By Hannah Alexander

Forgive me if I seem self-indulgent here. I’m not trying to be. I’ve been arguing with my conscience for quite some time, especially since the last big shocker from the entertainment industry in Hollywood. It breaks my heart to think that those young actors I loved in The Lost Boys and The Outsiders and many other movies endured horrific abuse in order to “make it” in the industry.

Call me clueless–many people do–but aren’t children supposed to be treasured by adults? Aren’t they supposed to be protected? Instead, children in the entertainment world are being exploited in every way possible. So now when I watch TV–and Mel and I watch far more than is healthy–I cannot help wondering if the characters I’m watching have been–or are being–abused by the adults who are supposed to be “in charge.”

I’m not pointing fingers at anyone else who watches television for entertainment at night after a long day of work. Sometimes we just need an escape, right? But now I’m having trouble enjoying these shows while I’m watching them. For instance, we just finished watching the first season of Stranger Things. I was drawn to it in the first place because those young boys were so adorable. By the time we watched the last episode, I had lost all enjoyment because I couldn’t help imagining those kids being manipulated by some sex-hungry adult lurking on the set.

But silly me. I was a child once–decades ago. I knew about those kinds of lurkers because I was a target, too. And it wasn’t just one isolated adult who targeted me. I learned when I was eight not to trust strangers–and sometimes I discovered I couldn’t trust friends of the family. For any child, wounded and hungry adults lurk in nearly every corner of every store, in every school, every park, even church.

Yes, of course all women are prey at one time or another–prey of both men AND women. We learn that early. We have to. And we learn how to avoid most situations if we can. I’m so thankful for the people in my life who did all they could to protect me. They weren’t aways around and they didn’t know what I knew, but if I spoke up, those staunch protectors–whether a teacher or an employer or a parent or friend–defended me with extreme prejudice.

And that’s just the real world, where the majority of adults really were safe. When it comes to the fantasy world of television and movies, not only do the innocent young and defenseless become prey, but we, as viewers, can become prey. Think about it. What kinds of messages are we receiving from producers, writers, directors, who live in a fictive world where anything goes and where those people in power abuse children? How are they influencing us as we watch their stories play out?

Have you watched a show lately where the jerk dies a horrible death in the end? How did that make you feel? Sure, I’ve killed the antagonists in my books several times. We all need to feel that justice will be done, if not in the real world, then in the books we read and the shows we watch. But last night when we watched the antagonist mutilated, the satisfaction I felt made me wonder. Was I exposing myself to something that would draw me from the ideals of forgiveness and redemption? Lately I’ve been seeking redemption for the antagonists in my books. Not all of them, because we have to be realistic–not everyone is going to repent–but I have begun to show more scenes of redemption, simply because I want to believe it’s possible.

What are we learning from the shows we watch? I’m not talking about the language, because that can be edited out with some programs, but what about the actual messages?

I think we can help one another become more aware of the influence moviemakers are having on our hearts and souls. I think that, for me, it’s time for a change. The lurkers have just changed hiding places, but even adults can become the victims of silent abuse. Beware.