leave the gun, take the cannoli

during snowpocalypse 2011 my roommate and i decided to watch the godfather trilogy. i'd never seen it before (!), and two days inside seemed like the perfect time to fix that.

after a thorough evaluation, i would say that the main benefit of watching these movies was how much they've helped me to understand the references to it in you've got mail, most of which occur while tom hanks types the longest instant message in recorded history.



i'm just kidding movie geeks. :)

i did really enjoy them, especially the random italian they were throwing around. but it really got me thinking about family, loyalty, and gender.

the thing that i thought about the most during the movie was it's portrayal of women. coppola intentionally framed gender in the movie the way that he did, reflecting the culture within the mob. bottom line, the women were out of control. out of control, irrational and powerless. the women in the corleone family rarely knew any of the details of the "family business". when fredo's wife was drunk at anthony's first communion party fredo complains that he "can't control her". connie is pretty much insane the whole time. we see both michael and carlo abuse their wives.

seeing it makes me so aware of how incredibly blessed i am by the women who have gone before me in american society and fought for equal treatment.

but it also makes me think about how many places women are still treated like (at best) an inconvenience or (at worst) a possession.

even in a time where so much has been done, being a counselor for the past six months has made me painfully aware that sexism isn't dead. i've got stories in my mind now that i can't erase about horrendous and sickening physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

one thing that's been pretty helpful is this book:



Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse- Diane Langberg

i'm working through it now, but it's pretty much the gold standard in its category. one of my professors said that every pastor and christian counselor should read it.

in reading this book and in counseling, the part that sickens me the most is that many times the abuser not only calls himself a Christian, but uses our precious and righteous Lord as a defense for his actions. how can these women trust a God they've been told is behind their tormentors?

wish i had better resolution for this post, but for now i've just got the hollow feeling of something i know isn't right.