-life and *Game of Thrones* being fiction, but *Game of Thrones* isn't the only fictional show that features instances of rape. *Law & Order: SVU* is 100% rooted in sexually based offenses. Where the difference lies in this case is that the premise of *SVU* is **combatting** sexually based offenses. It is the *entire purpose* of the show. Rape in *Game of Thrones* is not the primary source of drama. I wouldn't even say it's the secondary source. It's more of an afterthought, something that can be easily overlooked, or "just part of the culture at that time," as one of my friends described it. "Completely acceptable."

Apple simply defines **outlaw** as "a person who has broken the law" and **disorder** as "a state of confusion." And I'm *truly* in a state of confusion. I can't be the only one who is hesitant to watch *Game of Thrones*, loves the passion of *Law & Order: SVU*, and detests the fact that this outlaw was able to avoid a just charge for his crime. What confuses me even more is that I will probably try and watch more of *Game of Thrones*, or at least get past the first episode, even though it makes me squirm if I think about it too much. 

But in reality, cases like this one are often overlooked, almost just as easily as rape in *Game of Thrones* is. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey, an American is sexually assaulted every 107 seconds. Right now, there is one case of sexual assault with a prominent spot in the news. And this is just within the United States.

Sexual assault should make us *squirm* if we think about it too much. And *we should* think about it too much. There should be less instances of *Game of Thrones* and more of *SVU*s. We cannot bend on how wrong these actions are. We need to thank those who work tirelessly to make sure that offenders are brought to true justice. And most importantly, **we need to stop suspending our disbelief**. These aren't all easy things to do: like I said, I will probably still give *Game of Thrones* a chance. But the root of the problem is a culture where we don't treat sexual assault like the big deal that it is.

My question now is: "*How do we change a culture*?" How do we ingrain this belief, one seemingly obvious, in the minds of the masses?

I honestly don't know- I'm just a lowly computer science major. But I promise you, I'm working to find out.


_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Sources:**

[The National Crime Victimization Survey][NCVS]


 [NCVS]: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5366<commit_msg>worked up the nerve to post finally<commit_after>---
layout: post
title:  "Outlaw & Disorder"
date:   2016-06-16 20:13:51 -0400
categories:
---

For a while now, I've been getting pestered to watch *Game of Thrones*. Most of my friends have described it as something that I would like, mainly because of the subtle politics that make the show so gripping. But pretty much everyone has given me the same warning: "It's graphic. **But you get used to it.**"

Switch gears for a second. These past few days, my Facebook feed has been filled with outraged posts about <NAME>, a student from Stanford University who, *as two witnesses verified*, sexually assaulted an unconscious woman and got off with a mere six months of jail time. Criticism of how this case has been handled, both on the side of the law and the press, has been extensive. The courts were criticized for such a light punishment of such an obvious offense. The media was criticized for not using the mug shot of <NAME> in their articles and instead choosing more flattering, innocent photos. The father was criticized for describing the incident as "20 minutes of action" and complaining about how his son's life will never be the same. Regardless of however you personally want to spin these events, you *cannot* deny that these are instances of people or groups not treating rape as the horrific, serious crime that it is.

Switch gears again. I finally caved and watched the first episode of Game of Thrones. Within one hour-long episode, I witnessed rape, incest, brutal murder, attempted murder, and a good deal of nudity. The one thing I didn't really see, though, were the subtle politics that everyone had mentioned. When I pressed the issue with people, they told me just to keep watching and that the drama would suck me in eventually.

"**Suspension of disbelief**." That's how one friend described this to me. Just overlook what you don't want to see. Suspend your faculties and suspend reality for the instance of your enjoyment. *Blatantly ignore* the fact that characters are being raped and murdered so you can get hooked on a new show. And it is *so easy* for us to suspend our disbelief when we are told of the promise of something better to come, like some awesome subtle politics. But when there's a case like that against the Stanford student, there is *outrage*. Some might say that this is a result of the Stanford case being real-life and *Game of Thrones* being fiction, but *Game of Thrones* isn't the only fictional show that features instances of rape. *Law & Order: SVU* is 100% rooted in sexually based offenses. Where the difference lies in this case is that the premise of *SVU* is **combatting** sexually based offenses. It is the *entire purpose* of the show. Rape in *Game of Thrones* is not the primary source of drama. I wouldn't even say it's the secondary source. It's more of an afterthought, something that can be easily overlooked, or "just part of the culture at that time," as one of my friends described it. "Completely acceptable."

Apple simply defines **outlaw** as "a person who has broken the law" and **disorder** as "a state of confusion." And I'm *truly* in a state of confusion. I can't be the only one who is hesitant to watch *Game of Thrones*, loves the passion of *Law & Order: SVU*, and detests the fact that this outlaw was able to avoid a just charge for his crime. What confuses me even more is that I will probably try and watch more of *Game of Thrones*, or at least get past the first episode, even though it makes me squirm if I think about it too much. 

But in reality, cases like this one are often overlooked, almost just as easily as rape in *Game of Thrones* is. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey, an American is sexually assaulted every 107 seconds. Right now, there is one case of sexual assault with a prominent spot in the news. And this is just within the United States.

Sexual assault should make us *squirm* if we think about it too much. And *we should* think about it too much. There should be less instances of *Game of Thrones* and more of *SVU*s. We cannot bend on how wrong these actions are. We need to thank those who work tirelessly to make sure that offenders are brought to true justice. And most importantly, **we need to stop suspending our disbelief**. These aren't all easy things to do: like I said, I will probably still give *Game of Thrones* a chance. But the root of the problem is a culture where we don't treat sexual assault like the big deal that it is.

My question now is: "*How do we change a culture*?" How do we ingrain this belief, one seemingly obvious, in the minds of the masses?

I honestly don't know- I'm just a lowly computer science major. But I promise you, I'm working to find out.


_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Sources:**
[The National Crime Victimization Survey][NCVS]


 [NCVS]: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5366
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