As abuse survivors, it might be difficult to believe that most people actually want to be kind, and want to connect to other people. It wasn’t our experience growing up, and let’s face it, better safe than sorry, right? Why trust anyone?
Suzanna’s article below is about domestic abuse as an adult, but I think a lot of it also applies to survivors of childhood abuse as well. Not all of it, but nuggets like this seem very familiar to me: “Looking at the past brings shame, judgment. No one wants to be a victim. It’s embarrassing….
Frankly, I am concerned too: “Experts on child sexual abuse are extremely concerned about the rise of conspiracy theories, particularly in what are intended as safe places for survivors. “It’s very discomforting” to know that sexual abuse survivors are being drawn into conspiracy theories like QAnon, says Jetta Bernier, executive director for Mass Kids, a…
I enjoyed the details Jessica gets into, because, as I’ve said many times, when we start to say these things, and believe these things, it’s a short jump to full-on victim blaming, and that should also be a clue that you are in the wrong when you suggest these things.That should also help you understand what we mean when we talk about Toxic Positivity. Because these phrases are classic examples.
I share this article not to pick on India, or Kerala, but because that number, 17 percent, means there are a lot of male victims out there. If we assume, and I know we can, that only a small percentage of victims ever report, that’s a whole lot of victims, who may believe that, because of their gender, they cannot possibly be victims.
I really like the way Melissa ends the post below: “We are so often focused on the destination that we fail to see how much we are actually accomplishing. We don’t give ourselves credit for the wins, no matter how small they may seem and we certainly don’t give ourselves grace on the days…
