You might have thought Netflix showcased the greatest miscarriage of justice in American history with the screening of Making A Murderer, but it appears the tv network is about to go a whole level deeper into the world of psychological entertainment with a documentary called Audrie & Daisy. The film tells the story of two teenage girls who were sexually assaulted and depicts the intense emotional trauma they receive from public shaming in the aftermath of their attacks.

In hindsight I feel this film should come with a viewer warning, as it peels back the paper thin layers of a sensitive fifteen year old girl, Audrie Pott, who hangs herself without leaving a note, and before your tears dry it travels through every fibre of your body as it retells the story of Daisy Coleman, who at the age of fourteen was raped and left for dead by senior high school students.

Prepare to be emotionally outraged, you are about to relive a young girls last breath, to shoulder the cross of blame culture in America, this film will make you question your faith, if you have a teenage daughter you will crumble in fear for her safety. 

The documentary is such a compelling watch it will have you stomping the dust at your feet like a bull in a rodeo, it will prod you into an intense fury before leaving you helpless and at an absolute loss as to why the law doesn’t protect minors from rape the way it should.

It will leave you wanting to reach out to the victims of cyber bullying and suicide. Screenshots of social media messages such as “Kiss my closing eyes, help me sleep” express the anguish and suffering these young girls endured, messages which will break your heart.  

There are many lessons to be learned from this film, such as young girls like to gossip, that you should never drink from the bitch cup, and that all victims of rape need to be heard. They need to be heard and supported. Their voice needs to be so loud that men, be they adolescent or otherwise, know that there is no excuse for attacking, abusing, or shaming women. Their voice needs to be carried by all those who want their daughters to feel safer than Liam Neeson’s first child.

“We can’t ignore an army of voices, the words of our enemies aren’t as awful as the silence of our friends” Daisy Coleman
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Illustration by Jesse Lenz

Walking the streets of Dublin these days it’s become clear that there has been an increase in the level of homeless people on our streets.

Most people view the homeless as unsightly, as beggars, thieves, drug addicts, or as a wretched louse beyond help.

It’s this attitude towards homeless people that represents a tear in the fabric of modern society.

When we discard people who are in most need of our help we fail as a community and society hurts in the long run.

How we can walk by and ignore a person on the street without realising they suffer is beyond me. How people can laugh at their plight is not just cruel but immoral. Their daily agony is one of survival and despair. One in three homeless people in Ireland has attempted suicide, and this figure increases to one in two among those with a mental health condition.

The average age of death for homeless men is 42 and for homeless women 38. From 2011 to 2014, 16 homeless people died on the streets and 41 in homeless services.

If you can’t help at least be kind, don’t disrespect someone when you don’t know their story, and if you can help - please do.
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“Some people look down on me because I am homeless. But who are they to judge? For I bleed the same blood, and I breathe the same air, so how can anyone judge me? For no one in life is perfect. So if you can help in any way, I will be very grateful” Steven Meaney (artist).