Wednesday, June 15, 2011

This might give me a few enemies...

     This has been on my heart for a while. I promised to be honest. I promised to be truthful, to share what I have seen and heard, what God has been doing in my heart. And this post might make me lose a few readers, as well as gain some enemies. Oh well. My purpose is not to offend but to make you think.

With the summer months come summer movies... blockbusters, lots of explosions, romantic comedies, and highly anticipated sequels... one such sequel was The Hangover II. I do recognize there are many movies I could talk about dealing with this subject, but this is what God has put on my heart, and if I don't share with you, it's my fault. I have not seen this movie, so I am getting my information from detailed reviews (pluggedin.org) and magazine articles (relevantmagazine.com).

I did not see the original Hangover. I have a belief that if a movie is rated R and does not include any violence, then it is probably filled with cursing and sex. Since I don't find either of those things entertaining, I typically avoid them. The good news is all of the funny jokes are usually quoted to me about a million times, so I feel like I'm getting the high lights, and I don't have to pay a dime. It's a win win for me.

Yet, when I saw previews for the second Hangover, I began to feel uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.

The movie is set in Thailand, and it could just that my sensitivity is heightened because I am hanging around a red light district these days... but something about this movie just didn't feel right.

You see, Thailand is, in the words of pbs.org, "a land of opportunity" for traffickers in Southeast Asia. In fact, Thailand has become one of the poster countries, along with India, for human trafficking. Thailand's beautiful beaches and rich countryside make it a hotspot for tourists, and with the tourists comes the opportunities for someone to profit off the selling of another's body.

Here are a few facts:
*Trafficking in Thailand is a roughly $12 billion dollar industry... more than its drug trade
*Many of the people in Thailand's North region do not have Thai citizenship and live in poverty. Therefore,  they are very vulnerable.
*Victims from Cambodia, Laos, and Burma are often brought into Thailand... it is believed that roughly one fourth of prostituted women were from Burma
*In 2003, it was estimated that there were roughly 200,000 being forced to work in prostitution

Why am I sharing this? What does this have to do with the Hangover II?

One of the reasons I became uncomfortable while watching the previews was because, knowing the history of this film, there would probably be a visit to a brothel. Researching the movie confirmed my suspicions.

The characters do indeed visit a brothel, the services of one prostitute are used, other prostitutes appear nude, and a Russian club owner offers the sexual services of a child for $2,000.

And it earned $61million within the first two days of opening in theaters.

Dear friends, there is something wrong here. I observed my Facebook news feed as people posted their excitment in watching the film, their reviews, lamentations about recycled jokes and plots, etc.

It broke my heart... because in this film, men and women in real danger are portrayed as objects of entertainment. Because in reality, the majority of those people in the brothels are sold, beaten into submission, and forced to sniff rubber cement to remain compliant. They are numb, their feelings fried, and hearts damaged beyind repair. They are forced to have abortions, suffer incurable diseases, used and then sewn up to be resold as virgins to fetch a higher price.

And we laughed.

There is something seriously wrong when we choose to suspend reality for the sake of our own entertainment. Am I overreacting? No, I'm not... because I know the woman forced to sell her body for over thirty years. I know the man abused to the point he is confused about his gender and giving his body away. I looked into the eyes of the girl standing on the line, waiting for a customer. I know the girl with scars on her arms and back from years of torture.

You can argue with me and say that it wasn't real. It was just a movie. I am being uptight. Lighten up, it's a comedy. The problem comes when the joke is based on reality, and I don't care how cleverly it is told. I can't lighten up. I go home from the red light district knowing it could be the last time I ever see some of the children there because they could be sold at any moment.

Friends, I promise that I am not lecturing you....what I am doing is trying to make you aware.

You see, when we watch something, our minds become used to what images are put in front of us. I am a testimony to this as much as the next person. Horror no longer scares us. Blood no longer sickens us. And image of a woman being prostituted does not render the honor of a second thought. This film, while promoting entertainment, has also promoted the selling and trading of more women and children into sexual slavery, whether it realized it or not. And we as Americans with our obsession to be entertained went right along with it.

But wait, you didn't know... Well, now you do. And you can turn away, but you can never again say you didn't know.

Please remember my purpose in this post is not to make you angry or guilty. But, I want you to think. Research before you invest time and money into something. Please. What messages are pouring into your heart if you see this film? Will be become calloused to the cries of those around you?

I beg you, think. Because I know the woman sold for someone else's pleasure... and she was too stoned to look back at me.

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