Crazy kids….

Beliebers and Directioners, what’s wrong with them?

Male singers and boy bands have always had legions of screaming fans. New Kids on the Block, Westlife, Boys to Men, even way back in the age of The Beatles and Elvis, girls were crying hysterically and fainting at the sight of their chosen singing Idol. Girls packed airports, hoping to catch a glimpse of their crush as they landed for a tour. They saved for weeks to buy tickets to see them in concert. Groupies devised ways to get a little closer to their chosen tasty treat. There’s all kinds of movies depicting what went on behind the scenes of bands that catered to the 18-30 crowd.

But I wonder if women were always this psycho and bitchy about bands, or if we’re only just now seeing it because of social media. Did our mothers threaten to kill another girl because Elvis smiled at her. Did we tell a girl to kill herself because Marky Mark said hi to her at a party?

It seems like every week there’s an article about Beliebers or Directions mass hounding someone because they went on a date, said hi to, or unbelievably, because they were retweeted… Yes, Beliebers are threatening death because a girl got retweeted and she wasn’t a previous fan.

Seriously girls, get a grip. I hate to break it to you, but no matter how much you think you’re in love with a singer, he’s probably never, ever going to go out with you. Even if you were to meet, the first time they see you flip out and go all cavewoman on another chick he’s talking to, he’s not going to just ditch you, there’s going to be some serious restraining orders against you.

Now, in some cases, singers do go out with regular girls. The Hanson brothers all married groupies, I mean, girls they met at concerts. Maybe boys these days are better, but it wasn’t long ago that singers would be married, but still be tapping everything they could on the road. Do you really want to be with a guy who isn’t faithful? I don’t care how famous someone is, if they’re not keeping it in their pants, it ain’t worth it. There’s way too many gross things out there that don’t wash off…

Then there’s the question of how are these kids on social media and issuing death threats without getting a serious whipping from their parents? Shouldn’t parents be monitoring their social media use? How are girls on Facebook and Twitter and just going all kinds of crazy? Parents need to be monitoring their children’s social media use. They need to explain to their daughters that it’s not OK to tell another girl to kill herself, or threaten to kill her because she was seen with a singer.

Parents should also be monitoring their kids social media for other reasons. There are just as many psycho cyber stalkers targeting these young girls as there are young girls targeting other young girls. While the girls are going crazy, there are devious men out there who will use social media to try to groom girls online. There are people who will hound a celebrity, hoping to get a message back, then make it look like they know a celebrity. The young girls will be naive enough to talk to the pervert, thinking there’s some connection there. In some cases, girls are kidnapped because they believe the creep and will agree to meet somewhere, thinking it will lead to meeting the celebrity.

Girls, if you have been contacted online by some perv pretending to be friends with a celebrity, it’s not real. Tell your parents. Tell the police. Remember you’re not the only one being targeted. The pedo is going to be trying to contact lots of girls, hoping one will fall for his bullshit. I hear of girls who don’t want to tell their parents when they’ve been contacted by someone online who turns out to be scamming them, because they’re worried about losing rights to social media. But I need you to tell people if this happens to you. You need to know you’re not the only one targeted, and someone else may not be as smart as you and find out before they get hurt. I know you’re fighting over trying to get to the boy, but you will feel terrible if another girl really is raped and killed because she believed a boy online could get her to a celebrity. Never believe someone who contacts you online pretending to be able to hook you up. If someone online engages in inappropriate conversation with you, take a screenshot of it, and show it to your parents. Parents, observe your kids online behaviour and make sure they’re not being targeted by internet predators.

Be nice to each other, and be safe online.

October 30, 2012October 30, 2012

Creating our own monsters

What happens when you make someone untouchable?

Tomorrow is Halloween in the US. Its a time when all the networks show scary movies. People dress up as ghouls and goblins and other frightening fare. The last couple years outfits like Priests with altar boys attached have started surfacing….

