Elizabeth Smart Back In The News......

[Packy]

She had a Baaay-beeee! She got Maaaaarrrreeed! Thing is---back when I was an undergrad, getting my Masters Degree in Tee-Veee Education in Current events And Pop Psychology by watching the required amount of Tee-Vee,, I was led to believe that any child--especially female--that had been tampered with in her personal areas was permanently and traumatically damaged, for every minute of every hour of every day of every month for the rest of her life! No exceptions. Don't forget it. That is why they sentence the perps to several consecutive life sentences, due to the havoc they've caused and because the victim is scarred for life. We anticipate that she will become a Lesbian(and of course--there's nothing wrong with that!!!), and she will make a modest living, speaking at campus feminist conferences and book-signings. She will be in and out of rehab, for substance abuse, due to the dysfunction she suffers. . But, nooopereee--this girl got maaaaareeed & had a baaaay-beeee! And she's baaaaack on Teeee-Veeee to let everyone know she's fine! It is why I can't stand Tee-Vee and Tabloids. They are as exploitive as the kidnappers were. The whole info-tainment victim syndrome, blowing everything out of proportion and playing the victims card at every hand and the psychobabble is one good reason I thoroughly detest it. I think it illustrates why all these starlet wannabees are crawling out of the woodwork, decades later, claiming they were a Cosby Victim. That way, they can get a part in the Drama. The whole scene is part of a sick culture, fed by media, especially TV shows.

[JaneV2.0]

While I think your case is overstated, I do think that the current trend of wallowing in victimhood is an unhealthy one. While Elizabeth Smart's abduction and repeated rape over a period of time was an extreme case, I think for most people who suffer trauma, the best thing is to dust themselves off and get on with life. It sounds like Elizabeth has done this. As far as the Cosby case is concerned, someone should have gone on record and shut that circus down years ago.

[rodeosweetheart]

Wow, your sensitivity to crime victims is astonishing.

[Packy]

Rodeo & Jane: I overstate almost everything. However, I am not insensitive to crime victims. But, if sensitivity is at issue: 1)Smart and her handlers would not allow her to be in the limelight one-tenth--no--one per cent as much as they have. 2) The Sensationalist Media would leave this poor little victim alone & stop exploiting her for info-tainment purposes, so that she can try and resume leading a normal life---instead of one as Elizabeth Smart, Victim. A household name with iconic status. See? Another thing is---popular media is the one that overstates the case for the effects that life events can have on you. Sure--they can have an effect. But, Tee-Vee goes waaaay over the top when it comes to enabling pathological victimhood. Not only that, but they make it a form of entertainment, and it makes amature pop psychologists out of their audience, many of whom are not very intelligent, but are very emotional. As we speak, the Pop Psychologists are bleating that it was her religion that "saved" her, and allowed her recovery. I, however, believe all the attention to this case has done more harm than good, on many levels. That, is my point. I am Tee--Vee educated, too. Thankk Mee. Hope that helps you some.

[JaneV2.0]

[QUOTE=Packy;205393]...I overstate almost everything. ... Another thing is---popular media is the one that overstates the case for the effects that life events can have on you. ... /QUOTE]

Oddly, I got your point the first time. As a society, we seem to want to monetize or sensationalize nearly everything. Most people are a whole less fragile than they've been led to believe.

[ApatheticNoMore]

no one has any idea how traumatized she may or may not be. Because she got married and had a kid? Probably the only life path she ever considered with her background really. It could be a sign of having overcome it, but it's hardly a guarantee of that. I think it's generally believed that trauma earlier in life is more damaging, as the personality is really unformed so it becomes the very structure of the personality, so probably would have been worse if she had been 5 not 14, but people differ on the affect of life events. Probably the best thing after it happened would be to experiment with various therapy modalities that have to do with trauma (EMDR maybe though I don't think it's entirely proven), as there's actually no contradiction between doing so and living your life. But maybe she already has, for years even.

I had never heard the name Elizabeth Smart before this thread and I never particular wanted to hear it really.

[Packy]

Okay, then: Just for fun, just for the info-tainment of it, I read several articles on this recent followup. I did not see one comment, in response to the stories, about questioning the effect her negative life experience may have upon her ability to parent or what consequence it may have on her child and husband. No one questioned that. That, in contrast to how traumatic(meaning harm leading to lasting dysfunction) we constantly hear, over and over and over, sex crimes are for Victims, and how the perps are evil personified. It was all gushy--"How sweeeeeet---sheeee haaaaad a baaaaaaaaybeeeee! See? There was once a Tee-Vee sitcom about a young boy who did not want to go to school, to take an exam or whatever. So, he was "sick" that morning and that afternoon, and stayed home. But later on, as school let out, and his friends started returning home--he felt fine, and wanted to go out and play. A remarkable recovery. I'm starting to think that's how our victim culture operates, at this point.

[Radicchio]

Okay, then: Just for fun, just for the info-tainment of it, I read several articles on this recent followup. I did not see one comment, in response to the stories, about questioning the effect her negative life experience may have upon her ability to parent or what consequence it may have on her child and husband. No one questioned that. That, in contrast to how traumatic(meaning harm leading to lasting dysfunction) we constantly hear, over and over and over, sex crimes are for Victims, and how the perps are evil personified. It was all gushy--"How sweeeeeet---sheeee haaaaad a baaaaaaaaybeeeee! See? There was once a Tee-Vee sitcom about a young boy who did not want to go to school, to take an exam or whatever. So, he was "sick" that morning and that afternoon, and stayed home. But later on, as school let out, and his friends started returning home--he felt fine, and wanted to go out and play. A remarkable recovery. I'm starting to think that's how our victim culture operates, at this point.

I certainly understand the skepticism, and I'm not fond of victim celebrities or, frankly "reality show" celebrities either. People are just way too eager to applaud people simply because they've had their fifteen minutes of fame---especially if they have been seen on TV! Don't understand that at all.

However, just speaking in general terms, people have different levels of emotional and mental strength---just like they do for physical strength. For example, you might catch a cold and shrug it off in less than a week. I have had severe asthma and respiratory problems since birth and I might catch the same cold and be in the hospital. Mental and emotional issues are also difficult to quantify because they may be triggered or worsened at certain times and somewhat contained (although still there) at others. Unfortunately, just like some people fake physical illness for their own benefit, others have faked emotional/mental problems for their own reasons. Not even a trained professional can tell the difference by reading about that person or watching him or her on TV. We may have our suspicions based on their deportment and actions, but we really don't know. And denying that they could possibly be suffering after effects of their trauma may very well be doing them a disservice and, certainly, is a disservice to others who are genuinely ill or affected by trauma who might be painted with the same brush.

[Aqua Blue]

It seems to me that having a child is pretty much a biological function. You do not need to be mentally ok to do it. She could be ok, but then again she could not be ok.

[rodeosweetheart]

I think Ms. Smart has been victimized enough to last several lifetimes. Why are we rating her pain, her adjustment, whether she was victimized enough to suit some?

Why are folks re-victimizing this poor woman.

Enough already.

This is horrifying. This is a real person you are talking about. I pray no one here ever suffers as she must have suffered.