Contrary to What Ted Cruz Thinks, Prepubescent Twerking Does Not Make Cuties Illegal

(un)Reason ^ | The French film Cuties, currently available on Netflix, has outraged American politicians who say it | Jacob Sullum

[conservative98]

The French film Cuties, currently available on Netflix, has outraged American politicians who say it sexualizes prepubescent girls. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D–Hawaii), a former presidential contender, warns that Cuties, which depicts an 11-year-old's participation in a risqué dance troupe that flouts the values of her conservative Muslim family, "will certainly whet the appetite of pedophiles & help fuel the child sex trafficking trade." Sen. Ted Cruz (R–Texas) goes even further, suggesting that Cuties is illegal. Whatever your take on the film's merits, Cruz presents no evidence to substantiate that claim.

In a letter he sent Attorney General William Barr on Friday, Cruz urges the Justice Department to "investigate the production of 'Cuties' and Netflix's distribution of the film in order to determine whether Netflix, any of its executives, or anyone involved with the making of 'Cuties' violated any federal laws against the production and distribution of child pornography." But he conspicuously fails to explain how the film runs afoul of those statutes.

"The film routinely fetishizes and sexualizes these pre-adolescent girls as they perform dances simulating sexual conduct in revealing clothing, including at least one scene with partial child nudity," Cruz writes. "These scenes in and of themselves are harmful. And it is likely that the filming of this movie created even more explicit and abusive scenes, and that pedophiles across the world in the future will manipulate and imitate this film in abusive ways."

Except for Cruz's fact-free speculation about scenes that did not make it into the final movie, none of this supports his claim that Cuties qualifies as child pornography, which federal law defines as a "visual depiction" of "sexually explicit conduct" involving people younger than 18. While the definition encompasses "simulated sexual intercourse," that phrase is not broad enough to cover the scenes described by Cruz.

[knighthawk]

No let’s just allow it to set new boundries so that the next step can be to make the same movie about 7-9 year olds These people are disgusting!

[Cronos]

Have you seen the movie? The movie, it’s message and depiction is quite contrasting to the way it is marketed.

It is marketed as sexy 11 year olds (puke)

But the film itself is talking about how society is sexualizing children, about how girls feel the need to have their videos be “liked”, how the children feel a societal pressure to be “sexy” and act sexy.

This is a film which decries the way society sexualizes children. To me the Disney channels (last watched them 12 years ago with our older kids and then threw out the TV) are doing the sexualization, the child pageants, the schools with no uniforms etc. are doing this.

[Cronos]

Guys - have you watched the film?

The protaganist’s father is getting married to a 2nd wife. She is bored to death with the sharia.

then she and other girls get caught up in a twerking group that is like other girl groups - oversexualized dancing.

This hypersexualized atmosphere is what IS there in schools today - I’m lucky I have only sons, but I’ve seen how my god-children (two girls - 12 and 6) are influenced by this - I had to object to them watching the disgusting “Voice of ..” song program. I still haven’t convinced them to toss out the TV (as they want it for themselves).

Anyway, so it ends with the protaganist rejecting BOTH the Sharia Islamic dress and the sexy dancer’s dress and returns to being a kid in jeans and t-shirt.

[onona]

BINGO

[Cronos]

in my opinion

1. the marketing was atrocious - a complete, utter, opposite of what the film wanted to convey
   
   
2. the sexualization of children as depicted in this film IS real
   • look at the Disney channel shows aimed at pre-teens - why are the girls dolled up? nailpolish on 11 year olds?? Why are they dating?
   • The disgusting "Voice of America" or "America's most.." make being "sexy" as the norm.

     I was amazed when, I went to visit our friends who are religious and have 4 girls - 1,3,5,7 and the 7 year old was playing wearing high-heels and shaking her behind while walking. It was funny as - her mother doesn't do that, never did that, is very conservative. And they go to a religious pre-school. IT clicked, when, at 6:30 pm the parents switched on the "voice of ..." and put it for the kids to watch (including ours) - and the judges were dressed like prostitutes and acting like them. I got angry - both for my kids who aren't allowed to watch stuff like that and for their kids (who we love) - we got into an argument along the lines of "aren't cartoons good enough?" - and the parents were trying to defend themselves - more out of contrariness as my wife and I were a bit too vehement - but also I understood - they were exhausted with the kids and jobs and saw the switching on as a chance to relax.
     
     Side-note - they stopped showing this a few weeks later and only put children channels on - the girls were actually happier to watch children's cartoons
     
     The point is - parents don't even realize how damaging these are.

