I dunno.
I am just stating what I have read an heard in interviews. I assume it means that she wants the public to view her as more than a helpless, mind controlled victim.
Then she shouldn’t go on TV shows talking about her ordeal as a victim or greenlight TV movies portraying her as such- these things only reinforce that notion, not dispell it. Ignoring the ordeal is unhealthy, but so is wallowing in it.
Have Elizabeth’s therapists seen the track record of people who talk about their personal tradgedies on talk shows? It ain’t pretty.
Mojo: I think that her going on the show is more an example of victim strength & survival, than reinforcement of being a helpless victim. By definition, she’s a victim. I don’t see it as wallowing in the ordeal.
Have you seen the Katie or Oprah interviews? She doesn’t really talk about her ordeal, she talks about surviving the aftermath. I don’t see any evidence of her wallowing in it.
She hasn’t exactly been doing the talk show circuit. A short interview with Katie and Oprah compared with the thousands of turned down requests for interview.
I have no clue what her therapists have or have not seen, but I am interested in this “ain’t pretty” thing. Cite?
Why does it bother some of you so much that she gave two television interviews? Why does it bother you that the family approved a television movie?
The movies are going to be made with or without consent. I think it is more responsible of her family to get involved and have at least some control of the content.
I think part of my disagreement is that a) I don’t watch Oprah or Katie Couric and therefore have a prejudiced idea of what occurs on these shows, and b) the concept of going on a talk show to prove “strength” or (especially) “survival” seems completely alien to me. My “track record” comment was a bad generalization based on the little bits that I catch of talk shows that stick in my mind- I’ll gladly withdraw it since there’s no way I can prove (or disprove) it.
The other part is that I didn’t give the parents the benefit of the doubt- they invite crazy drifters to do housework for them, they blame the wrong guy for the kidnapping (and I definitely agree with you that it was a kidnapping), 9 months(!) after the fact they realize it could’ve been this other guy, and (IIRC) less than a week later they were complaining that the police were dragging their feet on the case. Their past bad decisions tapped into my mistrust of therapy via TV talk show.
I saw the Oprah show, and there was plenty of wallowing going on there. As I said earlier, I was deeply disappointed in how Oprah handled it… she spent far too much time on the sensationalist aspects (a tour of the house, highlighting the night of the kidnapping, a tour of the campground where she was kept, lots of photos of the kidnapper, etc.) and far too little on Elizabeth herself and how she is coping. The interview at the end was all right, but at a guess I would say the Oprah show was 50 minutes of sensationalist crap, 5 minutes of good content about Elizabeth. VERY disappointing.
Didn’t see the Katie thing, but from what I’ve heard, it was much of the same, though skewed a bit more towards actually talking with Elizabeth.
So, interviews with two of television’s highest-profile hosts, and the cover of this week’s People magazine, and a new book about her, and two forthcoming TV movies… you call this trying to keep her out of the public eye? I call it a fucking media blitz. Elizabeth Smart seems to be this week’s “Bennifer.” It’s sickening.
Your turn on this one… cite? I believe, if the parents were against a TV movie being made about their daughter’s experience, using her name and their names and the events of her case, then they could take legal steps to stop it. Please, do correct me if I’m wrong.
Not so. You have your facts backwards.
It was the police who were blaming Ricci (the wrong guy). The Smarts told the police about Emmanuel early into the investigation and had tried to get the police to follow up on him. This is why the family went to America’s Most Wanted - to have Emmanuel profiled because the police were dragging their feet.
IANAL (one can correct me if I am wrong), but I am almost sure they can release an unauthorized movie as long as certain requirements are met.
I’d be willing to bet that those “requirements” involve changing names and events. However, I’m not a lawyer either, so I’d be interested to hear what the SD is.
You’re right- I’ll shut my mouth now. I got some of my info from this article which is unclear on some of the details.
I am interested also. Hopefully one of our resident lawyers can shed some light on it.
Even if names are changed and the movie is “based on a true story”, people are going to know it is Elizabeth. I would rather approve the movie and have some control over the content then leave it up to the media to portray my family as they chose.
I thought I covered ‘why’. It’s internally inconsistent with the concept that they want her to be able to get back into a ‘normal’ life. They’ve insured that she will, indeed be still seen as “that girl who was kidnapped” for some time.
