Taking Sides: Kinsey (Warning, graphic content)

BreakPoint with Chuck Colson ^ | 2 Dec 04 | Chuck Colson

[Mr. Silverback]

“Never make judgments.” That’s what scientist Alfred Kinsey tells his research assistant very early in the new film about his life. Kinsey, as you know, was all about nonjudgmentalism. Throughout his career researching the sexual habits of Americans, his goal was to free society from the constraints of what the movie calls “morality disguised as fact.” And like its subject, the film attempts to be nonjudgmental—or, at least, that’s the ploy.

Three scenes exemplify the supposed nonjudgmentalism. In the first, Kinsey tells his wife, nicknamed “Mac,” that he’s had sex with one of his male researchers. Though she’s devastated, he explains that it’s only “social restraints” that prevent people from acting on their attractions. She retorts that maybe social restraints are necessary to keep people from getting hurt. It’s a moment of rare honesty and insight—which doesn’t last long. The next thing we know, Kinsey is giving the same researcher permission to have sex with Mac, and this, apparently, makes everything okay.

In the second scene, Kinsey and a colleague interview a man, Kenneth Braun, who has had sex with an astonishing number of partners of various genders, ages, and species. When he starts to discuss his pedophilic experiences, Kinsey’s fellow researcher storms out. Braun says that he thought Kinsey’s researchers would be impartial, to which Kinsey enigmatically replies, “Sometimes it’s difficult.” But he adds that “no one should ever be hurt” by sex, leading Braun to call him a “square.”

In the third scene, Kinsey is so distraught over a loss of research funding that he ends up in the bathroom mutilating himself. When Mac discovers him, he shows her letters from people who have written to beg him for help and laments that now he can’t help them. For such a hard-boiled movie, the scene is surprisingly maudlin. And its message is clear: Kinsey is a martyr to the cause of truth and compassion.

Now the facts: Kinsey, as his biographers report, had been mutilating himself for years as a result of a sexual appetite so voracious and uncontrollable that it led him into ever more bizarre practices.

And the real Kinsey didn’t seem to care who got hurt by his own activities or those of others. The prototype for Braun was a pedophile named Rex King, one of several pedophiles whose “research” Kinsey used. Kinsey’s defenders rationalize that just because Kinsey used such data, it does not mean he condoned the activity. None of them that I know of have ever explained why Kinsey wrote to King, “I congratulate you on the research spirit which has led you to collect data over these many years.”

From this repulsive data was born the pervasive myth that children are sexual beings from infancy. (It’s worth noting, as well, that Kinsey’s research methods were flawed in many other ways, another fact that his supporters gloss over as much as possible.)

This is the man that Hollywood has chosen to honor? And make no mistake, the film honors Kinsey. Now, I doubt many of you will be seeing the film—good. But your neighbors and friends are seeing it and are discussing it. And you need to help set them straight. Kinsey does not deserve to be anyone’s hero.

[Borges]

His self mutilation is indeed reffered to in the film.

[sandbar]

bump for later

[Mr. Silverback]

Given Hollywood's values, you can bet that this picture is nominated for Best Picture and Liam Neeson's portrayal of the misunderstood-by-the-ignorant-masses-pioneer Kinsey is nominated for Best Actor.

Liam will get Best Actor, but it's Fahrenheit 9/11 that will get Best Pic.

I'm not kidding, by the way. My prediction is that F9/11 will be nominated for Best Pic, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and a host of minor categories (editing and such) and will win a bunch of them. If the Hollywood types realized how stupid they look to the rest of the country, they wouldn't be the way they are.

[JesseHousman]

Perverted, sick hero of the left!

[highlandbreeze]

I like Liam Neeson, However, I'll not go out of my way to see this movie. Mostly, because I have no interest in it.

Robert Carlyle is an excellent actor and one of my favorites. I hold nothing against him for playing Hitler on the TV miniseries. It's just a job.

[Mr. Silverback]

For those thinking boycott, here's the main movie info from Internet Movie Data Base. Kinsey is distibuted by Fox Searchlight, and was made by Qwerty Films, American Zoetrope, N1 European Film Produktions GmbH & Co. KG and Pretty Pictures

Kinsey (2004)

Directed by Bill Condon Writing credits (WGA) Bill Condon (written by)

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IMDbPro Professional Details

Genre: Drama (more)

Tagline: Let's talk about sex.

Plot Outline: A look at the life of Alfred Kinsey (Neeson), a pioneer in the area of human sexuality research, whose 1948 publication "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" was one of the first recorded works that saw science address sexual behavior. (more) (view trailer)

User Comments: Fascinating look at a complicated man (more)

User Rating: 7.5/10 (566 votes)

Cast overview, first billed only:
Liam Neeson	....	Alfred Kinsey
Laura Linney	....	Clara McMillen
Chris O'Donnell	....	Wardell Pomeroy
Peter Sarsgaard	....	Clyde Martin
Timothy Hutton	....	Paul Gebhard
John Lithgow	....	Alfred Seguine Kinsey
Tim Curry	....	Thurman Rice
Oliver Platt	....	Herman Wells
Dylan Baker	....	Alan Gregg
Julianne Nicholson	....	Alice Martin
William Sadler	....	Kenneth Braun
John McMartin	....	Huntington Hartford
Veronica Cartwright	....	Sara Kinsey
Kathleen Chalfant	....	Barbara Merkle
Heather Goldenhersh	....	Martha Pomeroy
(more)

[Mr. Silverback]

This guy was not only a pedophile, but he engaged in sexual contact with 2-month old babies!

