Thursday, October 26, 2006
Foley or the Media - Which is Harder to Stomach?
Response to
There are many important things that came out of the Catholic Church scandal, including:
- a greater awareness of how much sexual abuse is entrenched in every corner of society, even in the ones deemed the holiest;
- the first and only chance for many of the victims to put forth a lawsuit regarding their ordeal;
- the punishment for men who destroyed the well-being and lives of many vulnerable kids.
However, there are other aspects of the media coverage of the Catholic Church scandal that have been detrimental regarding the problem of sexual exploitation in society.
A recently released study has shown that 81% of the priest abusers exploited male adolescents, and not small (prepubescent) children - or girls. In the great majority of cases there was no physical violence involved, it was expressly a homosexual case of exploitation or abuse, not "pedophile" abuse (pedo as in children).
The media, which for the most part is obsessed with pro-homosexuality, insistently hid this fact from the public. Why is this a grave problem? Because awareness that homosexuals and bisexuals exploit minors is essential for action to be taken in every case where it occurs, just as awareness that priests abuse kids was necessary to break through the cloud of denial that often hanged in a Church cover-up. The same can be said regarding society's denial of women abusing children.
When many of the boys in the Catholic Church scandal tried to tell someone about their abuse, the reaction was often one of extreme denial. The Church and others would also attack the victim for suggesting "such a bad thing" about a priest. The Church's powerful lawyers often informally (and sometimes formally) bullied the victims into silence. In a set of attitudes and behaviors that profoundly mimics the Catholic Church hierarchy, pro-homosexuals often insist that homosexuals do not abuse minors, period. This is as monstrous a lie as saying that priests do not abuse minors, or that women don't either. What this creates is an environment of denial that makes it virtually impossible for other victims to come foward and seek justice.
Read this letter to the editors of Beaver County Times regarding the ACLU – written by Dan Reeping – Oct. 12, 2006:
You have pointed to how sickening Foley's mind is. What I find sickening is how much the media and society likes to narrow their attention to priest abusers. Are they joking to themselves that the only sexual exploiters of minors in the US are confined to the priesthood?
Pro-homosexuals also insist that the majority of abusers are heterosexual males. Although the assertion is disputable depending on the way the measurement is taken, or the population studied, the numbers game is besides the point. A case of abuse is not life-damaging because it produces one statistical number or another. Take the case of gender. A minor that is sexually abused by a woman does not suffer less than one abused by a man, even though women have a lower statistical total of perpetrators than males. The focus of attention should be on investigating perpetrators who are homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual, priests, rabbis, lay teachers, counselors, mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, coaches, that is, everyone. One category is not more special or more innocent than another. Even if the majority of perpetrators are male, does that mean, for example, that the victims of female perpetrators should be relegated to invisibility, silence, trivialization, and consequently, lack of justice?
Every time a pro-homosexual says homosexuals don't abuse minors, or that the majority of abusers are heterosexuals, what they are really doing is creating a climate of denial about the countless real cases that exist where the perpetrators are homosexuals and impeding preventive action. Similarly, compared to the millions of estimated abuse cases, only a tiny minority of sexual abusers are priests. Should we then divert attention from all the real cases where the perpetrators are priests and focus only on the big total of "lay men?" Are the victims less important because of the statistical total of their perpetrator category? Should we systematically erase the fact that such abusers are priests, just like the media has done with the homosexual factor in the Catholic Church and other cases?
This brings us to the tawdry PR excuse that this Republican leadership put forth. Let us not forget that most of these Republican leaders are libertarians, not social conservatives, which means they are quite pro-homosexuality, pro-pornography, and possibly pro-prostitution - as long as it's not publicly stated so. One of the Foley excuses put forth by the Republican leadership was saying that had they acted on the first ambiguous but non-sexually explicit Foley emails, the media would have tarred and feathered them as "homophobic." The latter part of the excuse is totally true, but responsible people do not go along with a cowardly media obsessed with pro-homosexuality - they fight it. Responsible people do not fail to investigate homosexual exploitation of minors because they are afraid of being slandered as "homophobic." Responsible people investigate both the possible homosexual exploitation and they denounce the dishonest manipulations of a pro-homosexual media that silence awareness regarding homosexual abuse.
