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So I first saw "Born into Brothels" in high school. It was on what is called "Peace Day" where we celebrate other cultures and to each students great delight classes are cancelled. So, predictably, as attendence was not taken, many students would cut that day. Peace day was my favorite. I got to try different foods, watch interesting movies, hear stories, and enjoy performances which were all by design very separate from my experiences.

On that particular Peace Day one of the activities was to watch "Born into Brothels" in theaters and to discuss it afterwards with teachers who had volunteered to run the conversation. I went to a school near Bryn Mawr, so we actually ended up seeing the film at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. It was a cold rainy day, but seeing as the theatre is 3 blocks away from our school they had us walk to the movie. Some of us hadn't brought our rainboots or coats and the walk ended up being a little miserable. 

After the movie we were walking back and all anyone could talk about was how miserable the walk had been and how useless it was that we were watching a movie so separate from "any of our problems." Then they began to discuss how useless they thought it was that they woman was teaching the children photography and that yes it  heartbreaking that these children had such a hard life but it was "their mothers fault...obviously."

I couldn't take it. I sped up my pace and walked with the teachers. Maybe it's immaturity, maybe it's our upbringing, either way I don't understand what could have been going through those girls heads, or rather not going through them.