An American Tragedy

It's taken JonBenet Ramsey's father 15 years to realize that what he and his wife did to the little girl, by parading her in all those beauty contests, was tantamount to exploitation.  The man and his wife were really obtuse, in not recognizing it as they were doing it, as well as during her murder investigation, when there was a consensus that it had been inappropriate to submit the child to that kind of grotesque exposure.

This points to a bigger issue than just a couple's insensitivity to its own child. American fascination with competition and contests of all kinds, as well as with the opportunity to be famous and make money, lead to this kind of excess. Blinded by all this, the Ramseys proved to be unaware of the harm that they were doing to their little daughter. While everybody else saw how obscene and twisted all those costumes, makeup and posing looked on the child, they were dismissive of that criticism.

There's a saying in Spanish, which, roughly translated, states: "The Devil loved his child so much that he ended taking his eyes out."

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