This may seem like a fine point, but John Leo addressed it in his column and I think it's important: Kinsey never staged, notr witnessed any pedophilic experiments, he simply used "research notes" and interviews with pedophiles.

Granted, that only takes one little pebble off his mountain of evil, but it's a distinction that needs to be made, because we need to detail the man's methods as they were. Accusing him of molesting children himself is the same as accusing those scientists who wanted to use Mengele's hypothermia data of drowning Jews themselves.

[Mr. Silverback]

I hope they spent a boat load of money making this film, because it will bomb.

<absolute glee>DIG THIS!!!!! As of last weekend, Kinsey has made a grand total of $2,545,366. Now, to be fair, it's only showing in 188 theaters, so we should break that down by theater...$13,539 per theater. Well, that doesn't sound like a total disaster...

Until you compare it with something like The Incredibles:

Total take: $214,294,035
No. of Theaters: 3453
Take per Theater: $62,060

And the red Counties said...
SNICKER!

[Mr. Silverback]

I though that had been established years ago.

Most folks don't know who he is, and most of them buy into his basic premises because they've become "truths" taught in the culture. we haven't finished the debunking job.

[Mr. Silverback]

Is this horrible evil man still alive?

No. See post 10, apparently he was done in by his own evil.

[Mr. Silverback]

Thanks for the links!

[Mr. Silverback]

Should actors only play virtuous characters? There have been films about Hitler and Stalin too.

The problem with the film is not that they portray kinsey, but that they protray Kinsey as a decent guy. How many films have you seen where Stalin was portrayed as a person who never really hurt anyone?

[marsh_of_mists]

Actually, I think (hope) that with the uproar over this film, Kinsey might end up having a worse reputation than before. No one used to care about him one way or the other. I think more people will be hearing about this controversy than actually go see this propoganda flick. The backlash might cause it to have a positive net effect, like with the Hollywood celebrities bashing Bush.

[Mr. Silverback]

I think I'm the only one here who has seen the film and Kinsey is not portrayed as an angel by any means. ... Kinsey remains and interviews him through gritted teeth 'in the interest of science'.

Yes, and then he went out "in the interest of science" and portrayed these victimized children as sexual beings who really did like what was being done to them. He even went so far as to advance the theory that children who suffer psychological problems after being molested are really suffering trauma from their parents being horrified at the abuse. One of the footnotes to the infamous "Table 34" describes how children being sexually manipulated by child molesters would frequently cry and resist, but then explains that didn't really mean that they were non-sexual, or even not enjoying it.

No Kinsey, no NAMBLA. How badly would the movie have to portray the father of the effort to legalize child molestation before it would be too harsh? If you've seen the movie, you've probably seen the ads and trailers. Do any of them present him as the sort of man who thinks a little kid crying as she is violated is just expressing her sexuality? Or is it all a big joke, like the bit in the TV ads where he asks the couple what their most common position is and the wife says, "There's more than one?"

Har-dee-har-har. I'm sure the movie is a laugh-riot.

[Mr. Silverback]

I would support Kinsey collecting information on child molestors because such information could be useful to society.

You make a good point. Kinsey's problem wasn't that he collected the info, it's that he spun it so that it implied that raped children were actually sexually active beings.

[Mr. Silverback]

Robert Carlyle is an excellent actor and one of my favorites. I hold nothing against him for playing Hitler on the TV miniseries. It's just a job.

Absolutely. The difference is, nobody would ever make a film portraying Hitler sympathetically.

[MississippiMan]

They've got an agenda, and it is anti-religion.

Correction: It's anti-Judeo-Christian-religion. Rest assured they have no problem with Buddhists or Homosexual Indian Holy People or any of a hundred others. It's only Christ who scares 'em.

MM

[Stratman]

Guess what? Kinsey was not perfect. In fact, he had many flaws. So do many men who strive for fame and notoriety. Kinsey is very typical in this regard. How many times has Rush (Mr. Family values) been divorced? And he was addicted to what (Didn't he say all addicts are criminals who should be punished)? Gingrich divorces a wife while she is dying of cancer? FDR had how many mistresses? How many slaves did Jefferson have sex with? Read any biography on anyone in this type of position (high-powered, striving for glory types), and, regardless of their part affiliation, you will see very flawed people. Does this diminish their accomplishments? Not in any way.

Although I have read his research was flawed, I can't comment on its veracity because I am not a scientist. But at least he made a first effort into studying sex. He brought it out into the open. Thank God.

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

The Left, and especially those who make their living in the entertainment industry, will not find anything to dislike about Kinsey after seeing this film.

[Mr. Silverback]

You may be right. If the box office is any indication, more people will hear "Hollywood made a movie glorifying this repugnant, evil scumbag" than will ever see the movie glorifying this repugnant, evil scumbag.