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Tackling TV’s Rape Problem: Why ‘Broad City’ and ‘Shameless’ Could Change How We Talk About Sexual Consent

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Emma Kenney in "Shameless," Abbi Jacobson in "Broad City" (Credit: Showtime/Cliff Lipson/Comedy Central)

Emma Kenney in “Shameless,” Abbi Jacobson in “Broad City” (Showtime/Cliff Lipson/Comedy Central)

 

(Salon) – Television has an uncomfortable love affair with rape plots.

The short history of the medium has coincided with lifted restrictions, both legally and culturally, on what’s fair game to portray or discuss in our media. Film has its fair share of stories centering around rape—including the disturbing sub-genre of stories centering on abuse but given a pretty veneer of romance, ranging from that one particularly charged scene in “Gone With the Wind” to last weekend’s “50 Shades Of Grey.”

But it’s different for TV—a medium that plays host to more rape plots in the 10 p.m. hour alone than film could possibly match in a month. Television is the home of the crime procedural, the teen soap opera, and “The Bachelor,” among other affronts to humanity. With the explosion of prestige television, there are any number of prestigious dramas offering up several hours of meditative investigation of a single rape or sexually driven murder, and all of those put together could not even match the sheer number of rape cases that will be presented to a viewer of a “Law and Order: SVU” marathon on USA.

For a fan of television—from “Top of the Lake” and “True Detective” to, yes, “SVU”—it’s a disturbing focus. Not just because rape is a brutal, horrible act to experience, inflict or witness; that goes without saying. But also because it feels, so much of the time, that the shows in question are uninterested in portraying rape as anything more than a plot device.

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Oakland Post: Week of October 30 – November 5, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of October 30 – November 5, 2024

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Love Life Organization Shows Love

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day. It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

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Members of the 1975 NBA championship team, Charles Dudley (left) and Clifford Ray (right) embrace Love Life Foundation leader Donald Lacy for his antiviolence mission. Courtesy photo.
Members of the 1975 NBA championship team, Charles Dudley (left) and Clifford Ray (right) embrace Love Life Foundation leader Donald Lacy for his antiviolence mission. Courtesy photo.

City of Oakland Celebrates 1975 NBA World Championship Team 

By Donald Lacy

Special to The Post

 As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day.

It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

The 1975 NBA World Championship team were invited back to the City of Oakland last Friday, to be properly celebrated for their ground-breaking performance in 1975.

The heartwarming ceremony highlighted the recent passing of the legendary coach of that team, Al Attlles, and his former players Clifford Ray and Charles Dudley were on hand to represent the “Cardiac Kids” as they were called back then for their ability to make great comeback victories during their run for the title.

Warriors great Chris Mullin and former spiritual advisor Gary Reeves gave heartfelt testimonies of their experiences under Attles’ leadership and their relationship with the inspiration they received from the NBA 1975 World Champion Golden State Warriors.

The City of Oakland provided proclamations to all parties with speeches made by city leadership including Mayor Sheng Thao and Deputy Mayor Dr. Kimberly Mayfield and activity host Love Life non-profit founder and Executive Director Donald E. Lacy Jr..

There will be a celebration of life event Nov. 9 honoring Attles’ legacy at Alameda College.

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Oakland Post: Week of October 23 – 29, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of October 23 – 29, 2024

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