Monday, August 31, 2015

Pedophiles,

Saturday night, we watched a programme on TVO, TV Ontario. They are a public broadcasting station and basically have no advertising. The film, called Chosen, was about three men who were at a private boarding school, Caldicotte, in the UK during the late 60s and early 70s. These three very brave men were talking about the sexual abuse they suffered whilst at a this school and described what happened to them. One of the abusers was the headmaster, Peter Wright, and there was another teacher also, Martin Carson. The programme was horrifying and it turns out that none of the abused young men wanted their parents to know about it and this is why they didn't say anything until their parents were deceased, often because they didn't want their parents to realise they had sent their children into danger. This meant that the courts figured it was all too long after the event and basically did nothing about it whatsoever. How absolutely dreadful. Children in boarding schools are very much in the power of their teachers and if their teachers are abusive there is not much they can do. I attended two boarding schools and nothing, but nothing, of this kind occurred - to my
knowledge anyway - but I can understand how it could happen and how the kids (around 11 yrs. old) could get involved in such dreadful goings on. One thing mentioned was how the parents and teachers became friends. I remember at one school I attended my parents used to drink in the local pub with the headmistress.  Even today, some 30 odd years after the event (whenever the movie was made) these men were obviously very emotionally involved and had been emotionally damaged by these pedophiles. There was a statistic saying 3 children in every 20 - in Britain - are abused. This, of course does not just mean only in boarding schools. One wonders about the statistics in other countries.

Talking about this to Matt on Sunday morning, he maintained if it had happened to him he would have run a mile, but he is thinking with an adult brain, not as a child. As the three men in the documentary said, they were groomed. First of all they were all in the school rugby team and the headmaster was very involved with rugger. He knew a lot about it. I'm not sure whether he coached the team or not, but this was a way of getting these kids involved with the teachers in question so that they wanted the approval of these men and would basically do anything to get it. And so it went on.

Looking for pictures of the school, I came across this article about another pedophile from Caldicott who was about to be sentenced so lay down in front of an oncoming train. This article talks about a ring of pedophiles and that the abuse had been going on for half a century.As the suicide took place in 2014 it would appear they gradually have been catching up with these men. One of them, Martin Carson, who had been fired, was later found working at another school and eventually was given 2 years in prison but did not finish his sentence as he was released for good behaviour.

This recipe is from the New York Times and looked interesting to me. I should warn you that this is a pretty high calorie meal.

Rum and Chili Roasted Chicken Thighs With Pineapple

  • Yield3 to 4 servings

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 scallions, trimmed and chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons safflower or canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons rum, preferably dark or amber
  • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero chili pepper, seeded and chopped
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 6 chicken thighs, rinsed and patted very dry
  • ¾ pound pineapple pieces, diced into 1/4-inch chunks or very roughly chopped
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Preparation

  1. In a blender or food processor, combine lemon juice and salt, and blend for 5 seconds to dissolve salt. Add scallions, garlic, oil, rum, thyme, brown sugar, chili pepper and spices, and blend until mixture forms a paste.
  2. Rub chili paste all over chicken pieces. If you have time, let marinate for up to 45 minutes at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in refrigerator.
  3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put chicken in a large baking pan and scatter pineapple around it in one layer. Roast until chicken is cooked through (juices will run clear when pricked with a fork), about 25 minutes.
  4. Broil chicken and pineapple until chicken skin is crisp and dark brown all over and pineapple is singed in places.
  5. Serve chicken and pineapple coated with pan drippings, with lemon wedges.

Have a great day
 

24 comments:

  1. Child sex abuse is so hidden with those who suffer it often ashamed ad/or afraid to mention it. I know some survivors and I can see how it has affected them all their lives - and that's with having seen their abusers punished. The damage remains unfortunately.

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    1. It is dreadful isn't it. As far as I know, I have never met anyone who was abused. Often they are sure people won't believe them either.

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  2. One of the things I was told to do when I was raising my three sons was to always take them into the rest room with me and not let them go into the men's room alone. So sad that one has to always worry about our children like that.

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    1. I never thought of that Denise, but yes, very sensible. It is sad.

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  3. It's shocking how common sexual abuse is. I look back to the kids I went to school with and wonder about some of them. While I wasn't sexually abused by a teacher, one of them did kiss me on the lips. He was the high school radio station manager and in his 50s. I was confused and terrified, so I kept my distance and made sure I was never alone w/ him. I didn't tell my parents b/c they wouldn't have believed me, they definitely would've blamed me and they would have forced me to leave the radio station which was my life. When I was a freshman in college my mom told me that he'd been fired due to a scandal of him being inappropriate with a student. That's when I finally confessed what he'd done to me.

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    1. What did your mom say when you told her? Actually I have just remembered I was subject to some molestation once by a stranger. At the time it meant nothing to me I thought it was an accident but in later years I am not so sure.

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  4. Sad that those things can happen. I just can't fathom how someone's mind could work in such a way as to abuse a child.

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    1. Yes Alex, one does wonder at the mental state of these people. The photos of these young boys showed such innocent young faces.

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  5. Terrible to hear about that happening. Like Matt, I would initially assume I would have just run away from it, but that's adult brain thinking. Kids don't think like that. Even just in our post today I thought it was normal that moms sent you away with bleeding concussions. Sadly, sex abuse probably isn't much different if the abuser frames it correctly. Adults know everything and you're supposed to listen to them.

    On a brighter note, I did really enjoy that Mongolian beef. And I'm intrigued by today's recipe. I don't get to cook with habanero peppers nearly enough.

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    1. Exactly Bryan, I hadn't thought of that comparison.

      Glad you enjoyed the Mongolian Beef. It is so nice when I hear people try out my recipes.

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  6. What a horrid thing, and so many years for it to go on and on. My heart breaks for the victims. They probably thought they were hiding one incident, their own, only to discover there's been many, too many victims. Then the guilt begins all over again. So sad! Surviving this world and it's evil - surviving hell for sure!

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    1. Worse than some of your murder stories Yolanda. Especially as it's true.

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  7. It is most difficult to talk about and, in the mind of a child, you are told it is your fault and that it is a secret. If you try to fight against it these sick s.o.b's will threaten you or your family. In some cases the mind will blot things out as a protective tool. The key is to always say that you will not continue to be a victim and it will not be a key to who you are as a person. It is not easy.

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    1. Especially starting at 11 yrs old Birgit. In some cases they didn't really realise they were victims at first. Very sad story.

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  8. It's horrifying in so many ways including that it continues in so many places. The punishments do not fit the crime.
    Susan Says

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    1. Certainly not Susan, of course it happens in so many places too, homes as well which is dreadful with the people who are supposed to care and protect you.

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  9. The great friend of truth is time - I believe in this credo. Its so unfunny creeps like these target the weak, vulnerable and young. Even if you do get to talk about it, the slimeball "protectors" will say - that is what you believed occurred and has significant value to you.

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    1. Very true Spacerguy. Slimeballs is a good name for them.,

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  10. My mom used to say 'your sins will find you out.'
    How awful for these men. :(

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    1. Your mom was right Melissa. The trouble is there are many more men who were abused at that school who haven't come out and talked about it.

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  11. I can understand the powerful hold these teachers had over eleven year old boys. Let's hope with criminal checks etc nowadays this doesn't happen as much.

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    1. I hope so too Pinky. Gives teachers a bad name too doesn't it? Nobody in the UK will think of that school the same way again and yet it was previously known as a good prep school.

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  12. Awful story. The recipe sounds good; I love pineapple.

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    1. It was/is Dixie. I love pineapple too I'm always surprised when people don't.

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