A Shark in the Colosseum
More than 2,000 years after the first naumachia, a new one is presented, proving that patriarchal pursuits are alive and well. When will we end the normalization of violence—especially as spectacle?
I’ve never thought much about the design of live events at resorts. Starting the year in the Dominican Republic—the power dynamics palpable at most vacation destinations, especially in Punta Cana—the person or team in charge of programming at this particular resort thought it appropriate, funny even, to simulate a Jaws-inspired action thriller “movie” in the pool. One Black female staff member pretended to be Rihanna (dressed in a bikini with one of her anthems blaring from the speakers), and a few other staffers dressed like superheroes. Points for mash-up creativity, I thought.
I’m not sure which was more jarring—the scream of the woman as she was attacked by the purple-finned “shark,” the thudding smacks as it thrashed her about in the water, or the violence that ensued as each of the superheroes—Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Superman—were defeated one by one by the shark. The activating scenes centered squarely amid our relaxing, poolside experience.
I noticed the men in the audience cheering, some commenting positively on the amount of action in this cinematic recreation. The women looked on, mostly silent. I can only imagine what the Black women in and around the pool felt in their bodies. The seemingly collective freeze response, potentially activated by traumatic, violent experiences—their own, their mothers’, their ancestors. Many may have been frozen by the idea that violence against women was a thing to be mocked, supposedly made light by the buoyancy of the water and wind-swayed palm trees above.
Zooming out, what upset me beyond this clear lack of trauma-aware leadership was the spectacle of the interwoven violence and power dynamics at play. The majority of the guests were white, while all of the staff actors were Black or Brown.
For some reason, I was transported to the Roman Colosseum, where the citizens would watch and cheer while animals from exotic lands battled one another or enslaved gladiators for sport. All for the amphitheater entertainment of the dominant group, the wealthiest of all seated closest to the action.
Did you know that the Colosseum was filled with water by a select few emperors, who created elaborate battle scenes between sea creatures and gladiators? These were rare but special events based on the first recorded naumachia (mock sea fight) presented by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. when he had a lake specially excavated for this purpose.1,2
I emailed the entire leadership team of Karisma, the parent organization that ran the resort. I invited them to engage in trauma-informed leadership and a clearer, heart-bound understanding of how their decisions impact those who have chosen their facility as a place of rest and joy—what their own PR firm calls “light-hearted fun and escapism.”3
It’s 2024. One in three women globally experience violence4 (one in two if you’re transgender or nonbinary5). While men experience violence in various ways, they are more likely than women to perpetrate nearly all types of interpersonal violence.6 If we continue to remain silent about the oppression of and violence against womxn—and particularly womxn of color—then we are complicit in its perpetuation.
My own body, white, genderfluid, and queer, felt the impact of witnessing a violent experience for the sake of crowd entertainment—approved either directly or indirectly by cisgender, heterosexual, able-bodied men in positions of power.
It’s been 2,070 years since the first naumachia. If leaders continue to prioritize profits, the spectacle of violence, numbing trauma with alcohol and other forms of escapism, and the overall status quo comfort of oppression, how can humanity ever evolve? In the midst of political divide and racial unrest in the U.S., active genocide in several parts of the world, and a global climate crisis, when will we collectively wake up?
I believe the time will come when we believe in ourselves enough to desire access to higher forms of consciousness. To get there, we need leaders to get on board now of their own volition. It can no longer be about personal legacy or bravado-laden billions. Leaders need to wake up, heal, and use their power to reroute the direction of humanity. They have the power; they need to be willing to make more courageous decisions.
Update: I received the following email response on 1/10/24. That was followed by a phone call from Karisma’s head of PR on 1/11/24, in which I was asked to describe the experience and was assured that the event would be removed from resort programming.
Dear Mrs Campbell,
Thank you for your time and detailed explanation of the live event programmed at [Karisma].
As you highlighted our entertainment must focus on lighthearted fun and escapism.
Your comments and views are highly appreciated.
We will address it internally to modify it accordingly.
Once again thank you for informing us with such professional vision.
Sincerely,
Daniel Lozano
Vice President Operations
Karisma Hotels & Resorts
https://academic.mu.edu/meissnerd/colosseum.html
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/naumachia.html
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/now-open-margaritaville-island-reserve-cap-cana-welcomes-guests-with-laid-back-luxury-in-the-dominican-republic-301417050.html
https://www.who.int/news/item/09-03-2021-devastatingly-pervasive-1-in-3-women-globally-experience-violence
https://reports.hrc.org/an-epidemic-of-violence-2022
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4643362/