One of the biggest misconceptions about stalking is that it is an infatuation, romantic or playful, according to violence-prevention specialist and guest speaker Jeff Bucholtz.
Bucholtz delivered a speech titled “It’s Not a Joke: The Cultural Implications of Stalking” to University of Wisconsin-Madison students at the invitation of Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment Wednesday.
Bucholtz addressed why stalking is still so pervasive and how “our culture is basically facilitating it.”
According to Bucholtz, 5 to 7 percent of college women will be stalked during their time at school. One in six women and one in 19 men, or 6.6 million people, will be stalked in their lifetimes.
“I think the biggest misconception is that it’s not dangerous,” Bucholtz said.
The Department of Justice reported one in five cases of stalking involved the use or threat to use weapons.
“People are not comfortable coming forward, in part, because they think they won’t be believed, and why would they be believed if stalking is the punchline instead of something we take seriously?”
Bucholtz said stalking is serious and easy to prevent if we acknowledge how the culture is accepting and promoting it. Bucholtz used satire and pop-culture references to point out the issues with modern culture’s representations of stalking, including a song by Taylor Swift.
“What happens when the term, the word itself is never used to represent the hard costs?” Bucholtz asked.
“I would want every student on campus to know that if they stop using that word, it will actually help stop the problem,” Bucholtz said. “If they only use that word when it’s something serious, when they really mean it, it will actually help us acknowledge the reality and it will make it easier for us to prevent.”
Bucholtz reminded the audience that people being stalked should take it seriously, acknowledge it is not their fault and remember they won’t be judged.
“We as a culture have an enormous capacity to prevent almost all forms of violence, in particular, interpersonal violence and power-based or gender-based violence,” Bucholtz added. “These are things we really have the capacity to do something about.”
