This episode is ridiculous! It’s crazy that in these previous episodes men get 2-4 years for “aggravated robbery” aka attempted murder and then they throw this episode in where these women get 3 years jail or 8 years probation for something that isn’t even a direct threat. The witch hunt still exists in the south that’s for sure.
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I just wanted to discuss this episode. Glad people are as interested as I am! This episode perfectly articulates nuance. And how often it is missed in true crime. Lack of nuance really fucks with us and forces us into pack mentality and group think. That's my thesis of my review, lol sorry, now to the good.
Clearly this falls under the category of stalking. Bothe her and her mother intended to cause stress and anxiety. They wanted to punish her. That's bully shit. That's just mean spirited and childish. And, specifically to the victim, harmful. All of that I think is clearly one sided and indisputable. It was comforting for the daughter to acknowledge fault, even if it clearly is the 'right' answer.
But herein lies the nuance: The 8 years preventing close family members from contact is cruel and unusual and possibly, I feel it is, related to their atheistic beliefs. It's an attempt to cut off the daughter from the mother and her 'hedonistic' beliefs in hopes that the naive and chaste young girl will turn to the lord and the mother grow old and become the witch she is. This is not literal btw. One can speculate on the severity of their intents. And thankfully it stopped where it did. To not punish them would be irrational. And set a horrible standard. But, do the schools in this town charge childhood bullies with stalking? There's a slippery slope we could fall down when you see this specific punishment vs the crime.
I blew up a watermelon on a some guys front porch at like 17. Peed on his car. I think that was it. I wanted him to know. And I wanted him to just be uncomfy. Doesn't matter why. At the time I thought it was just stupid. You can clean your BMW, it's piss. You can clean your porch, its fruit. Today, it's embarrassing. If I tell my friends who partook, we laugh. But, no one else knows. Truthfully, I deserved punishment. I deserved to provide financial compensation. I deserved to not be able to go to his house. I deserved probation. But did I deserve to not see my 3 best friends, who've gone on to become wonderful humans and the antithesis of those actions, for 8 years? Sure, that situation is less dire than this. But the nuance is still the same.
Punishment, especially for those we deem worthy of it, remains an integral part of American Justice. Victims are fiercely defended. That is true. But none moreso than a victim that fits our idealized victim who is attacked by a perpetrator who fits the idealized perp mold. That is what makes the episode so fascinating. And where I wish this show, that does a decent job of trying to tell facts as they are and not paint with bias, was slightly better in this instance.
8 years no weed? No contact with your closest family? Please, probation. Make sure they are being checked on by a healthcare professional. Make sure they are not in contact with the victim. Financial compensation? Rationally, sure.
Last thing: my personal takes that are not a part of this nuance thesis i wanted to get out...homie if those things traumatized you for life? Come on. It's all ego. The victim felt awful and skeeved out. Totally! It's scary weird shit! Absolutely. But the downplaying the 'I just send him a photo of a FRIEND it wasn't even me.' and 'I honestly was fine with him dating someone else' is so conveniently easy. And sus. I'd rather she just say 'yo I was flirting still. Yeah I was being disrespectful. Yeah I definitely was a little jealous. I didn't do shit right and I get why she was mad. But that didn't give her the right to actually terrorize me a year later. That doesn't make it okay. And it really hurt me.' I hate when the conveniently perfect victim was an angel. Like its okay to be imperfect! No victim is an angel. Every human does things wrong. I think she got played by this girl. And I think she was scared. And she won. That's what the punishment was. And now she gets to call her a monster. FOR LEAVING SOME PAPER AND A DOLL WITH SOME FUCKIN WICCAN WRITING AT HER HOUSE!!! Like, come on! I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Is she really even scared? Or was the check in to the mental health institution like showing up to an accident hearing with a shitty neck brace on? Idk! I'm just not buying it....but, none of that matters just my bias take lacking in nuance.
Thanks for those who read. Would love to discuss.
Be respectful don’t flirt with people Man She is partly to blame how would she feel if they did that with her new husband she found someone new and she stop 🛑 Her ex husband was a pice of shite too But it’s nice how the police wast there time On thing like this when there are many open case of murder !!!!! What a clown 🤡