Les Mis is a beautiful movie. All at once, for all the world to see, the immense sadness of forced sex and pornography is portrayed on the big screen, as the beautiful Fantine lay dying, of a broken heart.
The seriousness of all this may soon escape us, as we know these great actors will rise to soon tell us another story and win awards. But the message of this movie will never be entirely lost to us.
Before we went to the movie, I wanted to take the kids, but my wife said no. I guess she knew the story from a woman's perspective better than I did. They will have to wait till they are older.
Although it has been said before, now is as good a time as any, to say it again. There is great power in the media and entertainment to affect behaviour. The proof of this is the millions of dollars corporations were willing to pay for advertising during the NFL Super Bowl. I suppose a few more Ram trucks will be sold than otherwise, for the farmer in all of us.
Similarly, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know for sure that hard core pornography is culpable for increased child sexual abuse and other sex abuse in our society. But I guess it does take a rocket scientist to get anybody to do anything about it.
I can only hope, that the beautiful movie Les Mis, will encourage one man not to watch a porn film, one husband and father not to be abusive, and one woman to be like Fantine; a mother, even through all her suffering, who is the face of God.
And for all of us to build up and encourage the young families with children all around us, for the farmer, good lover, in all of us.