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How To Not Enable Industry Predators
- pay attention & don't go with the flow. is everyone laughing about how one guy is just "like that"? be the guy who goes "wow that's fucked up"
- accept that predatory behaviour won't be obvious to you at first if you haven't experienced it
- pay attention & don't go with the flow. is everyone laughing about how one guy is just "like that"? be the guy who goes "wow that's fucked up"
- accept that predatory behaviour won't be obvious to you at first if you haven't experienced it
- start getting involved and intervening - NOT by immediately confronting someone you think might be predatory, but by centring the potential victim. ASK THEM IF THEY'RE OK & WHAT THE SITUATION IS. don't explain away a buddy's actions if they're making someone uncomfortable.
- pay attention pay attention pay attention and take action. I have been harassed directly in front of other people who stood by, watched, and in some cases made fun of me for it later. I have had people in the industry tell me about predatory people as a shrug and a warning.
- call out shitty behaviour and language when the affected people aren't in the room. I tell this story a lot but I worked on a set where multiple people in positions of power referred to me only as "the one with the tits" in convos with each other. anyone could have intervened.
- actively take steps not to perpetuate a predatory culture. no industry has to be just "like that." I absolutely participated in perpetuating that culture for a while when I first started. there is a pressure to fit in and not make waves. we can do better.
- practice interventional action and listen to what affected people are asking for. a lot of situations can be diffused and prevented by one person with clout and privilege just asking "what exactly are we doing here. what are you doing. is that appropriate? is that person okay?"
- do not rely on people affected by predatory behaviour to do all the work of dismantling that system. if you know someone is predatory and you're just standing by waiting for a victim to risk their career by filing a report about it, you're being an enabler.
- if you're in a hiring position, hire people who have spoken up. hire people who are vocal about these things. don't retweet them for clout then pass over their resume because they rock the boat, because they're "controversial." prioritize hiring people who address these issues.
- no artist's art is more valuable than the safety of other people. ever. if you think that way, think of all the people who have been driven from creative industries by predators. what about their art? what about their career? we are talking massive creative losses.
- don't wait to intervene until it's safe and comfortable for you. people are gonna push back. if you're genuine about wanting to change things, be prepared for that. don't make it the problem of the people who are most affected. don't see your intervention as a favour owing.
