Just stumbled across this blog post — [un/]clear why you seem to almost apologize for the ramble. It is an authentic, differentiated story that is touching and “makes” me comment. No need for a brushed up storyline arch. Bravo, seriously!
You want us to wonder, and you must know that many of us relate and remember something almost forgotten that has been carried somewhere in our fabric. Immediately, I thought of a 12-year-old story that happened to a female co-worker of a friend in the steel industry, and remember the trauma of just listening to the trauma experienced by the directly and indirectly affected. A young female employee was sent along to a men-dominant conference, drugged, and awoke after non-consensual sex in a hotel room. My friend was her co-worker and the one she turned to and that was so disturbed; she, he, we didn’t know where up and down were, there was no script, not enough talking.
Why I comment? [I really liked your combination of the emotional story, edited insights, tips and reasons]
- Silence on these issues is not an option and discomfort shows the way, in this case, I think.
- Privilege to not have been affected directly or heavily can be used in a productive, advocating manner. I’ve done this before and it got a pig teacher removed from a school after 20 years of excuses.
- Learning myself here how this story affected me negatively, is still carried around. Using narrative therapy techniques for empowerment.
- Contributing to a network of stories, evidence, and learning so that these topics can be talked about, learned from and a script will evolve. Like vagina monologues? Give it names, habituate to the sound of it.
- Motivating myself by publicly commenting to say something, if I see something.
