Pseudo-Activism
People can be so fuckin creepy. Ugh. So earlier I got a facebook message from some random woman:
hey ebony u dont no me but i just got threw watch a film i think u were in it if im not sure i just wanted too say hi and add u as a friend how r u doing now
FYI: For those who haven't seen it, in Very Young Girls there's a young woman named Ebony whose story is highlighted in the doc. Rachel presents herself as the true white savior and goes to Florida to "rescue" Ebony and bring her back to NYC. All the while ignoring her wishes to make her own decisions for her life and then acts surprised when Ebony leaves GEMS and the doc ends with no one quite knowing where she is nor what she's doing. Though rumors were abound that she went back to Fla to be with her pimp.
So I read that message and I'm thinking "I HOPE she doesn't think I'm that Ebony." Because I want to believe no one would be arrogant enough to think that they could seek to connect to a kid based solely on watching them in a documentary. Like who would be so insane as to think that would be ok?
So I replied and said "What film is this?" Sure enough the chick says VYG.
My response was this:
I'm sorry for the mistake. I am not the Ebony you are thinking of. However, I did work at the organization that was featured in the film.
Because I know the young women, I would like to give you a word of caution. Please do not seek them out looking to connect to them based solely on watching their plight on a documentary. They are simply young girls trying to live their lives as normally as possible after being exploited. I don't think any of them would feel too comfortable with strangers seeking them out via facebook (or any other medium) when really they just want to live their lives as teenagers would.
I am glad that you were apparently touched enough by the documentary to want to know how any of the young women are doing. My advice to you would be to go to gems-girls.org and seek out any ways you can donate your time, money or just your words by discussing the issue of sexual exploitation with friends and family.
Have a good day
How gross though! What's funny is it reminds me of Beyonce! Apparently Beyonce still "hangs out" with the GEMS girls semi-regularly. I'm sorry. That shit creeps me the fuck out. There's something very gross about people that want to "just be around" exploited people. And what's interesting is I always said if some random person wanted to come and "hang out" with the girls and just listen to their stories, that Rachel and everyone else would realize how insane and potentially retraumatizing THAT is. But because Rachel is such a fuckin groupie Beyonce can come around and do nothing different than what that random ass heffa above tried to do.If you want to "be near" "needy" people. volunteer at a fuckin soup kitchen, hold premature babies at the NICU of a hospital, read to the elderly. Don't try to "catch up" with a young woman you never met via facebook because you saw her on a documentary. What the fuck.
hey ebony u dont no me but i just got threw watch a film i think u were in it if im not sure i just wanted too say hi and add u as a friend how r u doing now
FYI: For those who haven't seen it, in Very Young Girls there's a young woman named Ebony whose story is highlighted in the doc. Rachel presents herself as the true white savior and goes to Florida to "rescue" Ebony and bring her back to NYC. All the while ignoring her wishes to make her own decisions for her life and then acts surprised when Ebony leaves GEMS and the doc ends with no one quite knowing where she is nor what she's doing. Though rumors were abound that she went back to Fla to be with her pimp.
So I read that message and I'm thinking "I HOPE she doesn't think I'm that Ebony." Because I want to believe no one would be arrogant enough to think that they could seek to connect to a kid based solely on watching them in a documentary. Like who would be so insane as to think that would be ok?
So I replied and said "What film is this?" Sure enough the chick says VYG.
My response was this:
I'm sorry for the mistake. I am not the Ebony you are thinking of. However, I did work at the organization that was featured in the film.
Because I know the young women, I would like to give you a word of caution. Please do not seek them out looking to connect to them based solely on watching their plight on a documentary. They are simply young girls trying to live their lives as normally as possible after being exploited. I don't think any of them would feel too comfortable with strangers seeking them out via facebook (or any other medium) when really they just want to live their lives as teenagers would.
I am glad that you were apparently touched enough by the documentary to want to know how any of the young women are doing. My advice to you would be to go to gems-girls.org and seek out any ways you can donate your time, money or just your words by discussing the issue of sexual exploitation with friends and family.
Have a good day
How gross though! What's funny is it reminds me of Beyonce! Apparently Beyonce still "hangs out" with the GEMS girls semi-regularly. I'm sorry. That shit creeps me the fuck out. There's something very gross about people that want to "just be around" exploited people. And what's interesting is I always said if some random person wanted to come and "hang out" with the girls and just listen to their stories, that Rachel and everyone else would realize how insane and potentially retraumatizing THAT is. But because Rachel is such a fuckin groupie Beyonce can come around and do nothing different than what that random ass heffa above tried to do.If you want to "be near" "needy" people. volunteer at a fuckin soup kitchen, hold premature babies at the NICU of a hospital, read to the elderly. Don't try to "catch up" with a young woman you never met via facebook because you saw her on a documentary. What the fuck.