No More, Again

[Content Note: Rape culture.]

In January, I wrote a piece detailing problems with No More, an advocacy campaign that bills itself as an organization seeking to "end domestic violence and sexual assault."

This morning, Lauren Chief Elk noted that No More sent out a press release last week announcing: "GROUNDBREAKING EFFORT LAUNCHES TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPORT TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT."

Major corporations joined forces this week to pledge millions of dollars in new commitments to help end domestic violence and sexual assault as part of a groundbreaking effort to increase private sector support of these urgent issues. For several of the corporations this is their first, significant and public endeavor to support domestic violence and sexual assault awareness, two issues that many corporations have historically shied away from tackling.

Lauren and I discussed some of the problems with this approach on Twitter, which I have Storified and am sharing with Lauren's permission:

This is the basic problem: No More is ostensibly seeking to end domestic violence and sexual assault, but is partnered with Law & Order: SVU, a show whose contribution to rape myths is utterly unforgivable, and boasts about corporate partnerships with companies like Allstate, whose advertising frames female people as "mayhem" who pose danger to men.

(I note that the actor who plays Allstate's "Mayhem" character is also a series regular on Law & Order: SVU. What a fun, ahem, coincidence.)

If No More wants to engage in effective advocacy, they would be seeking a commitment from Allstate to not rely on rape culture tropes in their advertising, along with their donation (which buys them free PR). And they wouldn't be boasting about "a 16-hour 'NO MORE Silence' marathon of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit on April 27, 2014 to commemorate National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month," because that show, irrespective of what its cast members may do on their free time, does not promote awareness of the realities of domestic violence, sexual assault, or the criminal justice system.

Throughout the marathon, which will be hosted by SVU cast members, USA Network will air NO MORE PSAs, direct viewers to contact national help resources and highlight NO MORE on social media.

Welp.

This is not what anti-rape advocacy needs to look like. Self-promotion and corporate sponsorship. This isn't a goddamn ballsport.