Hollywood makes lots of scary characters. Untouchable demons. Hideous creatures that terrify children. I was most afraid of Stephen Kings It. I couldn’t walk over a storm drain for years and had a fear of clowns. Years later, I watched It again. It was cheesy and no longer terrifying, but I could see what scared me. The undercurrent of predation on small children.

stephen-king-it-tim-curry — It talking to kids from the storm drain

FreddyKrueger2010 — Freddy Krueger. Wes Craven thought a child molester was scarier than a child killer...

A couple years ago, they remade the Freddy Krueger movies. We went to see it at the cinema right after I went public. I didn’t know that Wes Craven had changed Freddy from being a child molester to a pedophile. It was very weird watching it while going through all the hoopla. It was very emotional. Wes said when he originally wrote the films, Freddy was meant to be a pedophile, but the studio didn’t like it, as there was a series of high profile cases of molestation at the time. When they re-did it, he made it the way he wanted it, saying that a child molester was the worst thing he could think of.

But what happens when studios create real life monsters? Or when society lets people develop into an untouchable persona?

People wonder how it can be that people like Jerry Sandusky or Jimmy Savile could have molested so many kids and gotten away with it for so long. The problem is, as a society, we’ve created these monsters. We’ve allowed them to operate untouched. We’ve given them access to our kids and let them know it was OK for them to do it.

r-JERRY-SANDUSKY-large570 — Jerry Sandusky. People knew he was raping young boys, but he was still untouchable.

Look at Sandusky. He was in football. He was built up to be this greater than life human. When someone stepped up to say maybe he wasn’t so great, they were hushed. They were told not to rock the legacy. Which just made him even more powerful. It gave him a power trip to know he could get away with it.

Jimmy Savile was some creepy looking dude with bad teeth. The studios built him up to be an icon. Along the way, as he was molesting girls, anyone who dared speak up was shut down. They were told he’s Jimmy Savile. That’s just part of his persona. Which just made him even more untouchable.

Roman Polaski raped a young girl. Violently. He was

supposed to do time, but then fled the country. However, all these useless Hollyweird types keep insisting he should be forgiven because he’s an artiste.

There’s another guy called Victor Salva. He was sent to prison because he’d been busted filming himself during acts of oral sex and rape with a 12 year old boy, but he was allowed to work with kids again, making movies like Powder, for Disney. Yes, the same Disney that’s aimed at kids and has a whole spate of pedophile rumors swirling around them.

Outside of Hollywood, society does the same thing. Instead of cutting someone down while the allegations are fresh and before a person becomes untouchable, we build people up to become nightmares. People won’t dare question a priest who spends extra time with kids. Boy Scout leaders are just doing their best for their troops. Soccer coaches are just paying extra attention to the gifted kids. If the pedo is also into charity, like Sandusky or Savile, they’re built into Sainthood. You can’t speak out because you’ll be responsible for that charity not getting any money. Which the pedo works out is another great tool to blackmail his victims into not talking.

We need to stop canonizing Pedophiles. We need to stop thinking it’s ok for someone to be touching kids because they do good things for other kids. They’re not helping kids. They’re using them as a cover to get to kids.

People were so scared of Jimmy Savile that the full story didn’t come out till after he was dead. Meanwhile, he’d become such a larger than life figure that he’s gotten a medal from the Queen. People knew he was raping young girls and they kept it quiet because they didn’t want to ruin his image.

Jerry Sandusky was raping children in the showers and in his basement. But he was helping kids become footballers.

gary_glitter — Gary Glitter. Once a pop star to being arrested on child porn and molestation charges.

What the fuck is wrong with people? How about we start outing people before they get to that point where people are scared shitless to say anything against them. How about we not empower these predators?

Why don’t we stop watching films made by filthy scum like Roman Polanski? I don’t give a shit if he directs films. Give me a loud speaker and a crew and I’ll direct a film. I promise I won’t rape anyone while I do it.