I have no doubt the Republican leadership knew about Foley's sick homosexual mind and behavior, and, like the Catholic Church, preferred to turn a blind eye instead of taking firm and responsible measures. Now they want to find someone to blame, so it's all the liberal homosexuality-obsessed media's fault. It is not.
However, let us imagine that they had gone to the media with the first set of emails and made Foley resign. Can you imagine the "Gay Witch Hunt," "Republican Homophobia Hysteria," headlines that our dominant pro-homosexual media would have screamed? "Tar and feather" is an euphemism to what the media would have done to such Republicans. The media reaction would be one of extreme attack on the Republicans for suggesting "such a bad thing" about a homosexual. Because, just like Foley and the Catholic Church, the media may make all kinds of speeches blasting the exploitation of minors, but, like Foley, many of their actions or inactions are one of the cornerstones of the current system of sexual violence that exists in society. And this also includes the media's pro-homosexual attitudes which destroy awareness that homosexuals and bisexuals are, like other categories, abusers and exploiters. The media, by creating a climate of denial and silence, is profoundly failing the countless victims of harassment, exploitation, or abuse where the perpetrators are non-heterosexuals.
And this is just as sickening as what Foley has done.
(alessandrab.blogspot.com)
"Howard Goodman: Naked confessions of Foley's priest are hard to stomach - Now, that's a relief: It was only saunas and massages in the nude, skinny-dipping and fondling."
Sunday Oct 22 | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
There are many important things that came out of the Catholic Church scandal, including:
- a greater awareness of how much sexual abuse is entrenched in every corner of society, even in the ones deemed the holiest;
- the first and only chance for many of the victims to put forth a lawsuit regarding their ordeal;
- the punishment for men who destroyed the well-being and lives of many vulnerable kids.
However, there are other aspects of the media coverage of the Catholic Church scandal that have been detrimental regarding the problem of sexual exploitation in society.
A recently released study has shown that 81% of the priest abusers exploited male adolescents, and not small (prepubescent) children - or girls. In the great majority of cases there was no physical violence involved, it was expressly a homosexual case of exploitation or abuse, not "pedophile" abuse (pedo as in children).
The media, which for the most part is obsessed with pro-homosexuality, insistently hid this fact from the public. Why is this a grave problem? Because awareness that homosexuals and bisexuals exploit minors is essential for action to be taken in every case where it occurs, just as awareness that priests abuse kids was necessary to break through the cloud of denial that often hanged in a Church cover-up. The same can be said regarding society's denial of women abusing children.
When many of the boys in the Catholic Church scandal tried to tell someone about their abuse, the reaction was often one of extreme denial. The Church and others would also attack the victim for suggesting "such a bad thing" about a priest. The Church's powerful lawyers often informally (and sometimes formally) bullied the victims into silence. In a set of attitudes and behaviors that profoundly mimics the Catholic Church hierarchy, pro-homosexuals often insist that homosexuals do not abuse minors, period. This is as monstrous a lie as saying that priests do not abuse minors, or that women don't either. What this creates is an environment of denial that makes it virtually impossible for other victims to come foward and seek justice.
Read this letter to the editors of Beaver County Times regarding the ACLU – written by Dan Reeping – Oct. 12, 2006:
" The writer [of Thursday's editorial "Blind Eye" ] does not understand the legal problems the superintendent of the pretend school district would be subject to if he started an investigation of a gay teacher or gay person without iron-clad proof of sexual activity.
If the superintendent would start an investigation of a gay with e-mails similar to those sent by Foley (before the text messages), the ACLU would bring suit immediately against the superintendent, and the district would pay millions.
