Recently in Australia, there have been a spate of sexual assaults (and assaults in general) at music shows, and the artists have noticed and decided to do something about it. Even though it’s 2016 and we should have moved past this long ago, #ItTakesOne is a campaign aimed at stopping assaults and spreading the word about tackling the poor behaviour that is often seen at shows.
The philosophy behind the campaign is that often, one person out of the tens, hundreds or even thousands of revellers inappropriately touches a girl, won’t take no for an answer, disrespects others or just acts like a dickhead. It’s not on, and when the performers have to stop their show to call someone out it tends to ruin the good vibe that everyone goes to shows for. On the flipside though, it only takes one person to tell whoever is behaving badly to stop, and everyone needs to take on that responsibility at shows for the good of everyone there.
The campaign was started by Melbournian trio, Camp Cope, who made a video featuring predominantly male artists with predominantly male followings. Even though the issue isn’t exclusively limited to males behaving badly, the vast majority of incidents at shows involve male perpetrators, and it needs to stop. This isn’t limited to Australia as well, with similar issues being well documented at shows and festivals around the world.
It’s simple: if you realise that you’re acting like a dickhead, stop acting like a dickhead. If you’re worried about acting like a dickhead, stay home. And, most importantly, if you see a dickhead being a dickhead then call them out. Crowds are very perceptive to dickheads and you’re likely to have the support of everyone around you, so why not be the one that stops someone else from having the show ruined?
The majority are fed up with the minority who come to shows for the wrong reasons and act badly, so it’s time to stamp it out. Be the one who stands up for victims, initiates change and makes shows better for everyone.
Watch the video and spread the word around social media because this is one cause that anyone who loves music can and should get behind.