BY CORBIN MCGUIRE, OPINIONS EDITOR
“A masochistic relationship between a college student and a businessman, whose desires for extreme intimacy pen from secrets in his past,” is the movie description given by rottentomatoes.com for the controversial film “Fifty Shades of Grey.”
Despite its problematic nature and criticism for glorifying abusive relationships, this movie is one of the first DVDs seen when a Bellarmine University student walks into the movie section of the library.
The process of selecting SGA DVDs was established by the Director of Library Services Dr. John Stemmer.
“When the SGA DVD program was set up we wanted to streamline the acquisition process and make it as consistent and quick as possible. To do that we don’t order movies individually. Instead we established a purchase profile with one of our vendors to automatically list movies that have a box office of $20 million. We then order from that list. In practice we buy everything on the list (which is how the plan was presented to SGA when it was set up),” said Stemmer
“Fifty Shades of Grey” appears in the selection of movies provided the Student Government Association (SGA).
The often newly released DVDs are one of the many perks offered to Bellarmine students by SGA, but certain titles have left Bellarmine students, particularly female students, feeling their best interest was not in mind.
“I think it’s deplorable that an educational institution offers this particular movie as readily available for their students to watch,” senior Jill Nethery said.
“Yes, many movies glorify violence and/or criminal activity. But the particular theme of this movie is a sickening power dynamic–a young woman from a lower socio-economic status literally contracted to a wealthy powerful man for the sole use of his sadistic, violent role play.”
Nethery is a hospital advocate for the Center for Women and Families and offers support to patients who are survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Nethery said: “There are elements of stalking, intimate partner violence, and rape in this story. How can a college claim to take a progressive stance on ending sexual assault and intimate partner violence, while it offers a movie in the student library glorifying such things?”
It seems if movies like “Fifty Shades of Grey” are offered to students, other seemingly controversial requests of students could be met as well.
“It’s good to know that while I can’t get condoms or birth control on campus, I can get a book and movie series that is widely regarded as glorifying abuse and bad BDSM,” senior Haley Adams said.
Adams is a hospital advocate for the Center for Women and Families as of August 2015.
However, some students said SGA is not at fault if movies offered to all students are offensive to some.
“SGA’s job is to cater to students,” said junior Kester Spach.
“It is not their responsibility to say that it is problematic. I think we should have free access to whatever we want to watch and if people want to watch problematic movies, rather than inhibiting them, we should have a conversation about why those movies are problematic.”
Stemmer supported that opinion and said: “As for ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,’ it met the purchase criteria so it was ordered. I view the plan as a snapshot of American popular culture; it brings in a wide variety of materials. Not everything appeals to everyone but we are most likely to get materials with broad appeal that have student interest.”
It seems fair to acknowledge that the issue of movies promoting dating violence and poorly portraying BDSM relationships is a larger problem than just what is offered to Bellarmine students.
Spach said, “I think the bigger picture is that we as a society consume these movies and SGA is going to choose whatever is popular, because that’s what they’re there for.”
Although, if change is to happen outside of Bellarmine, change needs to happen inside Bellarmine first.
“It is subtle reminders like this, the blind offering of such films, which reminds me and other survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault that what we have endured isn’t really that serious. No one is making me watch that movie. No one blast emailed me and told me that ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ was the greatest movie ever and that I could pick it up in the library free of charge. But it’s the message that for people who don’t find that subject matter appalling, it is okay for them to not care. It’s okay for students to casually watch this film,” Nethery said.
“Fifty Shades of Grey” must be taken off of library shelves if Bellarmine is to show its support for Bellarmine students and its disdain for intimate partner abuse.