This comment is both a review of the film and a response to the comment left by "braindog."
The review aspect exists in the depth of the following argument. The issues raised by the film are painfully highlighted by braindog's comments.
Dear "Braindog,"
I went through a range of emotions as I read your comment on Twist of Faith. It began with anger, then disbelief, and finally pity. No, not pity for you. I don't know you at all. I feel pity for the endless line of children who are being sexually abused or will be in the years to come. A war on child sex abuse is like the war on terror or drugs; complete victory isn't possible, but that doesn't mean we stop fighting. Comments like yours are sheltered, insensitive, and dangerous. I pity the children who will be harmed because of a mindset like yours. The pedophile's best weapons come from other people. The public's silence, ignorance, and fear speaking against the popular view let pedophiles hide and endure because people won't attack child sex abuse head-on.
How old are you? How would you react if an authority figure, trusted, loved, friendly, advanced on you when you were 15? It's easier in today's instant-message, on-demand, Internet-savvy world to dismiss the filmmakers' stories. It is harmful to think that because teens "know" about sex that they are mature enough to make the right decisions or have the strength to make sense of an insane reality, even today when sex and teens are synonymous in pop culture.
Do you know the filmmakers? Do you know their families, go to their churches, attend their schools? I did. The film showed you the new reports, the testimonials, the tears, and the arraignments. What more did you want from it? This is a documentary, not a work of fiction.
When you're older and perhaps have a teen-aged child of your own, maybe you'll begin to understand how young they are, how impressionable and vulnerable they are. You comments sickened me. They are children, and they need to be protect. And they need to be believed.
The review aspect exists in the depth of the following argument. The issues raised by the film are painfully highlighted by braindog's comments.
Dear "Braindog,"
I went through a range of emotions as I read your comment on Twist of Faith. It began with anger, then disbelief, and finally pity. No, not pity for you. I don't know you at all. I feel pity for the endless line of children who are being sexually abused or will be in the years to come. A war on child sex abuse is like the war on terror or drugs; complete victory isn't possible, but that doesn't mean we stop fighting. Comments like yours are sheltered, insensitive, and dangerous. I pity the children who will be harmed because of a mindset like yours. The pedophile's best weapons come from other people. The public's silence, ignorance, and fear speaking against the popular view let pedophiles hide and endure because people won't attack child sex abuse head-on.
How old are you? How would you react if an authority figure, trusted, loved, friendly, advanced on you when you were 15? It's easier in today's instant-message, on-demand, Internet-savvy world to dismiss the filmmakers' stories. It is harmful to think that because teens "know" about sex that they are mature enough to make the right decisions or have the strength to make sense of an insane reality, even today when sex and teens are synonymous in pop culture.
Do you know the filmmakers? Do you know their families, go to their churches, attend their schools? I did. The film showed you the new reports, the testimonials, the tears, and the arraignments. What more did you want from it? This is a documentary, not a work of fiction.
When you're older and perhaps have a teen-aged child of your own, maybe you'll begin to understand how young they are, how impressionable and vulnerable they are. You comments sickened me. They are children, and they need to be protect. And they need to be believed.