First I will apologize for any of the content in this video that may be strong for any viewers. However, I will not apologize for the reality of the carnal reality of Human Trafficking.
This video is a creation of digital media that is an act of civic participation. The creators of this short film took the civic action of learning about an issue that is dangerous, gathering facts about the issue, and presenting it in a manner that is both captivating and revolting. I say captivating because the material at hand keeps the interest of the audience. As such the audience becomes aware of what is going on and even if there is not a complete understanding of the situation, one can become familiar with the issue and hopefully do something to help pass on the knowledge that people need our help.
The reading leads me to believe that the role of the artist in society is to bring to pass an understanding of the artists relationship between world and issue. When an artist learns of something that he or she finds important then the artist can portray that issue in their art in a way that expresses the severity and reality of the issue at hand. As such, the artist allows for peoples to relate to issue and give birth to a relationship between world, person, issue, and impressions to help fight for better.
This particular global issue that is being showcased is one that I first learned years ago in the shopping mall. I was walking along when a store was using print advertisements to spread awareness of human trafficking. I may have about 15 years old at the time. I remember reading the small packet and seeing photos of young women, younger than I was at the time, and I could not help but feel for what those young women may have felt. Of course, I did not fully understand what pain they may have to be going through, but I did understand that there was pain, and a lot of it. Since then, I have kept an eye out in ways to keep myself and the women around me safe. I spread awareness of the issue. All this because of one packet of simple information that tore my heart into pieces. Media and art do have strong impacts on our lives.
Melody, thanks for sharing this. I too thought that the video you shared was an effective way to raise awareness of the issue. The only thing that it leaves me wondering about is how to fight against it. The video does a great job at making us want to fight against it and inform others, but doesn't tell us how. But this was a great example of how we can be civic participants. It inspires us to get involved and fight back.
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