I just finished the documentary Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, and my face is still puffy from crying. What a tragic story.
If you haven't watched it, I do reccommend it, just be warned, it's fucking rough! Watching the disintegration of what, by all accounts, seemed like a happy family was so sad.
The first couple of episodes were painful and cringey to watch, and Ruby's absolute need for recognition, fame, and validation was hard to see. She was so desperate for it! And I don't think it's an unfamiliar desire for most of the population. We want to be recognized for our accomplishments, and we are programmed to compete with one another, social media has made that part of the lizard brain grow as if on steroids.
The last episode of this documentary is just heart-wrenching to watch. The spiral into madness by Ruby, the manipulation by Jodi Hilderbrandt and the horrific abuse of her children, especially her two youngest, will make you sick to your stomach. I'm so glad they protected the identity of the youngest children, but I'm sure I'm not the only viewer that would love to know if these poor kids are recovering well from their trauma.
The one issue I have with the documentary is actually the name. Lumping in all of these complicated issues as evil or anything to do with the devil is a disservice. What I watched was religious trauma, coupled with religious manipulation, coupled with mental instability and unchecked mental health issues, coupled with cult behavior, coupled with the infection in our society for fame. It's all mentioned, but the part of the blame belonging squarely with the dark side of organized religion seemed glossed over to me. Teaching families that perfection is godly is manipulation, teaching families that sexual expression is evil is abuse, teaching families that they are to compete with society to prove their superiority is horrific and has nothing to do with satan, it has all to do with the reason organized religion should fall. I'm not saying don't have faith or spirituality, but I am saying question what you worship and who.
#rubyfrankedocumentary #ididntseethedevil #religioustramua #religiousmanipulation #hungryforfame
