With the past few weeks being about our collective legacies and the country and world that we have today -- and with Pioneer Day approaching -- I wanted to reference a speech of Brigham Young's calling the congregation to supply and rescue the Willie and Martin handcart companies:
“That is my religion; that is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess. It is to save the people. This is the salvation I am now seeking for. To save our brethren that would be apt to perish, or suffer extremely, if we do not send them assistance...“I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the Celestial Kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains.
https://www.ldsscriptureteachings.org/2016/12/brigham-youngs-october-1856-address/
It always stirs me. Having come across it recently, it stirred me again, and I had that feeling for no matter what changes in circumstances there have been, there are nonetheless so many people needing help, and there are things that we can do.
I can't exhort to that without being very specific, though, because too many members are all stirred up about that stupid movie.
I do not blame anyone for having an emotional reaction to thoughts of children in peril and being abused and being helped; I'm not a monster.
My problem is that Operation Underground Railroad's founder, Tim Ballard, has lied and exaggerated. I don't think all of his lies are conscious, but that doesn't keep them from being damaging.
One of the most notorious lies is the story of "Liliana", notable for being blatantly dishonest and a hugely successful fundraiser:
That lack of deep commitment to the truth is the kind of thing that can cause good intentions to lead to bad results. That can included additional trauma for children and creating demand for additional victims, and younger ones at that:
https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/05/sex-trafficking-raid-operation-underground-railroad.html
A lack of commitment to the truth also means supporting those who are promoting really false things that are politically motivated. People involved with this movie have ties to QAnon, and believe in Pizzagate and that Wayfair participates in child trafficking.
Even organizations that are supportive admit that the movie is not particularly accurate:
Part of that comes from much more trafficking happening with adolescents and adults than children, but a bigger part of that is how most trafficked people are brought into it by people they know: family and intimate partners. They have been victimized, but not abducted, and getting them to see the value in rescue could be hard. There are trafficking victims who are separated from their families, but in many cases those are LGBT youth who ended up vulnerable because their families kicked them out.
I deeply want children to be safe, as well as teens and adults. It will not happen by watching this movie and then paying the admission forward.
It's so comfortable to know that the bad guys are all outside and other, but it's not real.
We need to think more about the doting grandfather, or that one family that is so great, except that oldest daughter never could get it together, but the best families have things like that happen, right?
Yes, I suppose they do, but I know a grandfather who is in jail for molestation, and a good family where there was a sudden divorce and disappearance of that great father because his molestation came out, and other stories, too numerous to go into.
Yes, those feel terrible. It is awkward and uncomfortable, but do we want to protect? Do we want to help in saving and healing?
It may not feel heroic, but it will be what's needed.
No comments:
Post a Comment