Would bear attacks cause more alarm among “bros” than sexual assault on college campuses?
I’m sure we’ve all watched College Humor videos before. They’re funny, relatable and a great source of procrastination. Unfortunately, their newest video about sexual assault is just as relatable as their previous YouTube hits.
They recently teamed up with the White House for the anti-sexual assault campaign “It’s On Us.” The new PSA shows five guys sitting in a house when a bear shows up threatening to attack them. The video sheds light on the statistic that one in five college women report experiencing rape or attempted rape during their college career.
The men are sitting on the couch, playing x-box and drinking beer when a “bro” gets angry and afraid at the eminent attack of the bear. One bro is dismissive and says things such as “bears will be bears” and “what happens between you guys and the bear is none of my business.”
We need to work with bros on campus to help stop sexual assault before it happens and urge victims to report the incident. Only 40 percent of sexual assault victims disclose their assault to family and/or friends and anywhere from zero percent to 13 pecent of college women actually report rape to the police. Whether it’s talking about the problem with friends or going to campus police after an assault, any action or conversation will help lower the one in five statistic.
This video brings humor to the situation; maybe that’s what it takes to bring more college students’ attention to the issue. We can’t keep hiding the bear behind doors, pretending like it isn’t there and letting our guy friends make jokes about the damage it may cause to people around them.
Bring the conversation to the table the next time you’re hanging with some bros and take the pledge against sexual assault at http://itsonus.org
Watch the video below:
Statistics from: http://campusclimate.gsu.edu/files/2015/04/Facts-about-victimization-with-logo_09_-11_2015slc2.pdf
Images: https://media0.giphy.com/media/oJM0RcEudshva/200.gif