Phoebe Joey

Speaking of female viewers of Sound of Freedom.... I think Tara McNamara made a pretty interesting observation about the movie.

"And while the movie's cinematography and acting are solid, the way the trafficked children are depicted is designed to exploit viewers' emotions, and the end credits explain why: To continue the Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) mission, the organization needs people to spread the word ... and open their wallets.

In real life, Ballard has received criticism for self-mythologizing and raising millions of dollars from those who are eager to write a check in the hopes of rescuing children. Bringing attention to the realities of child trafficking is, of course, extremely important -- as is the need to prevent it. But this movie plays like a piece of propaganda aimed at guilt-tripping audiences into donating money to a foundation that, among other things, has been accused of having connections with conspiracy theorists.

There's valuable information to be gained from Sound of Freedom about how traffickers operate (although some experts question the tone and accuracy of the depiction), and the sting in Cartagena is a stand-up-and-cheer victory for good over evil. Just recognize that the film has an agenda beyond simply "saving kids." "

Don't you think getting people emotionally invested in this subject is a good thing? Maybe peple need to be more upset that this issue is still in full effect and the average individual doesn't know much about it. Maybe if people were as upset about child trafficking as they are about racism, more would be done to prevent it. Also " has been accused of having connections with conspiracy theorists." sounds like a slanted issue, meaning that seems like a dig made by left wingers that have nothing concrete to complain about.

I think directing a movie and then asking people to spread the word about an organization makes the movie feel like an advertisement. It damages credibility. It's like finding out Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation bought a 6 million dollar house.

(To be fair it is apparently a completely separate entity from BLM with different leaders but even if they're trying to piggyback on that movement for $, the idea and obvious word association damages credibility to people who don't know the difference)

I will look into what they mean about conspiracy theorists later...