A few days ago while watching a TV show 20/20 on ABC I watched an interview of Mary Kay and her child sex abuse victim (now her husband) conducted by very celebrated American broadcast journalist Barbara Walters. I didn't know about this scandal as I was not in the US when this all happened (back in 1996), but when I came to know about it during this show I felt sick and disgusted. When I saw the way this whole interview was conducted I was shocked to see that TV channels can glamorize or commercialize some disgusting incident like this just to attract viewership and earn revenues. This particular case was a clear case of child rape. When Mary Kay indulged in illegal sexual activity with her 12-year-old student, it was not out of any love or anything it was a clear case of child sexual abuse. It was not a sexual encounter between two consenting adults, but she took advantage of the ignorant mind and adolescent age of that boy and abused him sexually. She got a mild punishment for this crime (six months in jail) and even after that she got sexually involved with the same person when he was just 14. I request readers to read a very powerful account by Bobbi Parish, a child rape survivor herself about this whole scandal and this infamous interview broadcasted on ABC. She has written a very powerful article and I think it covers almost all aspects related to this issue.
Child sex abuse is a very serious problem in our society, but it is very rarely discussed because of the sensitive nature of the subject and the various social and cultural taboos associated with it. If we look at the statistics from various parts of the world it is not difficult to understand that this is a very serious and growing problem everywhere, even so-called sacred institutes like temples and churches are also not free from this problem and because of the easy accessibility of the internet and social media, this problem has become more complex. Any attempt to legitimize or romanticize this crime should be questioned and criticized in the strongest possible words. I don't know what ABC and Barbara Walters were thinking before scripting some program like this to telecast on national TV but it is clear that they got many things wrong in this case. I know that the media loves such scandals as they give them an opportunity to sensationalize the issue and attract maximum viewership, this in turn generates maximum revenues but they also need to think about the social impact of these things. Another very important question that Bobbi also raised in her article is, did they dare to make a program like this because the victim in this particular case was a male and not female? Will they dare to telecast a similar program if the victim is female? Isn't this a case of gender bias where the attitude towards looking at heinous crimes like child rape is completely different because the victim is male and not female? There are many questions like these which need answers. I am not questioning ABC's right to telecast this type of interview, they have the right to choose what type of program they want to make and when they want to telecast it. ABC has the right to decide the contents of its own channel, at the same time people have the right to question and criticize the contents of their program if they find it objectionable and derogatory.
It would have been better if ABC and Barbara could have used this unique opportunity to highlight the issue of child sex abuse and take a firm stand against perpetrators of such crimes but shockingly they chose to portray a romanticized version of this crime committed by Mary Kay. These types of programs give the impression that such things are okay if you can escape the law by using tactics like marrying the victim. When societies are trying to discuss issues like marital rape, this program gives the impression that marrying a rape victim makes the crime less culpable. Also, this program doesn't even come with a warning that it is not appropriate for kids, it may send a wrong message to impressionable kids and I don't think even Barbara Walters wants this to happen. If ABC and Barbara are serious about the issue of child sex abuse then they should telecast another program highlighting this issue and clarify their stand about this infamous Mary Kay interview. Let's see if they have the courage to correct their mistake.
Child sex abuse is a very serious problem in our society, but it is very rarely discussed because of the sensitive nature of the subject and the various social and cultural taboos associated with it. If we look at the statistics from various parts of the world it is not difficult to understand that this is a very serious and growing problem everywhere, even so-called sacred institutes like temples and churches are also not free from this problem and because of the easy accessibility of the internet and social media, this problem has become more complex. Any attempt to legitimize or romanticize this crime should be questioned and criticized in the strongest possible words. I don't know what ABC and Barbara Walters were thinking before scripting some program like this to telecast on national TV but it is clear that they got many things wrong in this case. I know that the media loves such scandals as they give them an opportunity to sensationalize the issue and attract maximum viewership, this in turn generates maximum revenues but they also need to think about the social impact of these things. Another very important question that Bobbi also raised in her article is, did they dare to make a program like this because the victim in this particular case was a male and not female? Will they dare to telecast a similar program if the victim is female? Isn't this a case of gender bias where the attitude towards looking at heinous crimes like child rape is completely different because the victim is male and not female? There are many questions like these which need answers. I am not questioning ABC's right to telecast this type of interview, they have the right to choose what type of program they want to make and when they want to telecast it. ABC has the right to decide the contents of its own channel, at the same time people have the right to question and criticize the contents of their program if they find it objectionable and derogatory.
It would have been better if ABC and Barbara could have used this unique opportunity to highlight the issue of child sex abuse and take a firm stand against perpetrators of such crimes but shockingly they chose to portray a romanticized version of this crime committed by Mary Kay. These types of programs give the impression that such things are okay if you can escape the law by using tactics like marrying the victim. When societies are trying to discuss issues like marital rape, this program gives the impression that marrying a rape victim makes the crime less culpable. Also, this program doesn't even come with a warning that it is not appropriate for kids, it may send a wrong message to impressionable kids and I don't think even Barbara Walters wants this to happen. If ABC and Barbara are serious about the issue of child sex abuse then they should telecast another program highlighting this issue and clarify their stand about this infamous Mary Kay interview. Let's see if they have the courage to correct their mistake.
Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.
[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]
Links:
1. Mary Kay LeTourneau is Not a Lover, She’s a Rapist
Dear Vinay ji, namaskar. I am writing this email from Nepal.
ReplyDeleteI want to contact you through email. But I could not find your email in your blog. I read your blog quite regularly. Could you please send me your email so that I can send you a detail email?
My name is LB Thapa. I am a writer and journalist. I also publish a blog in the form of a magazine. Its address is www.theroamingpost.com
I look forward to hearing from you. My email is editortheroamingpost@gmail.com