Identifying as Erin Brockovich Was All Wrong

In 2000, Julia Roberts starred as Erin Brockovich in the Hollywood movie about real life Erin Brockovich. 

Real life Brockovich had a pivotal role in a landmark case (USA) where a company poisoned water that led to long lasting and serious health ailments for nearby residents. 

This post is based purely on the Hollywood movie depiction, fyi.

Roberts depicts Brockovich as a smart, confident, single mother who is underappreciated, undervalued, and misunderstood. But it is Brockovich who connects the dots and compels the towns people to pursue a settlement. Spoiler Alert, if you haven’t seen the movie, I recommend you watch it now, and then come back to read the rest of this post.

Every now and then I watch this movie for the pure satisfaction of watching Julia Roberts play the overlooked underdog. The movie creates multiple opportunities for feel-good scenes where Brockovich is dismissed by some powerful character, and she comes back swinging with her quick wit and incredible memory. 

This movie is a celebration of fighting for the right thing, convincing everyone else to fight for the right thing, and then achieving compensation for the right people. Fictional satisfaction at its best. In my opinion.

As an advocate and champion for children’s rights, this movie personifies my deepest desires.

I would just love to see an entire community come together and agree that our children haven’t been cared for adequately. I would love to witness lawyers and judges agreeing that adults and youth-serving organizations have been negligent, providing inadequate supervision, and allowing perpetrators to gain access to children. 

I’d be like Erin Brockovich, spouting off the facts that support this conclusion with my/her incredible memory. I’d be convincing and compelling. Lawyers would not be able to ignore me. 

Landmark changes would be implemented. Youth-serving organizations would be compelled to train their staff and volunteers to protect children. The future of humanity would be transformed!

You see what I’m saying? It’s a fantasy. And I’ve always imagined myself as Erin Brockovich.

Until last week, when I watched the movie again. For the 5th or 6th time.

I was living vicariously through Brockovich right up until the scene when a creepy fellow who has appeared a few times in the movie, finally approaches Brockovich at a late night stop at a local pub. 

Brockovich has been heroically collecting signatures from every person in the town, as required for the legal proceedings.

She stops at the pub for one last signature, and a cup of coffee to stay awake for her drive home. 

Enter the creepy character who has been in a few scenes but hasn’t said anything yet.

Brockovich is understandably guarded as this fellow starts a conversation with her. But soon, he makes it known that he has important documents that are needed for the case to be successful.

Brockovich warms up to him as he confides in her about all the documents he was instructed to destroy, back when he worked for the company doing the poisoning. Turns out, he did NOT destroy the documents. He kept them. For YEARS.

This fellow had the key proof needed to convict the organization. He had it all along. But it wasn’t until Brockovich turned up, asking questions, and creating this legal proceeding, that his evidence mattered at all.

Until Brockovich, he was just a hoarder with confidential documents he shouldn’t have kept.

And that’s when I realized the truth. I’m not Erin Brockovich. I’m the creepy guy with the evidence that doesn’t mean anything to anybody. Yet.

While I would love to play the role of Brockovich in my save-the-children mission, the truth is, I’m the person with important evidence that nobody seems to be looking for.

As an adult who has been advocating for child protection practices and training, I’ve witnessed organization after organization decline the chance to implement child protective practices.

As an advocate for best practices, I see how often they are NOT being utilized.

I’ve witnessed children being supervised and coached by adults who cross boundaries and create uncomfortable situations for kids. I’ve seen adults being unsafe. 

I’ve witnessed youth-serving organization staff ignore children and their parents who have come forward with their concerns.

I’ve witnessed principals and school board employees protect staff members who have harmed children, and then ignored the children who were harmed, offering them no support or guidance or acknowledgement.

I’ve witnessed the police dismiss and minimize the concerns that children have brought forward, instead of investigating and protecting children.

So, I’m not Erin Brockovich. I’m the guy with the evidence.

The good news is that someday, someone is going to bring this evidence to light, and then we will be able to film a feel-good movie.

It’ll be named after someone else. It will show how a whole community came to realize that youth serving organizations aren’t using the best practices that are known to protect kids. It will show how the community rallied together to make sure that children are safe in every situation. It will show how keeping kids safe creates a community of joy, creativity, and prosperity.

And I’ll be character that gets the shortest amount of screen time, but has the most significant information. 

That’s my movie fantasy for the day.

If you know someone who could play the role of an Erin Brockovich, someone who wants to fight for the right thing, someone who can rally a community, compel a legal action, or someone who simply wants to put best practices in place in their organization, please connect with us at Priority Kids.

We are on a mission to eradicate childhood sexual abuse. Will you join us?