Byron Hurt Coming to Denver

Mark your calendars! Byron Hurt-- well-known for his documentary "Beyond Beats and Rhymes"-- will be coming to the Auraria campus Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 1 pm!

Filmmaker Byron Hurt, a life-long hip-hop fan, was watching rap music videos on BET when he realized that each video was nearly identical. Guys in fancy cars threw money at the camera while scantily clad women danced in the background. As he discovered how stereotypical rap videos had become, Hurt, a former college quarterback turned activist, decided to make a film about the gender politics of hip-hop, the music and the culture that he grew up with. “The more I grew and the more I learned about sexism and violence and homophobia, the more those lyrics became unacceptable to me,” he says. “And I began to become more conflicted about the music that I loved.” The result is HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, a riveting documentary that tackles issues of masculinity, sexism, violence and homophobia in today’s hip-hop culture.

For more information about the film, click here.

If you are interested in attending, contact the MESA office!

NHL Punishes For "Sloppy Seconds" Remark

The National Hockey League responded very quickly following player Sean Avery's comments about his former girlfriend. Avery went on tape during an interview and said

"I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada. I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. Enjoy the game tonight."

The comment was directed towards another player, Dion Phaneuf, and Phaneuf's girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert, whom Avery used to date.

NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, responded:

"Mr. Avery has been warned repeatedly about his conduct and comments, which have too often been at odds with the manner in which his more than 700 fellow players conduct themselves. Playing in the National Hockey League is a privilege, requiring a high standard of personal behavior. Mr. Avery forfeits that privilege for six games. Mr. Avery has expressed remorse for his recent comments and has sought a professional anger management evaluation. I will require that he follow through with that process as a condition of his returning to the ice and that he complies with any and all recommendations."

This is a fantastically unprecedented punishment for sexism in the sports arena. As you might imagine, there are a lot of fans and sports writers who have criticized this move as "unnecessary" and "extreme". However, it has been very interesting to note that many of the older players have supported the suspension and also condemned the remarks.

Mike Domitrz, Executive Director of The Safe Dates Project, taped a youtube video response in support of the NHL's actions. It can be found here.