SABC 2 7de Laan 04/12/2018


Date: December 4, 2018
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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Name of monitor: Your name Mpho Pitsi
Name of Television station: Channel where you are getting the scene SABC 2
Name of programme: Name of News programme 7 de Laan
Date of broadcast: Date when the news item was broadcast 04/12/2018
Time: Time of broadcast 18h00 – 18h30
Genre: Type of programme
Drama series Continuous drama series
Theme: Which topic category is this? List all the topics that relate to this scene
GBV focus explicit or implicit? Please ensure that the examples you chose either explicitly or implicitly concern GBV Implicit
Gem Classification: Gender and Media Classification
Gender Aware
Gender Blind
Subtle stereotypes
Blatant stereotypes Subtle stereotype
Provide a link: Link to where this scene can be accessed https://youtu.be/MQ-OjZSx97Q
If no link provide the artefact upload on drobox

Brief description of scene: Marianne wakes up in the morning to the sight of Ben making her coffee and is shocked when she is told that they slept together the previous night.

Context
Marianne got drunk the previous night and was unable to drive home. Ben drove her home and she asks him to join her in bed. The next morning she doesn’t recall the incident but blames Ben and eventually fires him.

Why it has been given this GEM classification: While Ben is clearly enjoying the fact that he slept with an older woman, Marianne is worried about her reputation and business because society does not take kindly to older women who sleep with younger men. The show also makes a joke out of the interaction as Ben’s youth and naivety are emphasised. The show should have addressed the seriousness of the power dynamics at play between Marianne and Ben. The show also should have addressed the fact that Marianne had too much to drink and was too drunk to consent to any sexual interaction.

Focus: GBV is not the man focus. Marianne coerced Ben into sleeping with her while she was intoxicated and Ben wasn’t concerned that Marianne did not remember the night or that she was upset that it had happened.

People in the programming. Both women and men speak in the scene. There is a reasonable balance between male and females. Marianne is portrayed as upset and shocked while Ben is portrayed as excited. Marianne used her power as a store owner to silence Ben. She fired him because she could not deal with the fact that she slept with him. Therefore her credibility can be questioned because she is abusing her power.

Language. There is overtly sexist language used by Ben to describe the night he had with Marianne. The adjectives convey stereotypes about old women. Yes there is a difference between the language used to describe women and men, Marianne is Ben’s boss at work and Ben is a younger employee. Ben tells Marianne how men were right about older women and how they have more experience than younger women. Ben’s character makes use of immature and sexist language when referring to his boss. The show also neglected to tackle the problematic dynamics underlying the interaction as Ben does not apologise for having sex with Marianne when she obviously was too drunk to consent.

Visuals. The images/video footage on television does illustrate the content of the storyline fairly. The image of Marianne shows a woman who just woke up with a hangover while Ben looks like a boy who didn’t sleep at home. The image does not degrade the dignity of women or men and the visuals are relevant to the storyline. The visuals used are appropriate and convey the storyline very well.

Angles and perspective: Marianne and Bens viewpoints are heard in this scene. Mariannes viewpoint predominates. Yes, there is a reasonable balance of viewpoints presented by women and by men. The scene makes a judgment towards older women and younger women. It also highlights the prevailing stereotypes men have of older women and younger women in terms of intercourse and experience.

Intersectionality: The problematic dynamic of the interaction can be seen when Ben celebrates the night spent with an older woman while Marianne is worried about her dignity.
There was little to no tolerance of intersectionality in terms of social factors such as age. Ben is younger than Marianne so she uses her age and power to get rid of Ben. Ben also does not address the fact that Marianne was too drunk to consent.

Conclusion: The characters could have dealt with the issue sensitively with Ben apologising for upsetting Marianne and having sex with her when she could not have fully consented. Marianne should not have fired Ben but taken the time to express her feelings and address her discomfort. Thus, this scene has been classified as making use of subtle stereotypes.


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