Courtesy: iTunes
The prominent issue of sexual assault on college campuses is not a new one, but in the past few years the fight to end it has certainly gained momentum. Women like Emma Sulkowicz are taking a stand. Men have begun coming forward and speaking out about their battle against sexual assault. Most importantly, colleges and universities are beginning to take the accusation more seriously and are ensuring better punishments for those accused.
More recently, we’ve started to see well-known figures and celebrities join in the effort to put an end to sexual assault. Pop icon Lady Gaga has released a powerful, heartbreaking song and music video that is sure to get people talking.
Gaga is no stranger in fighting for what she believes in. Since the start of her career, she has been an advocate for gay rights, fought the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and participated in many anti-bullying campaigns. Her most recent music video, called “Til It Happens to You,” portrays three different scenarios of women being raped. One woman was studying in her dorm room and another was getting ready in the bathroom. Two others were having fun at a party and a man who drugged their drinks later took their unconscious bodies home with him. Lady Gaga isn’t seen in the video, but she sings the words:
Till your world burns and crashes
Till you’re at the end, the end of your rope
Till you’re standing in my shoes, I don’t wanna hear a thing or two
From you, from you, cause you don’t know
Till it happens to you, you don’t know
How I feel
How I feel
How I feel
Till it happens to you, you won’t know
It won’t be real (how could you know?)
No it won’t be real (how could you know?)
Won’t know how it feels
Does it sound a little intense? That’s because it is. But maybe more intensity is what this movement to end sexual assault needs.
Women and men have spoken out and shared their stories. They have taken their attackers to court and risked their right to privacy and anonymity at their schools. Some attackers have been punished, but the majority of them escape the consequences. There are three reasons as to why this happens: either their victim is too afraid to come forward, there is a lack of evidence in the case against them, or the victim already assumes that justice will not be served and doesn’t see the point in pursuing punishment if nothing will come of it. This is a disturbing, all-too-real, all-too-common, problem. We’ve all heard the statistic: 1 out of every 4 women will be sexually assaulted during their college years. What is it going to take for that statistic to disappear? How many more testimonials do people need to read in order for all university disciplinary boards to take assault as seriously as Stanford has?
Fellow college men and women, take a few minutes out of your day to watch this video. In it, you will not only see the horrors that people are capable of, but you’ll also see what it looks like when a friend is hurting and what you can do to help. Maybe it’ll make you realize that someone in your own life needs a shoulder to cry on. You’ll see what to look out for at a college party, and maybe in the future you can avoid a dangerous situation or help someone else out of one. If you’re a victim of assault, you’ll see how important it is to seek help. You don’t have to handle what’s been done to you on your own.
Lady Gaga’s song and the raw reality of her music video is a step in the right direction for our generation and for the future generations of college students. You may not know how it feels “‘til it happens to you,” but that doesn’t mean anyone else ever needs to find out.
Resources here on campus:
If you’re looking for someone to talk to, FSU’s counseling center is here to help.
If you’ve been raped or sexually assaulted, speaking with Victim’s Advocate is a useful resource for figuring out what next steps would be best for you to take.