Sarah Leamon: Calgary Stampede threesome video highlights consequences of online actions

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      As a former Calgarian, I have witnessed my fair share of Stampede madness throughout the years. I know that good judgement doesn’t always run high when the rodeo is in town, and this year appears to have been no exception.

      By now many of us have seen the pictures and video circulating online depicting a public sexual act committed by two males and one female during the Stampede festivities. The daylight video shows the threesome, who appear to be ignorant of any nearby video camera voyeurs, engaging in behaviour best left for behind closed doors.

      The video was first posted anonymously on the social media site Reddit, but quickly spread over other sites including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Hundreds of thousands of people have seen it and commented on it.

      As can be expected, the comments have been merciless. The vast majority of comments made have been extremely sexist in nature—heralding the men as macho hot shots while simultaneously condemning the woman as a “slut” and a “whore”.

      Of course this is deeply problematic. Popularly known as "slut-shaming", this kind of dialogue is the product of a sexist double standard that denies women autonomy over their own bodies. While valuing women based on their sexual desirability, it also condemns them for engaging in sexual behaviour outside of very narrow, culturally defined expectations of "right" and "wrong". In this way, a woman’s sexuality is therefore seen as "public" and becomes something that can be commented upon by others. Slut-shaming is perpetrated by both men and women and it perfectly exposes some of the lingering misogynistic attitudes towards women that simmer just under the surface of society.

      Unfortunately, incidents like this one bring them to a boil—and they seem to be happening more and more often.

      With smartphones and Internet access at nearly everyone’s fingertips, the ability to record, store, spread, and access information quickly and efficiently has become incredibly easy. We are seeing more and more private moments make their way onto the World Wide Web, whether they were intended to or not. Sex tapes have become a phenomenon. From Kim Kardashian to the girl next door, it seems that women all over are achieving instant fame (or infamy) through the distribution of illicit images.

      But there can be some very serious, legal implications when private moments go public. A recent amendment to the Criminal Code has made it illegal to distribute intimate images online without the consent of the parties depicted. Introduced to help protect people from online harassment, it provides authorities with the ability access personal mobile devices and computers in order to acquire evidence in the course of an investigation and to ultimately remove unlawful images from the Internet.

      Police have confirmed that they are investigating the incident in Calgary and are considering an array of possible criminal charges. Charges could be laid against all three parties involved in the act itself, as well as those who filmed it and later distributed it online. But could there be even more charges? What about those who have vocalized their hateful opinions of those—particularly the woman—involved?

      Last year, a Toronto man by the name of Gregory Alan Elliott was criminally charged with harassment following comments that he made to women on Twitter. Complainants in this case allege that he had been making comments towards them using the online platform and that they felt threatened and intimated as a result of them. This case is significant because it demonstrates that online comments can have real life consequences, and while it may seem novel now, we can expect to see many more cases like it in the future.

      So where does the line between personal opinion and online harassment lie? And what does all of this mean for the future of online sex tapes? The answers are not easy or clear cut.

      In some ways, the Internet today is a little bit like the Wild West—a time that the Calgary Stampede seems to hearken back on. Although it sometimes feels like a new frontier, lawless and devoid of order, where macho values prevail and the loudest outlaw wins—times are changing. As the law develops, we can expect to see more order and more clarity. We can also expect to see more consequences for online actions.

      If this incident can teach us anything at all, I hope that it ultimately teaches us the importance of simply respecting one another and thinking about the consequences of our actions—both online and off. 

      Comments

      8 Comments

      Laws

      Jul 20, 2015 at 4:27pm

      Laws are there to discourage people from being di*&s toward each other. If people simply behaved respectfully, the laws noted by the author would not be needed and we would all get along better.

      Eric Mills

      Jul 20, 2015 at 5:41pm

      Personally, I would much prefer seeing people screw their brains out publicly than abuse, cripple and kill animals in the rodeo arena for "sport". And surely rodeo is one of the most sexist and macho activities ever devised by man.

      Four more horses killed at Calgary in the chaotic horse races last week (more than 50+ others since 1986); a major calf roper suspended for excessive whipping of his horse (hell, they ALL do that!); three people stabbed on the midway. What a lovely "sport"!

      BOYCOTT ALL RODEOS. And show this woman a little mercy. We are all complicit.

      Barry William Teske

      Jul 20, 2015 at 8:02pm

      Animal cruelty as a spectator sport.
      Now theres something to get behind...
      One would think there would be more posts
      up on the net showing how competitive it is but
      boner pills have that corner on the bed already.
      On your marks!

      Porky Poo

      Jul 20, 2015 at 9:14pm

      Is the video available yet on Pornhub?

      geeknomad

      Jul 20, 2015 at 10:53pm

      It's all fun and games until someone starts being all judgy.

      Sadly, our species generally lacks the maturity to appreciate, and even admire, the sexual acrobatics of others, without getting loudly and publicly righteous and stupid. Perhaps the dolphins really are more advanced, at least when it comes to this.

      Maybe someday. Obviously, nowhere close yet.

      Yeah well

      Jul 21, 2015 at 1:07am

      The Gregory Alan Elliott case is a pretty strange one to cite. Especially considering we're being told that he was criticising the complainants own supposedly bullying and intimidating behaviour towards someone else.
      We've been hearing that the Internet is like the wild west since it began. Nothing original there. As the laws develop, they'll reflect all the usual laws we already have outside of the internet and controlling someone else's behaviour won't be any more acceptable, regardless of how morally outraged you may be about some issue.

      Natty

      Jul 22, 2015 at 6:14pm

      I heard she was unemployed when the video was made, but since its release she has been able to capitalize on her infamy. As a stripper mind you, but still.

      C'mon now

      Aug 11, 2015 at 4:10pm

      Imagine if this had been 3 guys? Do you think they would get off (excuse the pun) without being charged for public indecency? Would it have taken this long? Would they be creating a youtube channel and be offered stripping jobs?

      If we want equality that means the law needs to be applied evenly regardless of the equipment you possess.