Sham Wow Won't Clean Up EVERY Mess

TRIGGER WARNING - So the Sham Wow Guy (SWG), real name Vince Shlomi (can't tell which moniker is worse), violently beat up a sex worker last month after she bit his tongue while kissing. This is 100% awful and the extent of the violence is shocking, as the Smoking Gun reports that she sustained facial fractures and lacerations all over her face. And here's a dose of quease-inducing coincidence, the attack happened on February 7th, one day before Chris Brown brutally attacked his girlfriend Rhianna.

Somehow, though, SWG beating up a sex worker didn't make the news in the same way, only trickling out this weekend as a novelty story. All posts about it have so far seemed to be more about Sham Wow and less about how this is a serious violent crime against a woman. Why haven't we heard about this until now? Probably because common views of sex workers are that they as disposable and deserving of the violence that plagues them. Lest we forget the words of serial prostitute killer, Gary Ridgeway, "I picked prostitutes as victims because they were easy to pick up without being noticed. I knew they would not be reported missing right away and might never be reported missing. I picked prostitutes because I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without getting caught."

Severe? Sure, but reflections of this way of thinking can be seen in something as ubiquitous as the Grand Theft Auto series, during which your male character can rape and kill prostitutes. Do we all actively want or support violence against this population? Of course not, but there is a bigger question here. When it comes to sex workers, do we notice or care when these violent acts happen?

MTV is Still Helpful Sometimes...Kinda

Hey MTV, by now you've probably figured out that the generation that made you thrive is now too fed up with your shenanigans to even hate your guts, they're just over you entirely. At best you're kitsch, and at worst you provide a super unhealthy view of relationships and reward old gender stereotypes. So you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to see your website highlight domestic and dating violence as a response to Chris Brown abusing his girlfriend, Rihanna, this past Sunday. It takes me back to the days when you were all about being on our side, and you always had hip little public service announcements for us to learn and grow from.

So thanks for speaking up and spreading some awareness about an issue that is often kept hush hush. You cater to the youth, MTV, it's nice to see you taking some responsibility for that once in awhile. I like how you address the pattern of violence by looking back to a 2007 interview with Chris speaking openly about growing up in an abusive household. DV is a learned behavior that can be curbed with awareness, education, and speaking out, and you do a good job of illustrating that. But, you should have been more clear about how dating and domestic violence specifically is about power and control, and is part of a larger cycle of violence. Also, and perhaps most importantly,when you title your articles "What To Do If You're A Victim Of Domestic Violence," you should probably think of some, y'know, things to do...you left that part out and mostly just talked about some other things. Close though. If nothing else, MTV, just give out a hotline # it's quick, easy, and totz effective. Like this: If you or anyone you know is dealing with intimate partner violence and you wanna talk about it call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY).

The News Finally Calls It What It Is: R&B Star Chris Brown Faces Felony Charges for DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Either the news media felt my stink eye, or this case is a lot more cut and dry for their taste. But whatever the reason CNN, People Magazine, The New York Times, and others are reporting that Chris Brown was arrested and being investigated for domestic violence battery, most likely (though not yet confirmed) against his girlfriend Rihanna. Both were scheduled to perform at the Grammys last night, but both canceled. Her reps blame a car accident for what some are saying are bruises on her face, though that isn't fooling FOX News. FOX gets a special shout out today for covering this attack in the most obscene way possible for mainstream news. Their aptly "clever" title for this story, "Grammy Night: Hits and Hitting" really sums up the way in which their lack of tact is not just reserved for talking about liberal whiny pants. They go onto describe the "brutal altercation" as one that "possibly" caused "a broken nose and/or jaw." Then they later call it a "domestic dispute." How can one source be equally minimizing and sensationalizing at the same time? Perhaps the bigger question here is why did I even think that looking at FOX News was legitimate? I'd also like to point out that MSNBC was pretty into hemming and hawing around using the term domestic violence as well. So the "mainstream cable news award for accurately and unapologetically reporting on domestic violence" goes to CNN! Congrats for not being entirely worthless sometimes!

*Related story: Domestic Dispute My Ass!