Shiny Happy People

 

I cannot recommend this Amazon Prime documentary enough, because the reality of the IBLP and the legacy of Bill Gothard has a real impact on politics today. The "Evangelical vote" in this country is about, to some degree, this anti-science and abusive cult of kept-sweet femininity and abusive masculine authority. It's about deadening children's creativity and independence.  It's about reinforcing gender stereotypes and blaming victims for their abuse. It's about taking away the voices of the abused. 

It's about taking away scientific facts, and inserting one's own religious bias.  You know how they do. It's about wisdom books that have no wisdom in them. It's about elevating positive thinking and shutting down critical thinking. It's about denying reality and smiling when the camera is on. It's about little kids being made emissaries of their parents' religion and not being compensated. It's about Jim Bob Duggar being a stingy controlling SOB. It's about Mike Huckabee helping whitewash child abuse. 

When you look at Josh Hawley and his weird kvetching about masculinity, or the Liberty Mommies astroturf bullshit--you are seeing something that stems from this movement. They want to be the umbrella over you to prevent Satan doing his closet boogeyman stuff to your life. It's kind of really well-funded and super-sad. Because it is rooted in patriarchy and ignorance and weirdos who want to spank little kids. 

What in the foolishness fuck is this?? #ShinyHappyPeople pic.twitter.com/ThDR6GoGd0

— Teranga’s Faithful (@mlyngrant) June 2, 2023

But it doesn't look like that exactly in real life. And when you wonder why "youth pastor" is so associated with pedophilia and child porn, while the drag queens the hate-mongers pretend are the real danger never really are? See--it's a projection. This movement denies kids knowledge about their bodies and tells them to submit to authority. They could not be a better abuse-factory. Of course, they deflect. They'd rather not consider the trouble in every home perverted by a gospel rooting in shame and hypersexualization. 

So many folks wonder why Q-anon and Clinton body count conspiracy bullshit flourishes among these people--they are primed to believe the outside world is the real sickos to deflect from their homegrown tragedy. Of course children are blood sacrificed because of Satanic terror. Of course liberals murder their enemies. Of course transpeople only exist to do weird shit in bathrooms or showers--because who wouldn't?  See the whole world as filthy and sinful, and these are the fantasies you entertain. 

I was aware of this terrain, and still find the documentary shocking in its frankness, with testimony from people who have been a part of this movement and been abused by it. It's a very good and necessary watch.