Disclaimers –
- This post contains spoilers. If you have not watched The Keepers yet, please watch before reading. If you do not plan to watch The Keepers, I recommend you do watch.
- This post is just an outpouring of my emotions & thoughts after seeing the docuseries. It is not meant to be any kind of an ‘expert’ take on anything.
- Trigger warning of child/ sexual abuse
- While the show is about the church, all religions have their share of monsters. Thus, when I write about religious institutions, I mean institutions of all religions.
The Keepers on Netflix is based on the theory of repressed memories. Both memory researchers & clinicians who work with trauma victims agree that repressed memories are real. But we’ve laypeople who dismiss the same. Sadly, when victims speak up once their repressed memories surface, they are disbelieved & further stigmatized. I wish there were a way to prove beyond doubt that such memories are true.
Having said that, those who remember their trauma are disbelieved too. So, is it more about the repressed memories or about not believing victims or not letting them speak up? What is the world so afraid of anyway?
From the moment Jane Doe came forward, the odds were stacked against her. She faced the wall of the powerful church & the corrupt police force. For how long will we continue to not question religious institutions? I was aghast how the police force of the most powerful nation in the world (no, not China yet. I mean the USA) lost crucial evidence during a hurricane!
It is often asked (even if in good faith), ‘But why didn’t s/ he tell anyone?’ To such people, I will say, it is a confusing & frightening time, even more if you are young.
- An abuser is, often, a person in a position of authority. A child/ teenager does not know if what is happening to her/ him is right/ wrong. After all, her/ his parents & other elders seem to like & respect this person.
- The child/ teenager may also be afraid if the abuser has threatened s/ he will harm to victim’s family. In the case of The Keepers, this threat is carried out too with Sister Cesnik.
But, again, I am a layperson. & These are just my top-of-the-mind thoughts. There may be so many more factors that a psychologist may be able to peel.
It was heart-breaking to see how more & more victims came forward once the can of worms was opened. How does a man abuse ~40 young people & get away with it?
It sickened me further to see how the church tried to silence the victims further by compensating them. If it disbelieved the victims about Maskell’s evildoings, why did it pay settlements to them?
How does one even claim that so & so is not guilty because there is no precedent?
How does one even ask the victim to bring forth somebody who can corroborate her/ his story? It is not like abuse is a public event telecast live on giant screens around the world.
Why does a religious institution get ants in its pants even if the abuse has been carried out by a lone wolf? It would have been beneficial to the church if they had acted against Maskell & washed their hands off him. It would have earned goodwill. & I am not even getting into the morals & religious teachings etc.
I am not surprised that ~7% of the world identifies as ‘atheist’ now. If our religious institutions & priests fail us, our belief in our religions & God is bound to diminish.
Responses to “Keeping The Memories”
Sounds like an interesting documentary.
I think one reason why people keep silent is due to shame. They keep silent because they are ashamed of what it happened because it makes them weak. They also don’t want to think about it so they push it far from their mind. Also not a lot of people talk about this so talking about it is seen as something indecent. We are expected to repress these unpleasant memories
I think we should always talk about it and speak up when it happens to us. Only by speaking up can we ensure that it doesn’t happen again and by speaking up we can find much needed peace and understanding and solace for the situation.
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Thank you for stopping by, Helen! I understand the concept of shame in sexual abuse…
The feeling that there was something wrong with me, that I was/ said/ did something, that made me ‘chosen’ for this mistreatment.
& it’s really so sad! Because sexual abuse is about the perpetrator, not about the victim…
I guess when we realise there’s no avenue/ point in speaking about something, specially something SO unpleasant, we do tend to try to forget about it.
What you’ve written is so true! I hope documentaries like this make victims/ survivors come forward & speak up…
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I have seen and met people who were carrying baggage from their childhood. It impacted their entire lives and decision-making process. To a normal person, it would seem that these people were negative or dumb or all the other labels we have invented in our society. But to me, I could see their pain when I was able to find out their back story. I think I will need to see this series for sure.
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Well – written Amit! As a society, we’re extremely efficient at attaching labels to people…
With the dominance of social media, even more so. We jump to conclusions & judge, without even probing the matter!
It’s ironic because we want ourselves to be treated kindly but don’t do the same to others…
Why do we forget all of us have a story? You must see the series. I pride myself on being largely stoic but by the 2nd episode, my ❤ was sinking!
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