Friday, June 4, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
You The Man Extra Credit
I think that the one man show "Your The Man" focused on the many different aspects of domestic violence. You don't have to be the abuser or the one being abused in order to be apart of domestic violence. As seen in the play none of the characters were directly in the abusive relationship, but they were all affected by it. 'Virgin Larry' was peer pressured into witnessing domestic violence, Jana's father saw what she was going through however didn't know how to approach her, Mitch was the main one trying to get through to Jana, and 'Stan the Man' was basically giving advice on different relationship situations that may lead to domestic violence. All of these characters were affected by domestic violence without really knowing it.
A main dynamic that could lead to staying in a relationship with domestic violence is commitment/love. In Jana's case, she loved her boyfriend so much that she was committed to staying with him. I think that this commitment that one person has can lead to hope. The person getting abused is sop committed to their abuser that the 'hope' that they will change. When Jana is talking with Mitch in the library she lists the bad thing that her boyfriend does in the relationship, however she then goes on to say that he was so loving that she hopes that he can change. She believes that maybe if she stops doing what she is doing, he will stop taking his anger out on her. In the 'Virgin Larry' case, he was so committed to being popular (and apart of the basketball team) that he went against what he knew was wrong and watched a video of his teammate raping a girl. He saw that the girl protested a little, but he still didn't think that his team mate was capable of doing something like that. Since he went along with something he knew was wrong, he had to face the repercussions.
I also think that the person being abused has such a low self esteem that they are committed to the idea of being in love, leading to them staying abusive relationships. Like Jana, they may truly believe that their partner loves them. Despite the abuse going on in the relationship, the companionship with the other person may actually boost their low self confidence. Jana began telling her friend Mitch things like "He didn't mean it" or "He really does love me" to hide her abuse, but also to make herself believe that her boyfriend does really love her (to help boost her self esteem).
I feel the "You The Man" play is very beneficial to teenagers, especially the freshman who were the majority at the play and the discussion. When it comes to domestic violence teenagers think that it cant happen to them. The play is good for people in this age range because it shows domestic violence from so many different point of views (Jana's Dad, Jana's friend, a relationship adviser, Jana's teacher, and a teenager who has witnessed abuse) that were relatable. These point of views of the different characters showed how you can be affected to domestic violence even if you aren't directly apart of it.
A main dynamic that could lead to staying in a relationship with domestic violence is commitment/love. In Jana's case, she loved her boyfriend so much that she was committed to staying with him. I think that this commitment that one person has can lead to hope. The person getting abused is sop committed to their abuser that the 'hope' that they will change. When Jana is talking with Mitch in the library she lists the bad thing that her boyfriend does in the relationship, however she then goes on to say that he was so loving that she hopes that he can change. She believes that maybe if she stops doing what she is doing, he will stop taking his anger out on her. In the 'Virgin Larry' case, he was so committed to being popular (and apart of the basketball team) that he went against what he knew was wrong and watched a video of his teammate raping a girl. He saw that the girl protested a little, but he still didn't think that his team mate was capable of doing something like that. Since he went along with something he knew was wrong, he had to face the repercussions.
I also think that the person being abused has such a low self esteem that they are committed to the idea of being in love, leading to them staying abusive relationships. Like Jana, they may truly believe that their partner loves them. Despite the abuse going on in the relationship, the companionship with the other person may actually boost their low self confidence. Jana began telling her friend Mitch things like "He didn't mean it" or "He really does love me" to hide her abuse, but also to make herself believe that her boyfriend does really love her (to help boost her self esteem).
I feel the "You The Man" play is very beneficial to teenagers, especially the freshman who were the majority at the play and the discussion. When it comes to domestic violence teenagers think that it cant happen to them. The play is good for people in this age range because it shows domestic violence from so many different point of views (Jana's Dad, Jana's friend, a relationship adviser, Jana's teacher, and a teenager who has witnessed abuse) that were relatable. These point of views of the different characters showed how you can be affected to domestic violence even if you aren't directly apart of it.
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