The Daily Show’s Depiction of Campus Safety for Women

http://www.hulu.com/watch/654144

I had a hard time laughing at this piece, but I’m so glad that The Daily Show took on the issue and showed how women remain vulnerable to abuse on college campuses.  The host’s questioning of the “expelled after graduation” sentence (“Isn’t that just…graduation?!?”) points to the ways that colleges and universities struggle to handle sexual assault on their campuses.

While I enjoyed Stewart’s mockery, I enjoyed Jessica Williams’s advice to young women even more.  She so accurately portrays how college women (and really all women who go out on the town) have to think strategically in order to stay safe.  Walking home, they should “adopt a masculine gait,” not wear earbuds, take out their keys before getting to their door, and make sure to say “honey, I’m home” so that anyone listening doesn’t think that they live alone.  Williams nails it and so does Jordan Klepper when he asks, “Are you telling me that women spend their whole day navigating an obstacle course of sexual menace?”

One of the reasons I love this piece is that without naming the brief social phenomenon that was #yesallwomen, The Daily Show communicates what that hashtag was all about:  women live in fear of harassment and assault and go to great lengths to protect themselves and most men just don’t get it.  Furthermore, these segments usually are funny because they exaggerate a scenario or political perspective.  What’s funny here is that what seems exaggerated actually isn’t.  Women really do think through these things to protect themselves and their friends.

As someone who works at a university, I hope we can empower women and men to talk more openly about their experiences and create safer environments for our students–whether they are walking home from class or drinking at a party.  To learn more about sexual assault on campuses in the US, check out this in-depth study by The Center for Public Integrity and to learn more about ways to prevent assault, check out these resources provided by The American Association of University Women.