Gresa Hasa: We Have Normalized Abuse on TV
Activist and feminist Gresa Hasa was part of the much followed “360 Grade” show in tonight’s edition and left the show a victim of flagrant verbal abuse and sexism.
During a turn of topic, Hasa excused herself from the panel discussion, saying that the conversation had taken on a conspiracy theory flavor and that she had nothing further to add. At this point, Sazan Guri began speaking over her and interrupting. She turned to him and asked him whether she was speaking to him personally, to which he replied : “No no, there’s no problem,” while extending his hands to her upper arm, grazing it and petting her in an attempt to calm her and win back her favor.
She visibly recoiled and said: “There’s no need to touch me.” It was then that Guri exploded in a tirade of personal attacks, asking Hasa “Who are you to tell us what the topic is and should be? You ask him (pointing at one of the guests), you summarize his biography while you yourself have none” in a loud, threatening and threatened voice, leaning towards her while shouting, with arms and hands extended towards Hasa. She asked him to stop shouting or else she would report him to the authorities.
Suddenly, seeing that his attempts had not resulted in changing her attitude nor in “softening” her, but the contrary – in hardening her stance – Guri proceeded to show his prowess by being even more condescending, letting her know that it is they – the male guests – who run this show:
” You behaved very nicely thus far. We allowed you. We respected you like the pretty girl you are. We respected you though, what else do you want…ohuuu ”
At which Hasa sniped back “As a pretty girl?!”
“Well what else do you want? Ohuu, you’re totally out of it,” continued Guri with loud hand gestures, only centimeters away from his female counterpart’s face, showing no regard for Hasa’s personal space and obviously only putting up with her for her beauty, as if she possessed no other merit worth respecting.
Seeing that the loud, threatening and condescending personal attacks weren’t enough, Guri attacked Hasa professionally too:
“Who are you? An activist of The Left. What a great activist you are ! You don’t posses a biography, a rep, ” shouted Guri in her face, hands extended again, patronizing mockery lining his voice.
“This is abuse. This is abuse on live television,” appealed Hasa to Artur Zheji, the host of the show, who countered with “He meant it in a paternal way, ” while leaning in a reclined position and grinning with other male guests.
“This is abuse, it’s an insult, it’s sexism,” continued Hasa, closing with : “We have normalized abuse on our televisions, that’s why we are the society we are.”
