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| Maren Sanchez |
Many media outlets are calling this violent crime a "dispute." A dispute, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is something arguable, or something that may not be correct. There is no way that this crime was a dispute because a dispute has to be two sided. If Sanchez said no, that ends the idea of going to prom with Plaskon. He could have chosen to accept that answer and found another date, yet he chose to savagely take a human beings life.
A Tumblr blogger, Seriously America, wrote about how society blurs the line of saying "no": "Maren Sanchez is dead because of male entitlement. Because we teach young men that they deserve the pretty girl as a prize for overcoming their life's obstacles. . . Maren Sanchez's murderer heard her refusal and felt that stabbing was his recourse."
The Woman Stats Project featured an article about media and violence against women. The article says that if the media repeatedly reports violence against women as a dispute, that becomes a norm and an expectation. The article also states that there are two common factors that "affect the base level of a person's acceptance of violence against women," gender and cultural norms. Cultural beliefs that include rigid gender norms have been linked to a tolerance of violence against women. The article provides ways to change this media representation. You can support movies and shows that show good interpersonal relationships and the negative effects of violence, avoid movies and shows that show rape in a positive light, and you can join many of the groups that oppose violence against women, such as Take Back the Night.
I believe that media representation on violence against women has become too extreme. Most media outlets do not report on the crime in the true way it happened, twisting the words to make it seem like it was the woman's fault for saying "no." This coverage of crimes is damaging to both men and women. Men see this coverage as if they do commit a crime like this, they might be let off a little easier, such as the Steubenville rape case. Women see this coverage and think that even if they do say "no," it's not going to be heard from the abuser.
I agree that violence against women has become too accepted by the media. I wrote my blog post about Ray Rice and his pleading "self defense" at his last court hearing. In this case, the ex boyfriend was armed with a weapon, and Sanchez was unarmed, so I feel like this case should not be labeled a "dispute". I was not there, but it seems like this was a case of an angry and mentally unsound individual, preying upon an innocent girl. Our society needs to be more convicting about what constitutes domestic violence, or violence against women, instead of creating different terms for it and brushing it off.
ReplyDeleteThis serves as a clear cut example of the power of word choice that is used in the media, all too well in some cases. The fact that they center their word choice on a sense of neutrality to attract more view from parties on each side of the fence is appalling. News should report in all crimes of any effect a clear examination of right and wrong. By attracting this unbiased neutrality it allows for their viewer to make their own decision which they base of their moral which differ greatly across the nation instead of challenging these morals the news plays into them.
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