One of the nice things about international travel, is I get
to catch up on some movies. They help stave off boredom, which means I don’t
pester Nancy, so it’s a win win.
On a long flight to Thailand recently, I watched “12 Years a Slave.” It’s the story of Solomon Northup, a free black man, who was kidnapped in New York and sold into slavery in the south. It is a powerful film, purposefully written and directed to make you uncomfortable and it succeeds painfully well.
As I watched it I thought, “We must never forget this is a part of our history. This darkness was legal in my country, my home.” We don’t have to like it, but we do have to own it and understand its impact on our nation and culture 150 years later.
While we watched the movie, Nancy and I were increasingly annoyed by three guys sitting in the row across from us. They were laughing, loud and drinking heavily. They weren't more than a nuisance for me until Nancy said, “It makes me sad.” When I asked, “What?” she said,
“Three guys… alone… going to Thailand?”
About 7 years ago, Nancy and I spent our 20th wedding anniversary near Pattaya, Thailand. We saw some things there I wish I could unsee. You can hear stories about the sex trafficking of young women, boys and girls, but when you see it, it changes you.
That’s why this article from CNN about Amnesty International considering condoning prostitution is so baffling to me. For someone to call it victimless, makes me wonder if they've ever left a classroom to find out what’s really going on.
Slavery is not part of our past; it is present, here with us, in our world, in our country. It could be a young girl sold by her father to pay off a debt, a sex worker trapped by addiction, a domestic worker whose documents were seized by her employer or a runaway desperate for food.
I watched 12 Years a Slave wondering why people allowed it to happen. What I really need to ask is, “Why do I?”
On a long flight to Thailand recently, I watched “12 Years a Slave.” It’s the story of Solomon Northup, a free black man, who was kidnapped in New York and sold into slavery in the south. It is a powerful film, purposefully written and directed to make you uncomfortable and it succeeds painfully well.
As I watched it I thought, “We must never forget this is a part of our history. This darkness was legal in my country, my home.” We don’t have to like it, but we do have to own it and understand its impact on our nation and culture 150 years later.
While we watched the movie, Nancy and I were increasingly annoyed by three guys sitting in the row across from us. They were laughing, loud and drinking heavily. They weren't more than a nuisance for me until Nancy said, “It makes me sad.” When I asked, “What?” she said,
“Three guys… alone… going to Thailand?”
About 7 years ago, Nancy and I spent our 20th wedding anniversary near Pattaya, Thailand. We saw some things there I wish I could unsee. You can hear stories about the sex trafficking of young women, boys and girls, but when you see it, it changes you.
That’s why this article from CNN about Amnesty International considering condoning prostitution is so baffling to me. For someone to call it victimless, makes me wonder if they've ever left a classroom to find out what’s really going on.
Slavery is not part of our past; it is present, here with us, in our world, in our country. It could be a young girl sold by her father to pay off a debt, a sex worker trapped by addiction, a domestic worker whose documents were seized by her employer or a runaway desperate for food.
I watched 12 Years a Slave wondering why people allowed it to happen. What I really need to ask is, “Why do I?”
Heartbreaking.
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