The 168 Turnaround: Child Abuser Caught On Film

THIS WEEK: Oct. 30 – Nov. 5, 2011

The Week At Large
So teen heartthrob Justin Bieber has been accused of fathering an older woman’s baby, and Bieber’s fans have come to his defence, one even tweeting (in something of a raging incoherence), “‘WAH BITCH LEH THAT MARIAH YEATER. Not only is Justin affected, you bloody made Selena sad. Imma kill you I tell you.”  That, my friends, is hilarious.  In other news, Lady Gaga is launching an anti-bullying foundation, which she will direct with her mother.  The foundation, as you can likely guess, is called Born This Way.  And so once again Gaga proves that while she is certainly unique, she’s not always original.  But it’s the thought that counts, right?  Speaking of big name people taking a stand, Ron Meyer, head of Universal Studios, has spoken out against … his own studio’s films.  “We make a lot of shitty movies,” he said, speaking at the Savannah College of Art & Design.  “One of the worst movies we ever made was Wolfman.  Wolfman and Babe 2 are two of the shittiest movies we put out.”  Honesty—is it always the best policy?

The Close Up.
I’ve written a number of times about the power and potential of YouTube and sites like it.  I truly believe YouTube is changing the world, and in increasingly interesting ways.  This week a video was uploaded to YouTube and quickly went viral, but it wasn’t a typical YouTube video.  Instead it was a video of a father beating his sixteen-year-old daughter.  I’ve included the video below, and I’ll explain why in a moment.  First, a word of warning:  the video contains graphic imagery and is disturbing.

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I grew up in a loving family, and was never beaten as a child.  But I do know a woman whose father physically abused her and her siblings on a regular basis during their childhood.  Let me be clear:  he beat them severely.  Like Judge William Adams in the above video, this woman’s father was well respected in the community, and even more respected in his church family.  The terrible ways this man punished his children remains a secret to nearly everyone except for close family members.

This woman’s father has since died, but the trauma he caused remains ever present in the lives of his children.  Back then there was no Children’s Aid, and certainly no YouTube.  Back then, if you told anyone, you ran the risk of getting it even worse when you returned home.

But it’s a different world that we live in today.  If your parent abuses you, you can tell somebody.  And, like Hillary Adams with this video, if your parent abuses you, you can tell the whole world.

This changes things for would-be child abusers.  The crimes they commit in private can now be made public very quickly and quite easily.  Now, abused children are no longer powerless, and can finally defend themselves.

With the whole world watching, how many children can we now save?

For more on Hillary’s story, watch the below video—a clip from The Today Show.

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The 168 Turnaround is a week-in-review column, a place for me to reflect on the week’s most interesting pop culture news items.  If it mattered to me or I think it might matter to you, then it will be here.  If I’ve overlooked an important news item, or if you have a comment or question, please leave a response below.  Thank you for reading.