just about every woman i can think of that i talk to regularly, know well, or have/had some connection to has been through some sort of serious trauma in her life. i'm sure that there are exceptions to this, but the only ones i can think of are people who i simply don't know their story, rather than i know them to have escaped such instances.
i'm not sure what to do with this sort of information. being depressed about it doesn't help. i donate to charities but those can only do so much. i try to speak up when i am in the presence of conversations that degrade or dehumanize, though i know i could do more.
but i think, even with all the evil that people do to each other, it would take a special sort of asshole to hear their stories and honestly say that they thought these women deserved what they had to endure.
and yet, large swaths of the population cannot allow themselves a moment of empathetic thought toward all of the widely-publicized people unjustly killed by cops of late, not to mention those unpublicized. maybe sexism is half a step ahead of racism, but they are both ridiculously below the curve of progress.
all cops are bastards (ACAB). i've agreed with that acronym since it was brought to my attention. though i've always felt the saying or sentiment that, all men are pigs is too heavy handed and rubs people—who might otherwise side with your opinion—the wrong way. but really, both are pretty accurate. when you are looking at the world from the perspective of someone who has been attacked either by men or by cops (or both) or who is regularly under threat of such, they are prudent positions to take until proven otherwise. i regret the amount of time it has taken me to piece some of this together, but maybe i'll remember it going forward.
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