Just in the last week, since the No Excuses campaign was unveiled, the need for proactive intervention could not be clearer. Not only were there more bloody protests and war across the Middle East, a Florida man beat his ex-wife unconscious in front of a judge in chambers, a high profile NFL player was stabbed by his wife, while more of Hollywood's talent publicly contend with their own domestic violence allegations and mishaps.
Add to that the disturbing murder/suicide, perpetrated by a mother in New York State earlier this month, where in the aftermath of an alleged domestic dispute, she intentionally drove her minivan into the Hudson River, drowning herself, and three of her four children.
It is without any doubt that every person involved in the above events had the motive of maintaining power over another person by the use of violence, and that the outcome was anything but humorous.
However, in providing a preventative slant on domestic violence and abuse, Kharas has robustly used humour to impart his global message. Most notably, while each situation of violence is unique and varied in perception from victim to perpetrator (everyone has their story), Kharas’ work justly fills the void where before, as Richard L. Davis purports, there was a lack of effective strategy.
While it is still often felt that the issues derived by the occurrence of domestic violence in contemporary society are anathema, the issue at hand in No Excuses is about how to stay personally in control so that no one has to feel the stigma that often goes hand in hand with domestic violence. In effect, let’s talk before it hurts, not after.
Hence, after careful consultation with a team of professionals in the field of domestic violence, Kharas has scripted his video shorts to provoke just enough cognitive dissonance in the viewer to provide a “catalyst to stimulate discussions in millions of households (Kharas, Culture Shift TV).” Without speaking down to anyone, the video shorts create a safe and a somewhat comfortable atmosphere to address the perpetrator’s abuse, rather than focusing on the aftermath, injuries and trauma of any one victim.
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