Wring, do you honestly believe that she would not have been remembered as the girl who was kidnapped, had she just not given Oprah an interview?
I don’t think she ever had an option for the whole world to forget her name. You keep talking about it as if it was actually possible.
The fact is, her story would still be well remembered, and probably still get made into a movie, even if the family didn’t agree. Given that, can’t you understand how important Elizabeth must feel it to be to get the true story out there?
I mean, this thread itself is proof that there are people who ignorantly cast suspicion on Elizabeth and her parents!
If you are going to have people recognize your name, wouldn’t you rather have them recognize you as a strong girl who overcame a tragedy, rather than as a strange, suspicious girl from a strange, suspicious family who were involved in a strange, suspicious kidnapping.
How do you know Elizabeth wasn’t paranoid that everyone staring at her thought she had went willingly, or that she was broken inside? That telling her story is the only way she could get rid of this paranoia?
You don’t. You don’t know much of anything about Elizabeth or her family. You are biased against the Smarts for whatever reason, and it is clouding your judgement to the point where you are unable to see the other side.
I honestly believe that as long as her goddam parents keep her picture in the limelight there isn’t a ghosts chance in hell for people to forget what she looked like, forget the story.
She could have cut her hair real short and gotten a perm, and she’d look quite different. but we know she didn’t.
She could have gained 40 pounds, grown several inches but we know she didn’t.
As I said waaaaaaay back, I give the stance of “we just want her to be able to get back to being a normal teenager/I’m just a normal teenager” while we’re sitting/standing/walking in front of a fucking news crew and Katie “but how did it make you feeeeeel” Couric, makes me cringe and remember “Benifer” commenting how pleased they were to be out of the limelight ('cause of Demi/Ashton) while they were giving a ‘special’ goddam tv interview
IOW - the words being spoken do not match the actions being undertaken.
The Walrus, sobbing about the poor oysters, as he’s eating all of them, ya know??
Darva Conger “I just want to get my privacy back” while she’s stripping for Playboy.
And exactly how is it that “the words being spoken do not match the actiong being undertaken?”
good grief.
words spoken: ‘we want her to get back to being a normal teenager’ ‘I’m just a normal teenager’.
actions taken: multiple, high profile interviews on various tv shows (the Katie one appeared both in the evening and over a several days period of time on the Today show). Book, tv movie deals. all very much in the limelight and ** very very different** from ‘normal teenagers’ lives. I would have thought that was obvious. Especially since I’ve said similar stuff more than once.
Look - I have seen, read your arguments. You’ve seen/read mine. We don’t agree. Folks on the other side keep on insisting that they really had no choice, or that because they’re the victims here, whatever they choose is fine and dandy. I don’t agree on either point.
I know this sounds insane, but I recently read somewhere that she wanted to play herself in the movie.
I’ve been digging for a cite, but anything Elizabeth Smart brings up 1,000,000 links.
parents keeping her out of the public glare well, maybe.
Right after she was found they wanted to keep her out of the limelight ‘for now’, but referred all ‘book/movie/media’ interests to submit a proposal in writing.
a couple of months later we’ll come out again and have her play the harp, yea, sure they’re not parading her in front of the media.
this one will be our last news conference, enough is enough Seems to me, had he wished to not comment publically by that point, the words “we have no comment” would have worked.
“we won’t discuss her ordeal” well, at least not until we’re paid for it. Note this was six months ago. They were most likely already writing the book, due out soon, as well as most likely in negotiations for the movie deals.
like I said, you may wish to idolize these folks and think altruistically of them, I don’t see any particular reason to.
Ah, so that’s what it’s about–the unfortunate choice many years ago of having her learn to play the harp.
Whoa, hang on a second. I do not idolize these folks AT ALL. In fact, I have always said that Ed Smart gives me the serious willies and his wife isn’t far behind. In fact, I would not have been surprised had the case turned out far differently with the arrest of Ed and maybe the uncle.
Creepy guy.
But, my dislike for the guy does not prevent me from understanding why the family is handling the press the way that they are. It is much easier to control the information being shown to the public when you have a hand on the reigns.
It also doesn’t prevent me from understanding why Elizabeth wants to show herself to the public as being a strong person.
The Smart’s have already proven their poor judgment by inviting characters like Ricci and Emmanuel into their house.