Jackson Katz is the founder of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Program that has been implemented across college campuses across North America. Given the name MVP, commonly referred to as Most Valuable Player, specifically targets male sports athletes, teams, coaches and athletic administration on issues of gender violence, rape culture, and sexism. Katz, an ex collegiate level football student-athlete himself, believes athletes are a prime demographic for models and workshops because of their unique position in society and within their communities. Male athletes are six times more likely to commit crimes of sexual assault than their non-athlete male student counterparts. UBC has had their own controversy involving UBC varsity athletes, in the fall of last year (2013).
In October of last year the UBC men’s hockey team was found to be associated with the highly controversial twitter account @UBCDIMEWATCH. @UBCDIMEWATCH was a twitter account that served the purpose of alerting UBC student’s where attractive (dime= 10/10 on the looks scale) women could be found around campus. As well as the account would post photos of women around campus without their consent or even without their knowledge that the photos were being snapped. The tweets ranged from harassing women, to degrading comments to just simply pervasive tasteless creepiness.
The following photographs as real tweets from the account that has since been terminated.
UBC’s athletic department came under fire for the twitter account and its association to its men’s hockey team. The department did they’re best to keep the attention off their athletes as only one student-athlete was ever called out by name. The department did confirm that action was taken and that athletes who were involved were suspended from practice and competition. Involved student-athletes and well as the majority of the departments head coaches were also required to attend a sexualized violence and harassment that was lead by Jackson Katz himself.
What is interesting about the Dimewatch incident is the fact that while its link to the varsity athletics community amplified the publicity. Jackson Katz argues that athletes privileged position on campus and their visibility amplifies the degree of their actions, as was proven in the Dimewatch incident. Not that their status minimizes the inappropriate behaviour allegedly carried by the men’s hockey team and other athletes involved.
A new UBC based Facebook page has emerged that follows a similar premise. “Marvellous Manbuns of UBC” accepts photo submission of men with manbuns around campus and posts them on their page. None of the photos have the face of the individuals that are being photographs which is in line of Dimewatch’s signature creepiness and nonconsensual subject matter.
https://www.facebook.com/marvellousmanbunsofubc/photos/pb.1492424404372720.-2207520000.1416375050./1497050673910093/?type=1&theater
While the comments on Marvellous Manbuns is not degrading or of a crude nature, there is not reference as to whether or not these men are aware they are being photographed and having their photos posted on public internet.
What is the fascination with UBC and photos of the backs of people’s head?
Wow, I had never heard of either Facebook Group until reading your blog and I am amazed at both. It is scary the amount of power (and confidence) the internet has given its users. We are all aware of the privacy issues that surround the internet, in particular social media sites and the consequences or implications these may cause. How do we monitor this? And who does so? Have these groups gone over the line? I’d say most defiantly and I am pleased to hear the page that was designed to rate ‘campus babes’ has been taken down. BUT who’s to say that won’t prevent some one else starting a new, similar one? The internet seems to hold no boundaries when it comes to the invasion of one’s privacy and we need to continue it’s use with close and consistent monitoring.