By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Full disclosure, I don’t know too much about Warren Jeffs. That said, I do know all that I wish to know about the man. I know he’s a real life villain who beats Freddy Krueger on the child molesting front. My entire understanding from what I’ve read and seen on the news is that Jeffs is a dirty disgusting pedophile who claimed he was a prophet and used his stature in a really screwed up community to take advantage of young girls and gave permission to other men in the community to do the same.
When I was a kid, I never understood the women I saw around me. Most of my female relatives, were (and some still are) submissive and take orders from their husbands. I’m not saying they were as sheltered and pushed as far as the women in the Jeffs cult, but the women definitely lived a life that did not appeal to me in the least. As a kid, marriage seemed like a really bad deal for women to me. I wanted no part of it. Even at a very young age (4 or 5), I knew I wasn’t going to take orders and I wasn’t going to be someone to just nod and say, “okay”. Maybe, it was watching Family Ties and The Cosby Show or maybe it was the strength of Erica Kane on All My Children or the way Dorian Lord held her head high on One Life to Live that gave me some sense of equality. Maybe, it was Cyndi Lauper insisting on being herself despite ridicule or the song Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves that helped me form a positive viewpoint of women. Whatever the case was, I knew I’d sooner be alone for the rest of my life than deal with a man who yells, curses, demands, or dictates. Thankfully, I found an amazing man who in all six years of being with and in over four years of marriage, we have never had a single fight or unkind word between us. We just get each other and are in a 50/50 idyllic life.
That said, it’s incredible to me when I learn about women who take the role of a subordinate. I understand that
many people live and die by the Bible or other religious teachings which categorize women in a certain role, but I just can’t wrap my mind around it. I just want to yell, “you have a mind! Use it. You’re just as smart as this jackass. Don’t let him treat you this way!”
While watching this film and seeing this scumbag played brilliantly by Tony Goldwyn, I was getting angry. This is one of the best made-for-TV docudramas I’ve seen and it honestly ended too soon. I was so wrapped up in it. When Jeffs tells a man to force his 14 year old wife to have sex against her will, I wanted to strangle him. When the “prophet” takes a bride even younger, I wanted to castrate him, slowly – with a dull rusty knife.
Today, wasn’t the best day to watch as I am unfortunately suffering horrible cramps, and if there is a God, it is this time of month I am pretty pissed off at him already. Just because Eve seduced Adam (or ate a piece of fruit depending on how literal one takes the Bible) doesn’t mean the almighty needed to persecute me with awful stomach and pelvic pain – especially when I’m not even planning on having any rug-rats. Not to mention, didn’t Jesus die for all of our sins including original sin? So, why do I still have to pay the price?! This is why I always liked Lilith over Eve. Lilith wouldn’t have gone out without a fight! She would have said, “you want me to be fruitful and multiply m’fer….then you take birth pain away right now!” Of course, poor Lilith was cast away as a succubus. Maybe, I’m Lilith’s descendant. That would make more sense. Eve always listened to men. She listened to God, she listened to the male serpent (Satan in most regards), she listened to Adam. I don’t see myself being a descendant of hers. If by some chance this is all real, I think Lilith had a baby at some point and I’m her distant relative. Did I mention my mind wanders more than usual when it’s my time of the month?
Okay, back on track….. so I divulge this information to my readers because I typically do not yell at my TV while watching it. Well at least, I don’t yell at it as much unless it’s this awful, dreadful time of the month. So as these poor girls were being brutalized, brainwashed and abused, all I could do was hell, “tell him to fuck off! Kill him! Kill him now! Come on, there’s more of you than of him. Wicker Man his ass! And not the original version….no. That’s too easy. Give him the bees! I want to see his face get attacked by bees!” My very docile sweet husband who sat beside me playing on his tablet would tap my leg kindly once in awhile as if to say, “You tell em’, honey!”
I may have gone a little too far. I’m woman enough to admit that, but seriously: fuck Warren Jeffs. I believe in religious freedom. I don’t even give a shit about polygamy. If a woman or man is an adult who is deemed mentally stable wants to be in a marriage with multiple people – whatever. That said, if children are brought up in this backwards bizarre religion that is based in less reality than Scientology (and that says a lot) they aren’t given a choice; and this is coming from someone who used to watch Sister Wives as a guilty pleasure. In that case, I really don’t have an issue with that blonde hair weirdo and his surprisingly (for the most part) normal wives being together. At least, with them they are all adults, and even they have gone on record and said Jeffs was a douchebag….maybe not in those words -but you get the jest.
All in all, I suggest watching this movie. The casting was done so well it was actually disturbing. The girls portraying the wives looked very young and their acting was topnotch. Hell, this movie even made me hate Martin Landau and I love him! He’s a fantastic actor. Here he portrayed Jeffs father and in one scene he grabs his young wife’s ass. It’s just so nasty.
Now I don’t know how much artistic liberty was taken with this film and I usually do research prior to writing an article, but this whole thing just creeps me out and I don’t want to know anymore. I will say if as depicted in the film, there were certain law enforcement officers protecting this compound and allowing these girls to be molested, they should be held accountable as accessories. They knew what was going on and they did NOTHING. Where was DCF? Where were child services? Again, maybe if I did the research I’d find there was some legal technicality that prevented arrest, and if so that’s sad.
I wonder how much those who escaped and are trying to find normalcy after this lifetime of abuse will be able to fit in to the real world. What is so deceptive about any type of cult is that within their own disturbing lifestyle, the warnings they give about the outside bares some truth. It must be confusing and even drive some into shell-shock for those who leave the cult and see firsthand the crimes and all the cynical negativity warned about by Jeffs. Many are given limited education purposely, and I can imagine it would be easy to fall back into believing Jeffs did have some one-on-one connection to God because of his predictions being fact. Hopefully, those rescued will be able to start living an enjoyable life learning that despite all of the bad, the world has a lot of the good. Whether religious or not, one doesn’t have to conform or bow down to anyone. For those 10,000-plus people who are still awaiting their prophet, if I were religious I’d pray for them. More accurately, I sympathize, empathize and will keep them in my thoughts hoping that they find a way out of the mindset they’ve been programmed to believe.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10 Much too short, disturbing – but certainly worth the watch
