ann curry interviewed members of the FLDS church in Texas where the huge raid was carried out last month. one mother interviewed has not seen her sons in 37 days and has only seen her daughters once in that time.
this interview used questions from the public that were emailed to the today show. so, after asking the members of the community for a definition of abuse, ann asked, "if you knew there was abuse happening on the ranch, would you do something to stop it?"
that question is demeaning and condescending. a basic human assumption we make about each other is that we will stop suffering if we can. we tend to think of people who are equal to us as good people who would never stand for something like abuse. so why then is it an appropriate question to ask these FLDS parents if they would stop abuse?
i do not agree with much, if any, of the theology of the FLDS church (what I know of it) and certainly a lot of their practices. i do not know how to feel about the raid. but, i hate to see people demeaned for their faith. there is this cultural assumption that people who believe anything outside the religious norm (this is different depending on where you are) are stupid. i felt like ann talked to these parents like they were stupid. of course they would stop abuse. if you push them, they are not going to change their minds and admit it. and even if they wouldn't stop abuse, they would not admit that on national television.
in this country, in public, it is still okay to treat people differently based on their religious beliefs. why?
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Also, this kind of "What were you thinking?" arrogance is just hubris.
It's like Christians who think themselves better than the idol-worshipping followers of Moses. I'd like to see some of them wander around for forty years in the desert and not lose faith.
I'd also like to see some of these self-righteous folk actually try to leave an abusive relationship or withstand torture for a cause.
We are all human. Most of us are weak, even though we judge others whose weakness is tested.
I have lofty ideals and know in theory what I should do, but I also know that I am weak, and in the face of danger, will flee; in the face of injustice, might not speak up; in the midst of torture, will confess whatever's asked of me; stuck in an abusive relationship, will find it hard to leave.
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