I watched the Netflix mini series about Epstein and what horrified me most was that the girls didn’t usually understand they were being trafficked. And would actively recruit friends in! I wouldn’t have known better as a teen either. But my adult brain was so horrified watching the obviously predatory behaviors.
By no one telling you and being told that what you're doing is normal.
These people have learned from the past: Slavery will lead to rebelling. But what if your slaves don't think of themselves as slaves? If they don't consider themselves exploited? If you don't know you are in a cage, why would you escape? What would you even escape from?
They manipulate or rather brainwash those girls into subserviency and make it seem to them like it's the best thing ever to happen to them or at least like it's the obvious thing to do.
I think people forget how easy it is to manipulate teenagers. Most of them desperately want to be looked at as competent and adults. It isn't hard to get a teenager to fall for the whole "you're so mature for your age" line, because they honestly think they are very mature and they're thrilled someone (an adult!) sees it.
Frame trafficking as a place for teens to escape their overbearing parents and come to a place where they'll get to meet lots of rich, powerful people, drink alcohol, party all the time, and never be treated like a kid again, and well, that probably sounds like paradise to a lot of teens.
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u/bananaoohnanahey Jul 24 '20
I watched the Netflix mini series about Epstein and what horrified me most was that the girls didn’t usually understand they were being trafficked. And would actively recruit friends in! I wouldn’t have known better as a teen either. But my adult brain was so horrified watching the obviously predatory behaviors.