Written by: HPLL Pencils/Inks by: Sal Buscema
If you need wisdom . . . ask Him, and He will gladly tell you.
James 1:5, NLT
Well guys...here we are. Part One of Philosophy of Life. I'm starting this one off on a volatile topic...sexual abuse. The cover above is to the first part of The Child Within, which ran from issues 178-183 of the Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 1. This is perhaps one of the most poignant stories I've ever read, for any character. It deals with Vermin, a genetically-created creature that haunts the sewers near Peter Parker's (aka Spider-Man) home. No one really knows who he is, but he emits a psychic poison to anyone near, and it simply brings out the absolute worst fears, earth-shattering anger, and sheer raw emotion inherent in each one of us to the surface. In reality, he is a black man named Edward. Edward was sexually abused by his father, a white judge, from the time he was a small child. He created the Vermin persona to hide from the pain of sexual abuse, but a villian named Baron Zemo experimented on Edward, actually bringing form to Vermin. Whenever Edward is frightened or overly stressed, he changes into Vermin, who simply wants to escape from the "bad people". This story is very clear as to how some children deal with the pain and guilt of sexual abuse. Suprisingly enough, facts show that violators are generally someone who is a close relative or family friend, not, as Dr. Schulenberg told us today, his personal mental description of a sexual abuser should look like (a weird looking guy hanging around a children's playground in a trenchcoat). Instead, these people work and live around the community, usually living a pretty normal life. The difference is these people have a bad hangup about abusing children and sometimes helpless adults. Many of them were abused themselves as children, which does not excuse their actions, but does explain WHY they may take this course of action...they feel weak when they are abused, so they in turn search out someone to make them feel strong and in control. There are treatment programs available to offenders who choose the option, and if they work with the program, realize they have a problem, and actively work to stop that problem, they may one day be released back into their parents' homes or the community. Some people find that scary, but there is no need to be overly afraid...only time will tell if treatment was satisfactory, and it is always best to be on the lookout for children and mentally retarded adults who can not protect themselves. In closing, Schulenberg told us today that in some cases offenders would actually go around, finding mentally retarded people who were mute or unable to communicate and rape them. Other cases are not quite as clear-cut, as some offenders are mentally retarded to the point that they see nothing wrong with their actions, and often claim to have done the person they offended a "favor". So what do you guys think about the current situation in sex abuse as I've described it? What changes need to be made to the system, and how would you treat sex offenders if you were in charge? Post multiple times if you need to fully express your ideas or points. By the way, Sam...you looked great today AND I have those issues if you'd like to read them. I skipped over the other parts of the story to seriously deal with the issue at hand.
1 comment:
the child abuse subject is very sensitive. it is going to be something i will deal with a lot in my line of work, except i can not judge the parent, or acuse the parent. my job is to just do my best to get the child out of that house, but in the end i will wonder why! why am i helping this child just to send them right back to the source that hurt them in the first place. why would anyone even concider harming thier child in that way. what goes on in their head. there is no way of knowing. all we can do is continue with our everyday lives and doing whatever we can to help the innocent children and stop the sick minded parents. continue to pray everyday, and in the end when it is all over, God will punish those who hurt their children far worse than they ever could have hurt them.
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