3. Conservative parents still fall for this - I'm a pretty loud anti-TV guy, but until I got married I loved TV and didn't see anything wrong with it. My wife wasn't and she convinced me and quite frankly, she was right (don't tell her that) - the TV dumbs us, and stuffs propaganda down our throats -- and that is even worse for kids who don't have a "bu!!-sh*$-to-meter"
4. This film NEEDs to bring out a debate about the wider culture

[Prolixus]

Hm, if a man (legal adult) pays an eleven-year-old girl to perform that “dance” in the privacy of his own home, he will not have to fear being criminally charged for it?

Really?

[Darksheare]

There is still no excuse for sexualizing children.
Period.
Full stop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8ioa7LiBIE&t=336s
He watched it.

[AmericanMermaid]

It may not be illegal, but it is immoral and enticing pedophiles. What happens after a pedophile gets aroused after watching Cuties IS illegal and tragic.

[Darksheare]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9CQxIu9_cw
This guy watched it and got turned on.
He even admits to it.
Meet MrGirl on YouTube.
I’ll let his own words speak.
Just take note of what he says.
What he REALLY says.

[greeneyes]

It isn’t illegal. There is no over sexual behavior, and by that I mean actual sex acts, as far as I know.
It is, however, extremely distasteful and abhorrent.
***********************************************************************************
It likely is illegal-or at least would be according to 1986 Court case. It doesn’t have to show sex acts to be Child Porn.

This movie is obviously an attempt to normalize child porn and is PEDO bait. It should be destroyed, and some people should be put into jail.
********************************

Here’s the legal criteria known as the Dost Test set in the 1986 court case-not all factors have to be met:

Whether the focal point of the visual depiction is on the child’s genitalia or pubic area.

Whether the setting of the visual depiction is sexually suggestive, i.e., in a place or pose generally associated with sexual activity.

Whether the child is depicted in an unnatural pose, or in inappropriate attire, considering the age of the child.

Whether the child is fully or partially clothed, or nude.

Whether the visual depiction suggests sexual coyness or a willingness to engage in sexual activity.

Whether the visual depiction is intended or designed to elicit a sexual response in the viewer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dost_test

NUDITY IS NOT NECESSARY PER US v Knox:

https://www.mit.edu/activities/safe/safe/cases/knox/94a0734p.htm
******************************

Just a couple of the court cases. Cruz is a lawyer and is correct in his assessment. And this guy saying it’s ok is extremely suspect for trying to justify that trash.

[F450-V10]

God’s sieve separating the wheat from the chaff hasn’t changed, but the left things the mesh size is increasing. Maybe not, that would imply they believe in right and wrong.

[greeneyes]

It is illegal—see my post discussing some court cases:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3884198/posts?page=30#30

[Drew68]

Illegal or not, people don’t want to see it.

Sadly, this is not true. "Cuties" is currently the 7th most popular program on Netflix. Clearly, people do want to see it.

No, I have not watched it nor do I intend to.

[LadyDoc]

actually, I believe the film makers had to teach the girls to do sexually suggestive things in front of a camera, and this could be considered child abuse since the girls are underage.

Too bad the parents didn’t see it that way.

[LadyDoc]

There seems to be a comment about things that were filmed that did not make it into the picture.

For child abuse, it doesn’t matter if the abuse got into the film or not.

But myself, I am wondering why the Muslim community is not up in arms about the film, because the main character is a girl who rejected her family’s religious beliefs.

[2nd amendment mama]

It isn’t illegal. There is no over sexual behavior, and by that I mean actual sex acts, as far as I know.

So then, I guess you wouldn't mind if your 11 year-old daughter/granddaughter was filmed doing this?

[grey_whiskers]

Who funds Reason magazine anyway? Jeffrey Epstein?

[grey_whiskers]

How do you know Barack Hussein 0moeba and Big Mike aren’t simply lying about the numbers, Drew?

[Liz]

This creepy immigrant thingy needs to be investigated by the FBI for soliciting children and using them in sexually explicit films.

FBI tip line web site----https://www.fbi.gov/tips
FBI electronic fraud unit----www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-fraud-schemes/internet-fraud
FBI Major Case Contact Center: 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324)

ACTION NOW
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TELE 1-888-593-8442 between 8:30am and 5:30pm EST.

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'Cuties’ director defends Netflix film amid firestorm of criticism: 'It's feminist'

Lookit her. Another "POS refugee" imposing their sick immigrant views on Americans.

Maïmouna Doucouré born 1985) is a Senegalese immigrant touting herself as a "film director and screenwriter."

Cuties is her feature film directorial debut.

And hopefully her last.

This creepy immigrant thingy needs to be investigated by the FBI for soliciting children and using them in sexually explicit films.

[grey_whiskers]

Just like Michael Jackson, "Tucking them into bed with milk and cookies, very charming, very sweet."

Oh, btw.

The Last Closet