(Photo credit : Erin Corbett)

As part of the LEAD initiative run by Diversity Initiatives on campus, on Monday, March 7, in the canteen, there was a student-run tabling event that featured a game called “Domestic Violence Trivia.”

Walking into the canteen that day, Cardi B was playing loudly from a table featuring a PowerPoint presentation. It turns out that this music was being accompanied by an interactive quiz game that discussed the topic of domestic violence. The students running the event claimed that the music was appropriate for the topic, and they continually reiterated that it was to raise awareness. Intentions aside, many individuals were negatively affected by the presentation of this issue. “Something about being actively called to participate in an event about domestic violence made me feel so uncomfortable. I felt guilty for saying no, because the topic is so serious, but I was not in a mental state to engage in a game about it,” said sophomore Brooklin Dozier.

It turns out that the event planning had been delegated to the students without much regulation of their ideas, resulting in an end product that did not sit well with affected individuals. The consensus was that the onus of ethically driven difficult conversations does not and should not lie on untrained students, that seeking professional help should be the priority for students affected by domestic violence, and the canteen is hardly the place for the organizing students to learn how to do so. “Conversations that are this important, that demand respect and critical understanding, must be had under the care of professionals in the area. This is especially if it is under the formalized context of a school event,” said Maylee Sexton, a freshman present at the meeting.

Following the meeting, an email was sent out to the community, and the problem was addressed. Titled “Event Cancellation, A Learning Moment, and Recap” NYU Shanghai’s Diversity Initiatives outlined how this incident acted as a catalyst for change within the committee. The intentions were admirable: “to raise awareness about domestic abuse along with the screening and discussion event ‘Why Didn’t She Leave? That’s the Wrong Question to Ask.’” They further admit that “the audio, visual and activity design and presentation did not reflect the gravity and sensitive nature of the topic, and could be hurtful or triggering to those who have experienced domestic abuse themselves or have loved ones that have.”

The most illuminating part was “Diversity Initiatives is committed to, in collaboration with other offices, developing guidelines and training opportunities to better prepare student leaders and staff advisors in creating thoughtful, meaningful, and empowering events on identity, social justices, and other topics” suggesting that students would now undergo training as part of the content creation process.

The main takeaway is this: the tabling event was not an anomaly. There are countless examples of people with the best intentions of spreading awareness about serious issues who mistakenly trivialize the subject. The intentions are commendable; these people are merely trying to affect change in a constructive, positive way. However, they are often somewhat detached from the topic such that the end-result seems disingenuous. The organizers of this event may have created a product that many found offensive, but that discomfort helps to inform their decisions in the future.

To ascertain whether your actions of social justice are in fact effective, it is important to have a sincere conversation with the people affected, and together with them plan a course of action. The important thing is to care for these issues in a way that is serious, that engages with the victims of an issue productively, and not just for candy at an event in the canteen.