'The Menendez Brothers' Case: Familial Sexual Abuse

Today I just finished a Netflix series titled ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ and I honestly do not know how to feel about all this. I have known about the crime story since about 4 years ago, when both brothers got viral on TikTok for how they looked and how the TikTok editors romanticized them both, especially Erik. I’m not gonna lie, he is definitely handsome, BUT it’s just weird, simping over a guy born in the 1970s who committed parricide. But that was why I started to get curious about the crime story. I watched many hours of their court defenses on YouTube back in 2020. I remember getting petrified at the fact that they were sexually molested by their own parents. I got obsessed to know more about their story until someday I just stopped watching them—I don't remember why.

Recently their story was adapted into a Netflix series, by Ryan Murphy, and I just had to watch it, and got reminded all over again by the story. After watching the series, now I got to know the story in much more detail. However, many people have said that the series is too far off from the actual story, and I mean, sure it makes sense since it is not a documentary after all. It is a Netflix series and it is dramatized so that it draws many people in to watch it. Some other people are also opinionated that the Netflix series has portrayed a story where the audience would want to empathize with the parents—which I actually did feel at some point when watching it. The series also romanticized the brothers’ relationship and I felt uncomfortable watching some scenes. Some of the cast explained that Ryan Murphy wanted to show many different perspectives and angles about the story so the audience would judge themselves, without the story blatantly stating who’s wrong or who’s right. Okay, that makes sense, but for people who're watching it just for the sake of watching it and do not have any interests to dive deeper into the case, it would definitely be misleading, very much.

Fortunately, there will be an upcoming Netflix documentary about this case that will be released on October 7th 2024. In this documentary, the brothers themselves would be participating so I look forward to watching and understanding it from their angle this time—people should too. And no, I am not justifying murder. I am advocating healthy familial boundaries and would like people to dive more about this topic especially its impact on a person, especially children, if the boundaries are stepped over by someone children should trust—a parent.

Alright, enough of the rambling. Now, I would like to talk about the things that bothers me after getting reminded of the story again, after 4 years. Firstly, I feel so freaking grateful that I have a sane parent regardless of the familial issues that’s going on. At least, they do not abuse me sexually or physically. I am honestly so grateful for this fact and it is crazy that I am grateful for this because isn't this supposed to be the bare minimum for parents? Like it’s crazy how relieved and privileged I feel realizing this fact when it should have been this way in the first place, you know what I mean?

Imagine you were born in this world, just to be physically, emotionally, and sexually abused almost all of your life, by your own mom and dad. Someday, you felt so threatened and petrified that you needed to brutally murder your own parents by shooting them point blank range with a shotgun. Just madness and I have no words for this. Yes, the Menendez Brothers are guilty but they do not deserve to be in jail for all of their life. They have served for 34 years in prison and that is enough.

It’s total nuts how many people out there who experience shits like this all over the world. I am scared, I really am. I don’t know what to do, knowing the fact that this is the reality for so many people out there. I feel devastated. I can’t comprehend how these people are putting up with the unimaginable pain, honestly.

If you are a victim of abuse, sexually or physically, by your parents or someone else within your family or even outside your family, whether you are a female or male, please know that it is never your fault and that you do not need to feel ashamed about it—you must not feel that way. Just know that you never deserve to be treated that way and you always have options. It is not easy to go out there and tell someone about it, but you deserve to heal, dear. And if this is still happening to you, a help is just one click away.

If you’re in Indonesia, click this link.

If you’re in the USA, click this link.

If you’re not from Indonesia or the USA, click this link or this link.

You can get out of this cycle. You can break the cycle. You can heal. I believe in you.

You are worthy.

—Later, love!