I first became aware of the tragic story of Judith Barsi when i was looking at this Rotten Tomatos bad taste pop quiz. I am interested very much in pop culture and how it says a lot about our society, more so often than academic studies which tend to be academics talking to each other. Also i find it funny that people contribute to sites like IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes with their own creative content and the sites make huge profits out of them through advertising. Same with 4chan and icanhazcheezeburger, the public works for free, very odd.
I thought the quiz was in bad taste, but this common to the internet where peer group outrage is limited due to the relative anonymity of the internet .
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Judith Barsi who starred in'All Dogs Go To Heaven' (1989) was a rising child star.
Whose young life was cut short by an act of extreme selfishness.
Judith's father Joszef was a Hungarian immigrant and an alcoholic who had a long history of beating women. Joszef's first wife took their two children and fled his violent bullying.Leaving him looking for another victim.
Josezf then met Maria, a young waitress who herself had suffered a violent childhood and sadly was pre programmed to equate violence with love, falling for a man who would beat her with everything from steel pans to his fists.
When Judith was born (1978) she might have had a chance to escape it all for she was photogenic which lead to offers from modelling agents which then quickly led to adverts and then movie work. With the child showing talent in performing. As the money rolled in , allowing the family a large house in Beverly Hills , so Joszefs drinking increased and his bullying of his family.
The young Judith was becoming psychologically damaged from seeing her father beat and bully her mother. She began to self harm at just 8 years old, picking her skin, and pulling her eye lashes out. After breaking down in front of her agent who reported what was happening to Child Services. Police began to take an interest in this wife beater and what he was doing to his family.
With his meal ticket looking to be taken away and fearing loss of control over his victims, Joszef decided to commit the ultimate act of selfish narcissism. On Monday 25th July 1988 Joszef took a shotgun and shot Judith in the head while she slept, then murdered her mother, before setting them on fire. He then committed suicide.
Judith was only ten years old.
So many child actors become victims we are used to reading about them going off the rails in to substance abuse and having horrible and short lives, then becoming prey to the bottom feeders of journalism. But i thought it was especially tragic since she was so young and was a victim all her life to her horribly selfish father, who was not content to just ruin her childhood but denied her an adulthood as well.
I have lived next door to a man who beat his wife and the issue is very complex, since intervention rarely works, the victim must want change and their caught in this cycle of self hate.
But it is a horrible story whatever your views.
Never knew that was her in all dogs go to heaven and yeah there is no excuse for being a wife beater or a bottoming feed toad suck holing around child stars and such. But some people you just can't help until they help themselves first. Back I see too!
ReplyDeleteThanks Patt, yep im back bt blog keeps locking me out. I left messages twice now. Also i don't know if anyone else has issues with looking at peoples blogs, i have to type your url in rather than just click your icon.
Deletesad world :(
ReplyDeleteNow that does deserve a OMG!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad, tragic story. And it's true, you can't help unless they victim wants help (and they rarely ever do).
ReplyDeleteoh boy, this is just so tragic. i have no words.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. That's terrible. :(
ReplyDelete