Beware of Monsters

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The author of "The Sociopath Next Door" noted that we often come up benign interpretations of disturbing behavior instead of accepting the obvious one. We know in theory that people do evil. We've seen the news; we've read history. But when it comes to a specific person in a specific situation, it kind of seems outlandish. We're not monsters; our friends aren't monsters. It's hard to believe that anyone else is.

Several young women appeared on Oprah this week to tell the horrible tale of their families' involvement with a pastor named Tony Alamo. He ran a ministry with thousands of followers and several isolated compounds. After his wife died of cancer, he made a habit of trolling his ministry's devotees for girls to take as his "wives." Parents handed over their girls, as young as 8 years old, to this man, who proceeded to rape and beat them after a makeshift reciting of wedding vows in his home. They weren't allowed to talk to outsiders; even calls to their parents were strictly rationed and monitored. The house was wired with security cameras, and his followers were ready to spring into action if anyone tried to escape.

Eventually each girl did, and, now in their twenties, you can see how haunted they are. Their childhoods were stolen, and their parents rejected them. Eventually they spoke out, and Tony Alamo was tried for his crimes. He's now serving a 100-year prison sentence.

One young woman, the one who seems to have come out the least damaged, took Oprah's crew to the house where she was held and beaten. She pointed to it and said, "No one knew what went on inside there. Inside was Hell." But no one investigated; no one questioned the security cameras and multiple girls. The message that she and Oprah hammered on time and again was this: If something doesn't look right or feel right, stick your nose in it. Don't tell yourself it's none of your business. Make a call. Realize that the worst could be happening.

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