The e-mails did not demonstrate any real indication of being of a sexual nature. Therefore, any questions or suggestions using these e-mails that a gay communicating with a student was improper would be considered harassment of a gay.
By law, the superintendent must have a blind eye until he has proof of a crime. That isn't the way it should be, but that's the law. "
You have pointed to how sickening Foley's mind is. What I find sickening is how much the media and society likes to narrow their attention to priest abusers. Are they joking to themselves that the only sexual exploiters of minors in the US are confined to the priesthood?
Pro-homosexuals also insist that the majority of abusers are heterosexual males. Although the assertion is disputable depending on the way the measurement is taken, or the population studied, the numbers game is besides the point. A case of abuse is not life-damaging because it produces one statistical number or another. Take the case of gender. A minor that is sexually abused by a woman does not suffer less than one abused by a man, even though women have a lower statistical total of perpetrators than males. The focus of attention should be on investigating perpetrators who are homosexual, bisexual, heterosexual, priests, rabbis, lay teachers, counselors, mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, coaches, that is, everyone. One category is not more special or more innocent than another. Even if the majority of perpetrators are male, does that mean, for example, that the victims of female perpetrators should be relegated to invisibility, silence, trivialization, and consequently, lack of justice?
Every time a pro-homosexual says homosexuals don't abuse minors, or that the majority of abusers are heterosexuals, what they are really doing is creating a climate of denial about the countless real cases that exist where the perpetrators are homosexuals and impeding preventive action. Similarly, compared to the millions of estimated abuse cases, only a tiny minority of sexual abusers are priests. Should we then divert attention from all the real cases where the perpetrators are priests and focus only on the big total of "lay men?" Are the victims less important because of the statistical total of their perpetrator category? Should we systematically erase the fact that such abusers are priests, just like the media has done with the homosexual factor in the Catholic Church and other cases?
This brings us to the tawdry PR excuse that this Republican leadership put forth. Let us not forget that most of these Republican leaders are libertarians, not social conservatives, which means they are quite pro-homosexuality, pro-pornography, and possibly pro-prostitution - as long as it's not publicly stated so. One of the Foley excuses put forth by the Republican leadership was saying that had they acted on the first ambiguous but non-sexually explicit Foley emails, the media would have tarred and feathered them as "homophobic." The latter part of the excuse is totally true, but responsible people do not go along with a cowardly media obsessed with pro-homosexuality - they fight it. Responsible people do not fail to investigate homosexual exploitation of minors because they are afraid of being slandered as "homophobic." Responsible people investigate both the possible homosexual exploitation and they denounce the dishonest manipulations of a pro-homosexual media that silence awareness regarding homosexual abuse.
I have no doubt the Republican leadership knew about Foley's sick homosexual mind and behavior, and, like the Catholic Church, preferred to turn a blind eye instead of taking firm and responsible measures. Now they want to find someone to blame, so it's all the liberal homosexuality-obsessed media's fault. It is not.
However, let us imagine that they had gone to the media with the first set of emails and made Foley resign. Can you imagine the "Gay Witch Hunt," "Republican Homophobia Hysteria," headlines that our dominant pro-homosexual media would have screamed? "Tar and feather" is an euphemism to what the media would have done to such Republicans. The media reaction would be one of extreme attack on the Republicans for suggesting "such a bad thing" about a homosexual. Because, just like Foley and the Catholic Church, the media may make all kinds of speeches blasting the exploitation of minors, but, like Foley, many of their actions or inactions are one of the cornerstones of the current system of sexual violence that exists in society. And this also includes the media's pro-homosexual attitudes which destroy awareness that homosexuals and bisexuals are, like other categories, abusers and exploiters. The media, by creating a climate of denial and silence, is profoundly failing the countless victims of harassment, exploitation, or abuse where the perpetrators are non-heterosexuals.
And this is just as sickening as what Foley has done.
(alessandrab.blogspot.com)
