What do you think of when I say WACO, Texas?
Yeah, me too. But let’s think back pre-2013 before Chip and Joanna Gaines graced our TV screens, emptied our pocket books, filled our Pinterest boards and made “SHIP LAP” a house-hold phrase.
What did you think of when you heard Waco?
I thought a few things:
- Texas- ew
- That one Christian School (I think I was thinking of Baylor..?)
- That Cult from the 1990s.
And while it would be fun to discuss the pros and cons to life in Texas (PRO- cheap houses, queso. CON- it’s Texas*) I want to talk about the last part.
*East Coast Liberal here. Feel free to tell me why I’m wrong. My San Antonion friend tells me often, and when she makes me her homemade salsa, I almost believe her.
The Waco Cult from the 1990s
You probably remember something, even if you were a kid, like me. And here is how my memories went:
There was a cult in Waco, Texas led by a “bad guy” pretending to be Jesus. He had a lot of wives. He molested kids. And he forced everyone into mass suicide.
Turns out, maybe none of that is right.
I just binged-watched the WACO miniseries on Paramount, a 6 part mini series exploring the story of what happened in Waco, Texas in 1993 based on a book from a Waco survivor and one of the FBI negotiators on the ground during the siege.
And what I learned is that what I thought I knew in my childhood memories about Waco was completely wrong.
Or… I have been duped by a Hollywood re-telling of a story.
But let’s start with the facts:
The Branch Davidians were a religious group led by David Koresh in Waco, Texas.
David Koresh looked like this:
Pretty gross, right?
I mean, look at him here:
Look again:
Ew, so gross
Hmm… are you feeling strange?
Are you semi attracted to this weird 90s Cult leader?
That’s because I’ve been tricking you and showing you pictures of Taylor Kitcsh as David Koresh* half the time. Of course, you know Taylor Kitsch as Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights and a bunch of other movies we all want to forget.
*I know, you had no idea this was a trick. I’m good like that.
And in Waco the miniseries, David Koresh is played, and played very well, by Taylor Kitsch. Cult leader, swarmy narcissist or not, you will be attracted to this man.
The Story of Waco
Here is what isn’t disputed: The Waco siege is one of the saddest events in the FBI’s history. (And maybe in American history)
But why it happened is completely disputed.
Remember how I thought, as a child, Waco ended in a mass suicide? There’s a reason why I thought that. That is what we’ve been told.
But according to this show, and according to survivor David Thibodeau’s story, that is not what happened.
Women, children and many innocent people died that sad day in April 1993. That fact is not disputed. Whether it was by choice or not (and the 25 kids who died that day didn’t have a choice), the whole situation is so horrifying.
The government overreached and overreacted. Maybe.
This seems to be a fact. What happened in Waco seemed like the government poking its head in places it should not. Cults are weird. Living in community with 150 people, led by a man with multiple wives, many very young, having 12 of his own children with them, is weird. But it’s not illegal. (With parental consent, the age for marriage in Texas is 14. That’s weird)
It was said that the Branch Davidians had illegal weapons. That was the reason cited for the initial attack by the ATF. David Koresh was clearly paranoid, and he preached about the end times. But if any of the stories from the David Thibodeau’s survivor’s tale are true, it is so sad and unbelievable that our government was involved.
Nothing is that clear, and we will probably never really know what happened during the 51 day Waco siege.
Do yourself a favor and watch Waco. It was an engaging, fascinating, entertaining story that made me rethink what I thought I knew about the story I had been told about Waco, and the one living in my childhood memories. If you don’t have the Paramount network like me, and that guy whose mom’s cable account you also use changed his password, you can buy the 6 episodes on Amazon.
Do you have memories of what you thought you knew happened in Waco, TX in 1993?
Also, thank you Taylor Kitsch for playing David Koresh. You looked so hot as an early1990s cult leader. Especially with that guitar.