What scares me the most in all these cases that are coming out is just how many people knew what was going on. So many people were aware of allegations, or had witnessed the abuse firsthand. So many people who were in positions where they could have said something. They could have put a stop to it. All these people were intimidated, and only contributed to making the pedophile and even bigger monster. They turned them into real life Freddy Kruegers.

October 29, 2012

Mr. Snuffleupagus

Snuffy, or the big hairy elephant in the room…

Remember Sesame Street? It’s all over the news now again thanks to the Presidential Elections. I was at Starbucks the other day, and the lady in front of me in line was making a reference to Sesame Street and Big Bird. Then she said something about Snuffy being invisible. I pointed out that they made him visible to the adults in the end. She said really, Why? I said it was something to do with the producers of the show wanting him to be visible because they were worried about pedophilia and kids not being believed. She said that sounded silly, and that pedophilia wasn’t that big a deal. Certainly not big enough to make a whole change on the show. I wanted to point out that it was probably a big deal to the 1 in 5 kids that’s a victim of child abuse, but instead I just grabbed my latte and thought about how little people care about issues that affect so many people. How swept under the carpet that child abuse is. How so many people just think because it didn’t hapen to them, that it’s not a big deal. About how basic human rights are like oxygen, it’s not a big deal until you’re not getting any.

As a kid, all the campaigns were focused on “Stranger Danger”. Kids were taught not to accept lollies from creepy men in cars. We shouldn’t talk to men in trenchcoats in the park. We shouldn’t believe someone who says Mum or Dad came to pick us up. They never taught kids what to do when someone in the own family was the creepy man hurting them… Nobody wants to face the fact that someone in their own family may be an abuser. People will just say, Oh don’t worry anout Uncle Fred. He’s just affectionate. Uncle Tom is just a bit handsy. Uncle Peter just likes to play tickle games. Kids aren’t told that when they go to family functions they have the option of NOT hugging their Uncle, or their cousin, or that family friend they don’t like for some reason. They’re told to sit on their lap for a family photo. When a child protests, they’re passed off as being grunpy or silly. The adults don’t want to listen. Which teaches the kids that the adults are allowed to do whatever they want to them. Because the adults don’t want to believe, and even if they do, it’s not polite to say anything. Which just makes the abuser bolder, while making the kids weaker.

TWO out of three child abuse survivors who contacted a helpline were harmed by a member of their immediate family, with just 2 per cent hurt by a stranger, research shows. A further one in four victims was harmed by a member of their extended family, one in eight by a family friend and one in 10 by a member of a religious group. Teachers were responsible for 5 per cent of child abuse, the research found. It is estimated between four and five million Australian adults are survivors of childhood trauma. Here’s the link to the News.com.au article.

It’s time that the Stranger Danger campaigns were swapped for a more realistic one. We also need to be teaching adults and not just kids. We need to teach adults that if a child is trying to tell them that they aren’t comfortable around an adult, that maybe there’s a reason for that. Maybe they just get a quirky feeling from them, just like we as adults get a bad vibe from people. However, if a kid doesn’t want to hug that person, or sit on their lap, it’s important that we don’t force them to. Tell them it’s OK. Teach them that their body is theirs, and nobody has the right to be in their personal space. If you don’t like that creepy uncle who refuses to shake your hand and insists on hugging you, even when you’ve made it clear you don’t like it, why is it then OK to allow a kid to have their personal space invaded in the same way? If your kids suddenly start hating going to Grandpa’s, or they decide they don’t like going to Boy Scouts, ask them why. Listen. Use your insticts. Don’t just ignore the issue because “it’s not polite” to say no to a hug. Don’t just ignore that someone is being innapropriate with your kids because you just don’t want to face reality. Too many adults just ignore the whole issue because “it’s messy”. Too many kids who were abused grow up and just let it happen to the next generation because they survived it, so it must just be a part of life, and their kids will survive it too. Or worse, they’ve just put themselves in such a state of denial, that just like Snuffy, who Big Bird insisted was there for 17 seasons, was not seen, because the adults just chose not to see him. They saw the effects of Snuffy, and kept blaming it on other things, or using the Snuffy excuse as a scapegoat. Finally though, Big Bird worked out how to get the adults to see that Snuffy was real. Finally the adults believed in Snuffy. Believe in Snuffy. He’s real, and so is child absue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Snuffleupagus

