I watch a lot of crime shows. Probably more than is considered normal.
All three CSI types (the original in Vegas, Miami, and New York), Law and Order, Criminal Minds, Fringe (science fiction crime?) and even parodies like Psych.
In all of these shows, I have become obsessed with cracking the case based simply on my knowledge of the script and its typical components. For example, with CSI, generally the perpetrator ends up being the first or second person they speak to about the crime at the scene, when they are gathering general information about the incident. At first, these individuals appear to be innocent bystanders, but later the evidence reveals them for their true selves. Similarly, Criminal Minds cast members will always present a profile of their unidentified subject within the first 15 minutes of the program. About 45 minutes in, they will realize that they are missing one critical clue to unlock the profile, or they have made a grave mistake. The action unravels quickly from there. Clearly, I have studied this form to the utmost extent, as I hope to write at least one script someday, potentially a thriller. In any case, I felt knowledgeable and prepared to face any of the scumbags of the world, fictional or otherwise.
With my addiction to crime shows, I have become so desensitized to human violence in real life. Criminal Minds had an episode with a missing girl. I was able to predict that she had probably been molested in the past, and the wife of the molester has kidnapped the girl in order to redirect her husband's physical attention away from the girl and to herself. This is a very gruesome situation, but I take it at face value. It's all fiction, right? They are following a very strict narrative formula.
Last night, I went to a Take Back the Night rally at UC Irvine. One of my friends is involved in a peer counseling group, and so I went to support her and see what it is all about. I have never been a victim of sexual violence, rape, or sexual harassment aside from the occasional catcall or ill-timed pickup line. Nor did I think that I actually knew anyone who had borne an experience such as this.
My attendance resulted in an almost complete mental shift in attitude toward these women, and the events of my beloved crime shows. Things like this happen in real life, and hundreds upon thousands of people around you hide them for fear of what the world may say. It is mind blowing to even compare one form of sexual harassment with another; from the 15 year old girl who didn't know how to tell her boyfriend no, to the senior in high school who has no one to turn to when her new stepfather watches her in the shower.
This event provided a personal face, and breathed a very intimate life into the characters and victims of my crime shows. No longer do they occupy the formula, somewhere between the rising action and the plot twist. If anyone ever has the opportunity to attend an event such as this, I would sincerely recommend it. You might leave confused, saddened, or shaken, but it offers a clear dose of reality.
After all, art imitates life... so why not face the difficulties which life has dealt to so many people?
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