Also, I tend not to criticize mass media when they do nothing more wrong than simply failing to practice Christian values. For the Christian, we should care about all similar cases. But for the person of no particular faith, it's no surprise whatsoever that they notice a particularly unusual case (in terms of the length already mentioned) that is a lot "closer to home" than many others out there. "She looks like me! This happened near where I live!" (actually, on that last, I did notice that the AP article comes out of "Placerville, CA" which actually happens to be my parents' home town, and where most of my aunts and uncles and BOTH sets of Grandparents currently live, to say nothing of many young cousins and children of cousins) These are things that I simply cannot fault a secular media for noticing….

I disagree in one sense that Jaycee Lee's case was 'hardly unique'– it is hardly unique in that tens of thousands of girls are kidnapped into slavery all the time. However as you mentioned– she is a middle class girl in the USA. This does not make a 10 year old Thai girl's selling into sex slavery somehow less worthy of outrage or attention– just that statistically speaking, for that kind of abduction to happen to a middle class white girl, in broad daylight, at a bus stop, just several feet away from her own stepfather, is very rare. And for her to show up after being held captive– physically or psychologically– for 18 years is even rarer– unheard of. There is almost no precedent for psychologists etc. to work on.

I also think our empathy towards others should NEVER end with those who are similar to us. We are *always* called to put ourselves in another's shoes, no matter how difficult it is to imagine how it must be like when their circumstances are so different from ours we have almost nothing to compare it with. Or, even if we can't fully understand, that doesn't absolve our responsibility to care. Even if the case of an 18 year old girl in Asia doesn't hit home as closely as that of Jaycee Lee, we still, on a collective level, must care for all those 18 year olds silently suffering in Asia. A human being is in captivity in the 21st century. What more do we need to know or understand in order to feel outrage to spur us into action?

However, on a PERSONAL level, while our empathy must not end there, it is natural to empathize with those we identify with, somehow see ourselves in. For the newspaper readers who read of Jacyee Lee's story– they can look at their own children and see all the markers of their middle class childhoods– the Christmasses, the school trips, family vacations, graduation– and see just how much Jaycee Lee missed. As her ex-teacher said in an interview, she just thought of all the other students she taught and watched grow and fulfill their potential over those 18 years– students that Jaycee Lee would have grown up with– and just thought of everything Jaycee Lee was denied. I myself was thinking of my own childhood and all the things I was doing in those 18 years she was in that shed. I think that's a very real, human response. I know similar widespread criticisms have been made of the widely publicised case of Madeline McCann and other white girls who disappeared– "if she wasn't white, no one would care"– but I think it's natural certain cases will just resonate or hit home more– cops work on thousands of cases and just certain abuse cases stick out more than others personally for one reason or another– and that's perfectly okay. We just need to make sure we use that as a stepping stone to care about ALL the other missing children out there– even if their own parents or society doesn't even notice or care they're gone.

Also, I think the bizarre element of this whole case certainly plays a huge factor– 18 years in someone's backyard– so near and yet so far. As Paul said, it just makes you wonder what goes on right under our noses? The thing that concerns me is that this guy was just seen as the neighbourhood bogeyman– the kids called him "Creepy Phil". How often is that term applied to those who are harmless; just different, asocial, eccentric or reclusive? How do we tell the difference between someone who's just a little strange and is in need of tolerance and understanding, and someone whose strange-ness proves to be dangerous? I fear that this case has just made the worst nightmares of every parent who lives next to any guy who seems a little weird come true. And I truly hope this case doesn't cast a suspicious light on any mentally or emotionally troubled guy who happens to live across the street. (Statistically though, sexual assault/abductions are more likely to be carried out by someone within or close to the family circle than a complete random stranger)

I just hope they will be able to heal.

I really appreciate you saying this. I too have been wondering why we care about this girl and not all the other girls. I believe we should care about her, but I hope we don't care about her only because of who she is and where she is from.

I also find it shocking that people are so shocked by this story. I find it repulsive, but the people around me seem to think it is shocking that this even happens. I find myself wondering how people don't know about modern day slavery and don't know this happens every day.

Thanks for the discussion.

We drive through the woods and past homes and property oblivious to what stories are written there. It's astonishing that something like this story could go on right under the noses of the neighbors for all those years, but then I ask, what could be going on right under our noses? But we don't want to answer that question because to truly answer it would be to give up basic freedoms. I remember how, years ago, as an apartment tenant, I would resent the annual inspection by the landlord. I wanted to be king of my castle.

But maybe the loss of such freedom is the price we must pay to ensure the safety of people like Jaycee. On television at least, that property looked like it was dying for a closer audit; and health, fire, safety and environmental concerns are sufficient grounds for authorities to get a closer look.