Tragedy Porn Rant

Tragedy Porn Shelf 1: Notice pictures of unhappy/crying children. Come now, buy the books.

Tragedy Porn Shelf 2: The ongoing trend in child abuse lit.

I saw these in a corner shop in the Hastings train station. They were all pretty much on one shelf.

Sure it looks like the tragic but inspirational story of child abuse survivors but that’s just the veneer masking what is essentially victim porn.

“He touched her.. where?”

“He put her in a cellar??”

“OMG It was a priest??!”

“Captive for how long?”

“6 years? 15 years? 25 years?”

“Wow.”

I’m not trying to be insensitive (I mean, I’m naturally insensitive in general. It’s a regrettable character flaw), and I’m sure that the author probably really believes that maybe this book will inspire or help someone and I’m sure it does for some people.

I think my inner objection comes from how these books now occupying their very own genre not the mention the odious blurbs and captions designed to capture the attention of some fickle passer-by.

Picture 1, Book 1: Belonging by Sameem Ali. Picture of sad Asian child. “I was abused and forced to marry, I was pregnant at 13, When I escaped my brother tried to kidnap me….”

All the hot button topics being pushed here in this cover and blurb. Insular muslims + arranged/forced marriage + child abuse + child pregnancy. Oof. I should have bought the book. But I’m waiting for the movie.

Picture 1, Book 2: The End of my world by Emma Jackson. Picture of crying white child with hands over face, in case ethnic abused children are of no interest to you. “The shocking true story of a young girl forced to become a sex slave.”

Yeesh. I really dislike the term ‘Sex slave’. It’s supposed to mean something horrific but it has a ring of S&M seediness and vaguely implies masturbation fantasies.

Picture 2, Book 1: Bad things in the night by Beth Elles “Betrayed as a child by her Jehovah’s Witness stepfather. Now silenced by the law?”.

Ah the religious element coupled with injustice, always a draw.

Picture 2, Book 2: Trust No one by Teresa Cooper. “One girls harrowing and disturbing tale of the abuse she suffered in care”.

The harrowingness of the tale is vouched for by the Sun newspaper no less.

It’s not just a tragic biography. It’s a whole shelf of specific tragedy.

You in the mood for some wife-beating? Here are a variety of books you can choose from.

Hmm maybe some child abuse? Amazing range right on this shelf here.

People selling their daughters into prostitution? Just on that shelf there.

Oh wait, you prefer prostitute triumph? High class escorts reveling in it? – Oh well, that’s so last year. They’re round the back of that shelf over there if you really want them.

I’m not immune to this either (which is why it gets under my skin a little). How can you be immune? It’s the basest of human nature. It’s ultimate horror. It’s a car crash on the side of the road. It’s

“OMG that’s SO horrible!….. Show me more!”

The volume of books published on the same subject just seem to enable this need. This desire to vicariously live through someone else tragedy, briefly and superficially. Feeding off it, temporarily assimilating it as their own, then as the book ends there’s a huge a rewarding wave of relief – I read this book, it was sad, I’ve contributed in some vague way, but thank goodness this didn’t happen to me. Perhaps the book ends with a redemption. It has to. I’m sure the publisher would insist.

Yet knowing all this I still fall for it, I can’t help it. I want to look, I want to open those books. I’m fascinated by the cellar victims;  the Natascha Kampusch case, the Fritzl case, Dugard girl. I can’t seem to stop myself looking for more and more detail in the news articles. What did the cellar look like? Where did they sleep? How did they start having sex?  What else happened? How did she give birth? Did no one help her? Why didn’t she run? Why didn’t she stab him or hit him on the head with a log of wood?

Man.

Seriously though.

Why didnt the Dugard girl hit the guy over the head with a log of wood? Like when he was bending over or something.

Why am I so insensitive??