Sunday, April 20, 2014

WTF!: Canada rape whistle


Hello people of the Internet! What you just watched is a Canadian PSA about rape. And before you ask, yes the statistics are that high. I'm not sure if it's because Canadian's report sexual assaults more than other countries or that it has a high concentration of sexual predator but according to my research half of Canadian woman have experienced some  form of sexual assault in their life time.
Now I understand how horrible sexual assault can be. One of my family members was sexually abused throughout her childhood and the effects of it still haunt her to this day. But be that as it may this commercial is absolutely ridiculous!
You are at a baby shower! An event to celebrate the coming of a new life and your first thought is to give the expecting mother something that will remind her that there is a fifty percent chance that her daughter will be attacked in the most horrible way possible? What the fuck is wrong with you! When she goes into labor would you remind her of her chances of her dying? Or that her baby could suddenly die for no apparent reason? It's inappropriate and comes out of no where. In fact I think it came out of no where for the woman playing the mother, I mean look at her face:
I bet you she came on set expecting to shoot like a bottle or dipper commercial only to be blindsided by this dark reality. And while we are on this screen capture what is up with that little girl beside her? Why is she smiling? Why is she playing the whistle like it's a Barbie doll and not a tool that will help her escape the perverts choking up her country? You could argue that she doesn't know what rape is  but I highly doubt that aunt buzz kill over there would let her be that ignorant. She probably read rape statics to her as a bed time story!
Another disturbing thing about this PSA is other than that horrifying statistic they don't give you any other information. They don't tell you possible ways to avoid being raped, how to defend yourself and/or escape if you are being raped, or what to do after you are raped. They just come in between a 33 second time slot, throw that cold bucket of reality onto the viewer and them leave them to stew in the horrible knowledge. It'd be like an anesthesiologist telling a patient "There's a chance you could die in your sleep" just before they go under.
It's beyond wrong and a well deserving WTF moment. 

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