The Whittackers

  I've watched many of Mark Laita's YouTube videos where he interviews people who live on the abyss of society. He has interviewed people who are drug addicted, prostitutes, pimps, hired hit men, rapists and the Whittaker family, a family of adults who live together and have multiple mental and physical issues because of inbreeding. Over ten million people have viewed Laita's documentary about the Whittaker's. Because of the intrusion into these people's lives they have become the modern day circus freaks the public pays to stare at. People converge on this family's home and take pictures or just look and point and laugh or shake their heads. I think what Laita does when allowing people to be filmed and letting them talk about their lives is important. I don't care what his motives are, these people have agreed to sit and talk before a camera for the world to see. I feel differently about the Whittaker's. None of them have the mental capacity to have known the consequences of agreeing to be public curiosities. They had managed to survive, however bad it seemed to viewers, and much of it was hard to stomach. They live in filth with urine stained bedding, dirty dishes and unwashed bodies. They are also bonded by their love and by their unique circumstances.

Now three of the Whittakers have been removed from the home. The family members who remain in the home have no idea where they are, although it is likely they were taken to a care facility after many complaints about their living conditions. There has been no word from the three who were taken which is understandable considering their disabilities. 

I have mixed feelings regarding what has happened with this family. There was no reason to enter these people's lives other than to put them on display. They most likely agreed to be filmed, if they even understood what was happening, because they were promised a few trinkets. They were given a grand shopping spree where they were all driven to the local Walmart and let loose to shop. This too was filmed as we watched them being hustled around the store, completely overwhelmed by the situation. They lived in extreme poverty and terrible conditions, but they didn't care. They had each other and it was very clear they relied on and cared deeply for each other. Now, because they were made fodder for our viewing pleasure they are a family torn apart. I can only imagine the fear the three who were taken are going through. 

Sometimes, it's not okay to butt into the lives of others. It's not okay to interfere and tell them what you think is best for them. They managed just fine without the world knowing about them. The looky loos can now go home and a family who never asked for this has been destroyed. 

Shame on all of us.