kev
29th April 2008, 06:49 PM
Ok -without question, two very disturbing stories. But, I was involved in a rather interesting discussion today. Which of these two situations is more disturbing?
On the surface, it is hard to top the story about the Austrian man, and what he did to his daughter/children by his daughter. It is horrible beyond mention. But, when you compare the two scenarios, in some ways what went on in the polygamist compound is actually worse. I guess the thing that strikes me, is that both cases have odd similarities. There is no question that the story about the Austrian is so blatantly crazy that it defies explanation. But, in some ways, that makes it less disturbing to me. EVERYONE knows this is bizarre, horrible and crazy.
However, when you consider what happened to the girls in this polygamist sect - it is not that different. Not all prisons have locks. Denying a person ANY knowledge from the time they are born, throughout their entire life, is a perfectly effective way to imprison them forever. Those people are no more free to go, than if they were locked in a basement. Imagine, being cut off from the world, taught that any contact would basically result in your eternal damnation to Hell, and that only through the lifestyle pushed upon you, could you avoid evil. Then, old men, possibly related (not that it really is needed to make it horrible) "marry" and have sex with these teenage girls, denying them any choice as to how to live their life...... Beyond the physical conditions, I just don't see how the situations are overly different.
The thing I find disturbing though, is that there are people who think it is ok for a group, like this sect, to live as they see fit. Basically, putting a religious/belief system with the lifestyle sort of makes it like there is a level of legitimacy to it. EVERYONE knows the Austrian guy was crazy. However, some people allow/condone/tolerate the polygamist sect as if it is simply a matter of personal freedoms on how one chooses to live. In my opinion, the teenage girls in the sect were imprisoned in a way that was in everyway as effective as being locked in a basement. It is just that people know about it, and tolerate it, because it has the label of religious freedom.
The two stories in case anyone is not familiar:
Austrian fathers children with his daughter who he imprisoned in his basement.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353040,00.html
31 of 53 teen girls taken from polygamist sect have been pregnant.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352966,00.html
On the surface, it is hard to top the story about the Austrian man, and what he did to his daughter/children by his daughter. It is horrible beyond mention. But, when you compare the two scenarios, in some ways what went on in the polygamist compound is actually worse. I guess the thing that strikes me, is that both cases have odd similarities. There is no question that the story about the Austrian is so blatantly crazy that it defies explanation. But, in some ways, that makes it less disturbing to me. EVERYONE knows this is bizarre, horrible and crazy.
However, when you consider what happened to the girls in this polygamist sect - it is not that different. Not all prisons have locks. Denying a person ANY knowledge from the time they are born, throughout their entire life, is a perfectly effective way to imprison them forever. Those people are no more free to go, than if they were locked in a basement. Imagine, being cut off from the world, taught that any contact would basically result in your eternal damnation to Hell, and that only through the lifestyle pushed upon you, could you avoid evil. Then, old men, possibly related (not that it really is needed to make it horrible) "marry" and have sex with these teenage girls, denying them any choice as to how to live their life...... Beyond the physical conditions, I just don't see how the situations are overly different.
The thing I find disturbing though, is that there are people who think it is ok for a group, like this sect, to live as they see fit. Basically, putting a religious/belief system with the lifestyle sort of makes it like there is a level of legitimacy to it. EVERYONE knows the Austrian guy was crazy. However, some people allow/condone/tolerate the polygamist sect as if it is simply a matter of personal freedoms on how one chooses to live. In my opinion, the teenage girls in the sect were imprisoned in a way that was in everyway as effective as being locked in a basement. It is just that people know about it, and tolerate it, because it has the label of religious freedom.
The two stories in case anyone is not familiar:
Austrian fathers children with his daughter who he imprisoned in his basement.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353040,00.html
31 of 53 teen girls taken from polygamist sect have been pregnant.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352966,00.html