Welcome to Hell - SNL

I am not entirely certain if this counts as a song, but there is singing and a consistent beat so, I'm just going to say, yes. Yes because this song/skit performed by the Saturday Night Live (SNL) cast is pretty freaking poignant and important. "Welcome to Hell" is a commentary and parody, on the recent exposition of sexual predators within the entertainment community. Through clever satire and equally smart and ironic representation of women throughout the skit, SNL creates one of their best skits in years.

The scenery and blatant emphasis on the notion of "girly" is made apparent to represent the stereotype of women, that they are amenable, and focused on commodities provided to them by presumably a man. In this female world, we are also exposed to the very real, and commonly discussed stereotype, that women are constantly on the defense and looking over their shoulder for any possible unwanted sexual advances. The introduction in to the female world for men wasn't asked for, it was opened due to the revelations of "habitual predators" and the concern now over individuals once perceived to be wholesome or reputable are being deemed to be said habitual predators. What "Welcome to Hell" is commenting on is the fact that men are now being disgusted or feel that this is coming out of nowhere, with no prior history but, they would be mistaken.

"Why haven't these women said anything before?" A very presumptuous query that has been proposed by men, even one of my friends asked, "why is all this suddenly coming out now?" Well, not only is this something that has been going on for centuries but instead of asking "why now?" I think the response should be "Thank God." It's a progressive and important step to acknowledge openly that such predators exist and that we are not going to let them go unnoticed like Harvey Weinstein, Al Franken, or even Kevin Spacey. However, what "Welcome to Hell" is really trying to profess is the very real fact that women have been preyed on by these perverted sexual deviants.

This isn't something new, and fortunately for women it now cannot be ignored, but it is definitely unfortunate that such a reality where sexual assault is present is our own reality. The beauty of this song/skit is the fact that it is humorous and its humor is attainable while also making available the message and theme at hand. The viewer is not necessarily bombarded with the fact that women are treated terribly, which wouldn't be a bad thing to express openly, but it is tied along with the attention-grabbing comedy of the song/skit. This integration allows the viewer to be entertained but realize this is an issue and "Welcome to Hell" is promoting something bigger at hand.

I realize this is a change of pace and maybe not something you want to hear (in lieu of chill-ass songs) but it is extremely important that this song/skit is seen and heard and the message that sexual abuse is very real needs to be made apparent.

So please spread this song, or at least the message that sexual assault and abuse is real and must be addressed rather than swept under the rug.