Content warning for sexual assault, violence.
In 1964, on a late night in the Kew Gardens neighborhood of Queens, Ki꧑tty Genovese was returning home from her job as a bartender. While she was parking her car, she was spotted by a man by theꦏ name of Winston Moseley. Moseley followed her to the lot, then chased down with a hunting knife, eventually stabbing her twice in the back. After being yelled at by a neighbor from their window, he ran away, only to return ten minutes later.
H☂e ✃not only stabbed her again, but raped and robbed her before fleeing. Genovese's body was left to be discovered by a friend, who cradled her corpse until the police came.
Now you might be thinking: why didn't anyone call the cops in? Why didn't somebody help her until the police came?
This was the beginning of what has come to be known as the Bystander Effect - a theory created under the premise that people will not get involved in a situation if there are other people around, or if other people not getting involved. Nearly sixty years have passed since that nig🙈ht, but the Bystander Effect still tends to be an issue when it comes to people speaking out against assault, and the world of gaming is, unfortunately, no stranger tﷺo this.
Never Bite Your Tongue When It Comes To A Gut Feeling
Pertaining that you hav🔴e traveled on public transit at some point, you've probably seen those signs posted in the train cars and at the stations with big letters.
"If you see something, say something" - usually with a picture of a backpa🦩ck or package.
Typically, if you saw a suspicious box left on a seat in a p💝ublic area, you'd immediately notify a transi🍌t cop, so why is calling out predators any different? If we want things to change, we need as a species to learn how to open our mouths. The crimes of Harvey Weinstein were known among many people in Hollywood, but people wanted to protect him because of his abilities as a producer.
That's absolutely unacceptable.
When you have someone you idolize, be it a Twitch streamer, popular YouTuber, or celebrity, its difficult to fathom imagining them in a negative light. When I was a kid, I remember when Ellen DeGeneres's show first came out, and how I idolized her for being both Dory in Finding Nemo and an openly gay woman in a leadershi♏p𒅌 role. I saw her as an example of feminism... up until the past few months, when allegations of how she treats people came to light.
Idolization should have nothing to do with the compromise of morals and common proper behavior. So if you see your favorite Twitch streamer grooming minors in the chat and sit back, you're only making things worse for everyone. Calling them out for being creepy might seem intimidating, but think about it this🌞 way: if they're engaging in this heinous behavior, are they truly worth your attention or idolization?
Stop Putting Entitlement Filters On Your Idols
Many people feel that we, as a society, have developed into an entitlement culture - as in, entitlement to do what we want, when we want, regard𓄧less of rules or how it affects others. People have gotten into the habit of putting internet celebrities on a pedestal of entitlement - one that makes them seem like they're allowed to get away with anything, just because of their status. It's a deification of public figures - treating them like they're an all-knowing head honcho.
This, too, is part of the Bystander Effect. Humans, as a species, do not like to pull away from the crowd. Our ancestors developed this way, likely because living in a group during the Neolithic days gave you a much more apt chance to survive. If you lived alone, you'd probably freeze to death or be picked off by a wild animal without company to alert you to danger. The thing is, we're in 2020 now, and it's time for us to ♕learn how to stop getting caught up in the crowd when the going gets rough.
Teach Your Peers To Go Against The Grain
Typically, you hang out with a group of people because your i🍸deals align with their𒁏s. They surely feel the same way that you do regarding predators and gaming. So when you see them staying silent while someone online is being creepy, it doesn't make them bad people - it's just the mindset we've been taught to develop.
Bไut now, more than e🉐ver, is the perfect time to change that.
Educate them, make them see that saying something doesn't make them an outcast or a negative person, it's doing the right thing. And more than that, saying something and intervening yourself can truly make a difference. If we want to grow into a better culture, it's imperative that we learn to identify, point out, and oust predators from positions of power. In other words, if you see something, don't just say something - do something.
Wouldn't Kitty Genovese agree?
Sources: , ,