Apparently, pedaphilia has a platform. Warren Jeffs is serving a 20 year life sentence because his direct line to God malfunctioned during the part where God said having sex with children is also a sin. Jeff’s, a former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints polygamist cult was convicted of taking two 12 year olds as child brides and having sex with them.
In the reality show Escaping the Prophet, Flora Jessops’ crusade to help young people escape from cults is documented. Jessops was once a follower of a cult and accused her father of sexual abuse. These allegations were not acted upon by the local police and Jessop’s was had to protect herself and her young daughters all on her lonesome. Now, having extricated herself from that nightmare, she has dedicated herself to helping others do the same. She came into possession of a tape used in Warren Jeff’s trial in which Jeff’s rape of a young girl is audible. During the playing of the tape, a young man named Brandon couldn’t take listening to the torture any longer and begged Flora to end it. Brandon’s shocking claim that Jeffs said the exact same things to him while he was being abused was enough to make one’s blood freeze in their veins.
For the record, I think helping other victims to one’s own detriment is commendable. Helping victims of crime especially sex crimes get out of horrible situations is just amazing and speaks to a persons character. I am however concerned about the fact this these victims stories are on television by way of a reality show. Te last thing that needs to be sensationalized to any degree is child rape. Once I saw the movie Sleepers and had nightmares for almost a year. There was an A list cast and the story was engaging but something about that movie haunted and horrified me. Some subject matter is entirely too sensitive to be fodder for the masses; especially since with reality shows the authenticity and financial motives of the participants is always In question. I find it very disturbing that the cast of this show all have imdb profiles, this is child rape and cult behavior we’re discussing here, this isn’t America’s Top Model for the love of everything holy. There are better more respectable ways to get awareness for this issue. I just don’t think the suffering of children should hold entertainment value of any degree or satisfy anyone’s morbid curiosity. It shouldn’t take seeing Brandon break down over his abuse to stir folks to action and it sure as hell shouldn’t entertain them, his life isn’t a soap opera its real pain and real tragedy. Personally, I could have gone my whole life not seeing that pain by way of a tawdry reality Tv confessional. To Catch a Predator is more my style. Real monsters are caught BEFORE they hurt anyone and I think if television is the vehicle that’s the best way to go. Pain that has already been inflicted should be allowed to heal with therapy and help, not subjected to the bright lights of reality TV. Please by all means producers and participants, stop these monsters from praying on young children, but not on television and certainly not on a reality show… just no.