January 10, 2012

Hollywood is starting to oust it’s predators

Former Child Stars are speaking up

I’m so excited that Corey Feldman is going to start naming people in his new book. I am a little worried he’s going to suffer some terrible “accident” or overdose right before its release. Hollywood doesn’t like those that start talking about what goes on behind the scenes.

I also saw this article today in the Los Angeles Times about Child Sex Abuse Cases.

In true creepy Hollywood style, this guy gives a big smile for his mugshot...

It seems that people are no longer OK with the notion of “it’s just a part of the industry, and you have to accept it if you want to be a part of it”. That’s bullshit. Child Molestation should never be a part of the industry, and no one should ever have to tolerate it.

It’s never OK to touch a child. It’s never OK to use your position in the industry to satisfy your sick needs. Child actors are not toys, they’re not little adults. Yes, some kids have dreams of being actors, but they should never have to sell themselves sexually to get where they want. Their parents should never think it’s OK for them to do it. New stage parents should never believe anyone who tells them to just accept it as a fact of life. Take your kid and run if anyone ever tells that to you.

I hope this trend of outing people in the industry continues. If we all stand up and say no, they can’t kill us all. They can’t blacklist us all. They can’t tell all of us we’ll never work again if we speak up. The industry needs kids. If we all refuse to accept the pedophilia aspect of it, it will have to end.

If you’ve ever had someone do something inappropriate to you, speak up. You don’t have to go as public as I did, but tell someone. Tell everyone. Make sure people know. The only way to stop these people is if other people also know.

March 10, 2011

WTF Australia? Sending Derryn to Jail?

I know many Australians hate the fact that I’ve become “Americanized” and now have a mixed accent. But there are times when I really do think that the US has got something smarter going on than Australia.

Like today, I’m glad I live in the US.

I am so saddened to hear that they have decided to find Derryn Hinch, a man who has spent so many years defending small children, who has put his freedom on the line to name and shame pedophiles is now going to face jail time again, especially when he’s already fighting for his own life.

What a joke. How many times have we heard judges say we should show mercy to pedophiles who are on their death bed, or who are just simply old. Yet here, a man who is fighting to let the truth out, trying to protect more children from being abused is going to die in jail. Still, he keeps his sense of humour, by stating that they won’t get five years out of him.

Meanwhile, in the US, anybody who is charged with an offence against a child goes onto a sex offender register. This is a publicly available list. There’s even an iPhone app that I have on my phone that will pinpoint my location, and tell me if there are registered sex offenders close by. When an offender moves into a neighbourhood, and it has to be a certain distance from school, churches, etc they then have to go around and let the neighbours that they are a registered sex offender. At work, we received a letter informing us that a sex offender had moved in nearby. It was mandated by law. People don’t conduct a witch hunt. They are simply informed, so that they know not to let their kids play with the offender.

The identities of the victims are protected. On the registrer, it has a photo of the offender, as well as what type of offense they were charged with. When we had our exchange student, we noticed there was an offender listed as living on the way she walked to school. We informed her, so she could stay clear of him and his house. No big dramas. Just a heads up.

In Australia, we protect pedophiles. We allow them to continue molesting more children. We don’t empower parents to protect their kids. We don’t give them the simplest thing to save their kids from years of pain; information.

Derryn, I applaud all you have done over the years to help kids. You are an incredibly brave man. I wish I had come to you back when we both worked at Channel 7. You would have done something about it.

Stay strong Derryn. Fight till the end. I’ll be fighting alongside you.