to think this should not be allowed

[PomPomBearGrylls]

when a film company thinks it is acceptable to make fun and money from a poor little girl's suffering under the guise of 'entertainment'😥
Shannon Mathews the movie

You're a goady prick.

MNHQ, it needed saying and I accept my punishment

Yes I do and as a CP SW I saw what generational trauma can do. Those children are possibly becoming parents, it will take two more generations for this to fade. It's only in your later 20's that you often start to process your past, in cases such as the Mathew's, if addiction hasn't taken over, or the lives damaged by other bad choices, the age they are now is when healing starts to take place. I used 'the children' to mean the children of Karen Mathew.

My argument:

A young woman who as a child was raised by abusers and drugged over the course of almost two years then tethered to the inside of the base of divan bed, should have the power to say whether she would like this utterly horrific part of her life sang about and her name brought back in the public consciousness in such a controversial way. She should not be re traumatised by more people exploiting her for money and airtime.

@olivechuu 's argument:

Kunt has been doing this for years. Heads in arses. Thick fucks.

Ok @olivechuu

Its not an “argument” because youre upset about it.
The general public has been unaware of this niche offencemonger for his entire career and a shite musical isnt going to change that. It’s nonsensical to be annoyed when thats the end goal- Half the people in this thread wouldn’t know this existed if it wasn’t for op complaining about it and would never have stumbled across it on their own. But now they’ll all clap trap about it to other people. Some of you will even watch it so you know exactly what you’re angry about.

I'm not upset or annoyed. It is possible to have an opinion about a social issue without being offended or upset.

There is a trend of the moment of streaming channels sensationalising "real life" stories without diligence or concern for the "real life" people (Baby Reindeer, My Wife, My Abuser). They are being produced for entertainment and ultimately profit. It is important for us as a society to look at this and discuss it and determine how we want to manage it, preferably before a vulnerable person is irrevocably harmed by the practice.

We have news reporting standards for this very reason and yet if parcel up a news story as drama, comedy or musical then these standards seem to not apply. I think that has to change.

But no I'm not affronted. When you fling accusations of pearl-clutching, frothing or offense about, you have already closed your mind off to the possibility of dialogue. That's true narrow-mindedness.

MNHQ.... It's a fair point!

I'm pretty sure she'll still remember the name she had when her mum and her boyfriend drugged her and tied her up under a bed. Don't you?

Nothing like manufactured outrage to get more people to watch it.

Your cheque is in the post OP.

I have no inclination to watch it, but, historically real life events have been turned into entertainment. Titanic for instance is one of the most well-known tragedies in the past century, and yet it was turned into an Oscar nominated film after being re-written into a love story. Never mind the thousands of victims who died as a result. Plenty of similar films have been made about events in the first and Second World War. Miss Saigon is a well-known documentary about Vietnam. All of the above have been re-written and embellished for the purposes of entertainment, but we accept that because those are events are things that most of us haven’t lived through. So if Shannon Matthew’s the musical were created in 50 years time it’s unlikely that people would make the same kind of fuss about it, similarly Madeleine McCann or the 9/11/7/7 bombings.

Often it’s all about timing, and the memories associated with said events.

It’s been 16 years since Shannon Matthews’ disappearance, and so most of us will remember the news reports and so can see how it’s been embellished for the purposes of entertainment. But most of us don’t remember the Vietnam war and none of us remember the sinking of the titanic, so in those events people are perfectly accepting of them being re-written and embellished for the purposes of entertainment.

The sinking of the Titanic was a social, political and cultural event that impacted history. It resulted in laws being changed. It was a much, much, much more significant event than this. The film was made 85 years after the event. But I still don't believe that it should have been made the way it was made.

I think if there are living survivors of any event that you wish to turn into entertainment then the ethical way to handle it is to work with them. Seek their permission, gain their insights, offer them support, and pay them. If they say no or you can't get access to them then don't use their story, likeness or name.

I say that with a heavy heart and a bit of hypocrisy because I really loved Titanic when it came out and I was a teenager. But as an adult I do think it could have been made better.

@D010879 🤣 Well that sure made me change my mind.

I get the freedom of speech and dark humour comments but making light of child kidnapping and child abuse is just inexcusable. I hope SM is getting in touch with some shit hot lawyers!

I often think of Shannon and hope her life is good now.

I think my main objection to this horrible 'entertainment' would be because of the pain and embarrassment it would cause Shannon. How can people be so insensitive?