It’s On Us campaign not effective, lacks diversity in programming
February 22, 2015
I think the It’s On Us campaign should go right back to where it came from.
Don’t get me wrong, I think sexual assault is important, but could we maybe try to be a little more inclusive or help the actual victims of sexual assault?
For those who don’t know, the It’s On Us campaign is a campaign to start a conversation. By taking a pledge online and changing your profile picture to the shape of “It’s On Us,” you are now officially ready to take sexist and non-inclusive language head on.
…Really?
As I was watching the University’s It’s On Us video earlier this morning, I had to chuckle at the good effort.
In the video I watched students and faculty repeat for 3 minutes how they are now ready and responsible to be advocates against sexual assault victims and essentially, be proactive when things get too out of control.
My question for the hand picked students is: Are you actually ready and responsible to be advocates or were you asked to be in a promotional video and read from a script?
Being an advocate is not as easy as it seems. You don’t just sign a pledge and change your profile picture to get a gold star.
If these students were ready and responsible, I am now expecting every student who has signed this pledge to speak out when they hear their friends make a rape joke and willing to work, sweat and fight for the individuals who have been assaulted and whose voices are smothered by the fluff of a campaign like It’s On Us.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
I’ve been in enough rooms, educational spaces and random house parties to know that 97 percent of the students who have signed this pledge will not remember the core values of It’s On Us when under social pressure to act otherwise.
Don’t forget I’m looking at you, professors, who preach rape culture and slut shaming and anti-feminist lessons.
The It’s On Us campaign is also problematic because of its lack of effort towards diversity.
I’m happy that Greek life, Undergraduate Student Government, University Acitivies Organizations and the athletes are taking this pledge, but where is the rest of campus?
Where is Vision, Hielel, FORCE, The Women’s Center, Muslim Students Association, BSU, LSU, etc?
Don’t point the finger of “Oh, well, they didn’t offer to get involved.”
I’m sorry, but that’s your responsibility, students and faculty who want the It’s On Us campaign to be on campus.
You don’t get to pick and choose who gets to be sexual assault “advocates.”
“Advocates” don’t only get to be privileged white fraternity and sorority brothers and sisters. It doesn’t work like that.
If anyone wants to erase rape culture and lessen the burden of sexual assault on campus, let’s begin with a campaign like It’s On Us and then let’s actually do something.
I would suggest first to implement a campus wide sexual assault training, not some ridiculous online program that you can click through in 4 minutes.
Yes, that was a dig at the recent “training” that was released.
I mean, that was a joke… right?