The Superbowl is known for being the highest grossing sports event in the US, hilarious commercials, and probably a day of fun, food, and friends. The "big game" is assumed to be wholesome, American fun that everyone can have the opportunity to enjoy. Unfortunately, there is an ugly side to this fun-filled weekend that most of us never consider. America's most popular sporting event has also been called out as one of the largest venues for human trafficking in the world. The article that I'm attaching with my blog outlines the reasons why sex trafficking increases around the Superbowl and provides stories of women who have been trapped in this abhorrent industry. While this topic may seem to be somewhat unrelated to our week's discussion, I felt it was important to recognize this issue as this weekend many of us will be watching the Superbowl from the comfort of our couches, while thousands of women will be trapped in modern day slavery.
In Manifesta Baumgardner and Richards emphasize the idea of consciousness raising. They bring about this idea in terms of bringing women to the realization that they are marginalized and in need of feminism. However, I think that the concept of consciousness raising can be used for many issues. Specifically, when considering sex trafficking many of us may picture this issue to be something that does not occur here in the US, but is a large problem in other parts of the world. This is, of course, not the case. In fact, DFW is one of the largest sex trafficking hubs in the United States. In terms of consciousness raising for the issue of sex trafficking I think we can all do our part by making the issue known. Talk about it, tweet about it, post articles on Facebook. The more people who are aware and conscious of this atrocity, the more advocacy that can occur. The article I am attaching is worth the read and the issue is most definitely worth our attention.
http://www.policymic.com/articles/79235/you-ll-never-see-this-side-of-the-super-bowl-on-tv
Wow! I totally agree with you. Because everyone is so excited about the game and the big celebration it can be, no one notices other major events happening. Those who are involved in sex trafficking take the opportunity that the Super Bowl gives them to buy and sell more women. I think it is very important to bring awareness about this because a lot of people do not know.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as you said. We should use all of this social media for a better purpose rather than just to stalk people. I like how you made the connection to the reading for the class because even though we haven't touched this topic it is related. The article is very good as well. I think I might share it on my Facebook profile.
I completely agree with your point that more people need to be aware of this topic. I couldn't believe your statistic that the DFW area was one of the largest human trafficking hubs! Before reading the attached article, I wasn't aware of the severity of human trafficking here in the United States, especially during the Super Bowl. We, as a nation, need to be more informed about what's going on around us in our own communities. I also agree to your point that technology is the way to start to spread the word.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I agree with this good cause, it makes me wonder if it is the Super Bowl or the number of people it brings to a certain city every year. I obviously agree that Sex Trafficking is something that should be brought to many people's attention but I can't help but wonder if it is ANY big attraction where thousands of people come together.
ReplyDeleteThe Super Bowl is just one of my many attractions this country takes apart of and value in our culture. Any huge event ie. Olympics or World Cup events would probably bring in more and similar sex trafficking statistics. I think that this is an issue that should be fought but not blamed on the sporting industry as a contributing factor to this issue. Violence is inevitable and I don't think it is fair to blame it on certain sporting events that we hold dear to our hearts here in the United States.