The true ugliness of the appalling abuse thrown at Kim Vinnell has been in the response section of the newspaper comments.
Downplaying what she had to put up with, as many have said in comments on social media not only misses the simple fact that any woman should feel safe in public – but it also adds to it.
It is vile to do that to Kim Vinnell while she was in a public space.
It is vile to do that to Kim Vinnell while she was at work.
It is vile that they groped Kim Vinnell.
It is vile that in their apology they blamed her for being a woman in public.
And it is vile that so many seem to have downplayed what happened to her.
Richie Hardcore makes many powerful points in his Facebook post…
“Why should women and girls learn to laugh it off? Why is that an even a thing, that it’s ok to make someone feel s***** and females should just deal with it? Why aren’t boys and men learning not to sexually harass and intimidate women and girls?
“Men, bros, bruhs, dudes, we need to look at our behaviour. We need to stop laughing at humiliating women. At treating their bodies like public property that you can grab when you feel like it. We need to call other guys out, challenge them on the language they use, the porno they watch and what it’s teaching them, the jokes they laugh at,” he wrote.
“It’s up to us to question others, because next time it might not be ‘just a joke’ and it might not be my girlfriend, it might be yours. Or your daughter. Your sister. Your friend. Will it be so funny then?”
…and Russell Brown highlights abuse other women endured at Laneway.
The corrupt thinking of Return of Kings has provoked a sharp reaction by men in Wellington and Kelvin Davis is fronting all the way from Northland to speak on the issue.
Many women will nod their heads at this kind of low level invisible civil war, knowing that these examples are mild.
There is something deeply damaged about our sense of masculinity if it is so dependent on dominance.
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I went to Laneway a couple of years ago and I wasn’t impressed. It seemed very shallow and privileged and the manner those young men behaved alongside their appalling justification disgraces us all.
It looked like she was inadvertently interviewing two of the Roastbusters. Time for a 3-strikes-and-you-are-out policy to come out of the ballot for Private Members’ Bills.
“The porno they watch and what it’s teaching them”.
Wut. Yep just going to go ask my buddy what porn he is into, then lecture him if I think it isn’t moral..
I am angry about the way she was treated both by the boys and her producers and the presenters. The boys do not need much more to be said they are still proud of what they did – they got on TV they are now famous. When you have a society that rewards people for inappropriateness then they will never see what is wrong. The producers had a duty of care to ensure she was safe, the camera person should have shut down and gone to her aid, the presenters should have hit the kill switch. Even a link there is a 20 second delay they could have ensured none was ever seen they chose to watch and then played the I’m shocked game. But they had a good piece of footage that they could then sell to overseas news outlets, one wonders how far they would let it go – she was groped without the cameraman or her interviewee helping her.
And for those of us who have no idea what this is all about…
Who is Kim Vinnel and what the hell happened?
Is this yet another Auckland news item?
Please someone tell me.
She’s a TV3 news reporter.
She was reporting at Laneway music festival.
Two young men thought it would be funny to grope her and shout “F*** her right in the p****” while she was reporting, live.
Its a thing. That’s doing the rounds globally.
Because apparently sexually assaulting (that’s what uninvited groping is) women and shouting aggressive sexual acts at them is really funny.
Apparently women either shouldn’t be reporting at things like Laneway, they should leave it up to the men (for our safety you know) or women should just laugh this off.
And the only reason why it’s getting attention? Because it’s on TV.
But women put up with shit like this All. The. Time.
And worse.
But yeah. Whatever.
And for those of us who have no idea what this is all about…
Who is Kim Vinnel and what the hell happened?
Is this yet another Auckland news item?
Please someone tell me.
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