All Rights Reserved. I think that describes me. Tabloid-style talk shows, which seek ratings and sensationalism, have not made it easier for adults who have outlived childhood sexual abuse to come forward and to risk speaking our truths about our pasts. For people who have not abused children, it's very painful to hear that there are other adults who are capable of committing atrocities against children. Accepting that child abuse does happen summons uncomfortable, confusing, and conflicting feelings and thoughts in many people.
Child abuse is a distressing topic.
Adults sexually abusing children defy logic. That's not what they're aiming for. Producers are looking for topics that play out as tragedies - people's lives dramatically unsettled by memories of abuse. It takes courage for a survivor to walk into a situation with the odds unfavorably stacked, a setting slanted more toward presenting controversy than anything else. I don't like seeing survivors and others exploited, used to boost ratings, for programs that don't have to involve themselves with the aftermath of kindling controversy.