Why the Controversy?

I (#blogger #blog #somseason #YA #authors) have been hearing about the movie ‘Sound of Freedom’ for a while now, and being that it is playing in a nearby theatre, my wife and I went to see it. This movie is ‘eye opening’ and emotionally moving. No one can see this movie without being affected, especially since it is based on a true story.

This movie tells the true story of Tim Ballard, who was a special agent for the Department of Homeland Security, who was moved to quit the agency and launch a non-profit organization. The organization is called Operation Underground Railroad and is devoted to fighting child sex trafficking throughout the world. In case you haven’t seen it, here is the trailer.

What I find interesting is that the movie was made in 2018, was supposed to be released by Fox the following year, but Disney bought the studio and shelved the movie. Why would the Disney Corporation shelve the movie? Is Disney trying to prevent people from seeing it? That is my conclusion. There is no other logical reason. Yahoo News has an article entitled, Why Are So Many People Are Against The ‘Sound Of Freedom’ Movie — Despite The Very Real Issue It Covers? That’s a good question. I am baffled. Why are people—especially Legacy or Mainstream Media—against a movie that is based on a true story and is about child sex trafficking? They should be encouraging people to see the movie, not the opposite.

Celebrities like singer Jewel and actor/director Mel Gibson are among those to publicly embrace the film and encourage fans to go see it. Donald Trump also has endorsed the movie. Perhaps that is why Forbes wrote an article entitled: Here Are The Right-Wing Figures—From Donald Trump To Steve Bannon—Championing Surprise Hit ‘Sound Of Freedom’. The movie seems to be labeled as ‘Right Wing.” According to Deffin, the differences between left-wing and right-wing ideologies center around the rights of individuals verses the power of the government. Left-wing ideology believes society is best served with an expanded role for the government whereas right-wing ideologies advocate for individual rights. Is Mainstream Media against individual freedom since they are bashing the Sound of Freedom movie?

Slate, a daily magazine on the web and podcast network writes about How Sound of Freedom Misrepresents Its Subject—and Why the Movie Is So Seductive, saying the movie is the exact point where a legitimate problem and dangerous conspiracy theory meet. Need I remind you that according to Paul Craig Roberts, chairman of the Institute for Political Economy, the term “Conspiracy Theory” was invented by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) in order to prevent disbelief of official government stories.

Let me refresh your memory with an example. The mainstream media pushed the narrative that the COVID-19 vaccines were safe and effective and anyone who believed otherwise was ridiculed as a conspiracy theorist. Big Pharma has now admitted that their COVID-19 vaccines can cause serious blood clots and that the vaccines don’t stop transmission. I wrote about this in a previous blog. Those alleging COVID vaccines were dangerous, opposing the official government narrative, were accused of promoting conspiracy theory, yet as it turned out, they were speaking truth. ‘Conspiracy theory’ is an overused term used to demonize those who negate the official government storylines.

Legacy media is also trying to discredit the movie, Sound of Freedom. Yahoo’s article, Why Right-Wing Conspiracy Theorists Are Embracing ‘Sound of Freedom’, also connects the movie to conspiracy. Toronto Star’s article, Sound of Freedom: Why a film about human trafficking is accused of trafficking in QAnon conspiracies does as well. According to the BBC article, QAnon: What is it and where did it come from? “QAnon is a wide-ranging, completely unfounded theory that says that President Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping paedophiles in government, business and the media.” The Washington Post makes this claim as well in its article, ‘Sound of Freedom’ is a box office hit whose star embraces QAnon, as does the Guardian who says, Sound of Freedom: the QAnon-adjacent thriller seducing America.

Some media is more derogatory. Yahoo news says the ‘Sound Of Freedom’ Is a Superhero Movie for Dads With Brainworms. That’s insulting, especially since I am a dad. Watch the CNN News Clip bash the movie. Listen as CBC Radio columnist, Rad Simonpillai, who says the movie is “a dog whistle for xenophobic Pro-Trump, Pro-Life types.” The Rolling Stone article, Why Anti-Trafficking Experts Are Torching ‘Sound of Freedom’ says the movie offers a “false perception” of child trafficking that experts worry could further harm the real victims. Who are these experts? There is little doubt for me that Legacy media is trying to prevent people from seeing the movie. Why? Are they trying to hide something? Truth perhaps?

Some people wanting to see the movie claim they are being prevented from seeing it, as the New York Post says ‘Sound of Freedom’ audience claims: Theaters sabotage showings. Why would theatres sabotage showings by forgetting to dim the lights, turning off the air conditioning in theaters, or effecting an emergency evacuation.

Yet, despite this ‘Sound of Freedom’ is now PROFITABLE while Disney’s Box Office Bombs AGAIN! It has reached a Box Office Milestone: ‘Sound of Freedom’ Crosses $100M in U.S. Why is that? Something about this movie draws people to see it. Maybe others are like me, as I choose to draw my own conclusions about the movie. I stopped listening to Legacy media three years ago.

I for one, think everyone should see this movie because human trafficking is bullying (#bullying, #antibullying) of the evilest kind. Tim Ballard says to someone in the film that child sex trafficking is rarely discussed because it’s “too ugly for polite conversation.” It is an ugly topic. The International Labour Organization (ILO) says forced labour generates annual profits of US$ 150 billion (source). The movie claims human trafficking is a 150-billion-dollar a year operation. That’s shocking!

Tim Ballard, in the movie also said, “Do you know there are 22 million new images of child porn on the internet? That’s up 5,000% from just 5 years ago. 5000%.” Ballard says, “It’s [child trafficking] already surpassed the illegal weapons trade, and soon it will surpass the drug trade. Do you know why? You can sell a bag of cocaine once. A 5-year-old child, you can sell them 5-10 times a day, for 10 years straight.” In one of the movie’s most powerful scenes, Tim says, “God’s children are not for sale.” Yet, there are those you don’t want you to know this.

One of the statements made in the film that left me speechless is: “In 2023, there are more people enslaved than in any time in history, many of those are children.” According to ILO, 50 million people worldwide live in modern slavery (source). My intuition tells me the number is much higher.

A definition of human trafficking is the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud or coercion. Human Trafficking Search (HTS) seeks to raise awareness and help prevent and eliminate human trafficking worldwide. According to them, there are six types of human trafficking

Sex trafficking and child sex trafficking
Forced labour
Debt Bondage
Forced child labour
Involuntary domestic servitude
Unlawful recruitment and use of child soldiers

William Wilberforce, a British politician, philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade once said, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. It was Condoleezza Rice who said, “Defeating human trafficking is a great moral calling of our time…” You can no longer “stick your head in the sand” meaning you can no longer pretend that human trafficking does not exist.

Human trafficking is modern day slavery and it is a world-wide problem. We live under the illusion that slavery is illegal—which it is—and no longer exists. It may be “too ugly for polite conversation,” but it is a topic that must be talked about. That is the sole purpose of the movie. The first step to solving any problem is awareness. Start by going to this movie. Educate yourselves. Formulate your own opinions and stop listening to what others tell you. It is time for you to think for yourself and do you part in making this a better world for our children.