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Lena Dunham and Kitty Genovese

April 19, 2016

 

When I was studying psychology we talked about the Kitty Genovese case. She was stabbed to death near her apartment complex in Queens, New York, in 1964. Today, everybody is talking about the case as an example of the abulia around, product of the indifference people feel for others in New York City.

Our professors’ analysis was completely different—Kitty Genovese’s death was the result of the diffusion of responsibility that occurs when there are too many people involved confronting an emergency. Everybody thinks that, because there are others witnessing the same thing, somebody is going to do something about it. As a consequence, nobody feels compelled to act.

Kitty Genovese was 29 years old, Lena Dunham’s age today. The case was brilliantly portrayed on Season 5 Episode 7 of Girls called Hello Kitty. I’m very impressed. The way they integrated Genovese’s story into their narrative made it real for new generations, and, somehow, they also managed to create awareness of the precariousness of human interactions.

The perpetrator died in jail recently, at 81 years old, and for many that would be the end of the story. But for new generations the basic idea to remember is that bad things can happen if we are not aware of our surroundings. Criminals of all kind, blue or white collar, can easily operate when people are ignorant or oblivious of what is going on around them. If we are knowledgable, pay attention, and do our part, many bad things can be prevented, being able to even redirect whatever that is toward a better understanding and a more honest human interrelation. Criminals act in the obscurity of the anonymity of cities. If we, as a society, manage to create an environment of transparency we will not only have more secure social surroundings, but we’ll also incentivize a non-violent, assertive response to possible future criminality.

On the other hand, this is the first time that I see in Girls an attempt to connect their story to history, which is, for me at least, a very good omen.

Lena, 29, is an extraordinary artist with a wonderful future in front of her. Kitty will always remain 29, in our collective memory, and my heart.

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