Back from WONDERFUL TOWN, which was, to be very cliche, wonderful! I think perhaps Donna will win her third Tony, stealing it away from Kristi Chenoweth. Honestly, because Kristi and Idina are in the same category for the same show, I think they'll cancel each other out, so--ready or not! here comes DONNA, who really worked it tonight. She was hilarious, and IN TUNE! PRAISE TO BUDDAH! If you get the chance, go see it.
I've been reading the debates about should or shouldn't therapists/doctors/teachers/whatever have tell the authorities of suspected abuse. I say ABSOLUTELY THEY SHOULD. Child abuse prevention and recovery is a very personal issue for me. It may be difficult for people to understand, but just because they're your parents doesn't mean they're easy to talk to. There's an incredible amount of shame and confusion, fear and paranoia that goes along with being an abused child, and sharing that with your parents or any other family member is very scary--there's the constant fear that they will judge you or blame you for what has happened to you. As an adult, one might say that's ludicrous--a parent wouldn't EVER judge or blame their own child--but to a scared 10 year old who is already feeling lost and totally isolated, the fear of losing your parent's love is paralyzing. I think that's why so many people DON'T tell, but perhaps if they had another adult--someone they trusted but someone who is also completely detached from the family--someone they knew would take the appropriate steps to stop the monster who is terrorizing them--then maybe there'd be a chance of stopping these parasites and get them behind bars.
As for the parents...I can't understand why you would allow your children to even step foot into the home of a man who has a "reputation" without constant supervision, let alone allow them to be alone in a room with him. I'm all for giving people the benefit of the doubt, but there is a point where appropriate behavior must be upheld over everything else--even money and fame. It is inappropriate for a 40-year old man to have young children staying the night at his home as his guests, and it is even more inappropriate to sleep in the same bed with them, whether anything sexual is happening or not. It is also inappropriate to dangle your child out of a window, but for some reason it was overlooked--called a "mistake" and let go. Will the same thing happen in this case? I hope not.
Perhaps he's innocent--I hope, for the kid's sake--that he is. Mr. Jackson needs to realize that the world is constantly watching him. He has a great responsiblity to his family, his fans, and himself, and I am truly baffled that people don't understand why he's being accused of child molestation. I would certainly be suspicious if my kid said they slept in the same bed with ANY 40-year old man who was not a member of his family. His inappropriate behavior has come back to bite him in the ass, and whether he's found guilty of molesting that boy or not, I feel that he's brought all of this on himself. Some complain that even if he's found innocent after all of this that his name will forever be tarnished. Well, he should have thought of that BEFORE he started sharing a bed with 10-year old children. I don't feel at all sorry for him.
