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The Washington Post, New York Times and New York Post all posted articles last week promoting and praising a controversial new play that is sympathetic to pedophiles.
Premiering recently at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater and now running at New York City’s Playwrights Horizons, playwright Bruce Norris’ latest work is called Downstate.
Downstate focuses on the lives of convicted pedophiles and sex offenders boarding together in a group home.
Labeled “brilliant” by WaPo, the play attempts to evoke sympathy for the sex criminal characters while a victim of one of the pedophiles is the play’s antagonist.
In the Washington Post article, the author wrote, “that the punishments inflicted on some pedophiles are so harsh and unrelenting as to be inhumane” and asks readers to start “questioning what degree of compassion should society fairly hold out to those who have served their time for sexual abuse, assault or rape.”
The New York Post ran the headline, “Shocking, controversial ‘Downstate’ is the season’s best play so far,” in a story promoting the pedophilic play.
The article stated, “Some will adamantly maintain that such criminals do not deserve to be the subject of any play; that the idea itself is so offensive and unpalatable that the execution doesn’t matter. They are dead wrong.”
A review by The New York Times urged readers to check out the play even if their instincts lead them to avoid going to see it due to the pedo-centric nature of the production.
The overtly sympathetic NYT article asked, “How much retribution is enough? And what quantity of compassion — bestowed on whom — is too much?”
Independent journalist Allison Royal accurately pointed out on Twitter that the official website for the play describes it as being about “compassion and forgiveness for convicted pedophiles.”
The site also notes the play is “appropriate” for ages 16 and up and requires “audiences and staff” to wear face masks during performances.
Twitter users called out the media’s disturbing promotion of the play.