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Being scared of death threats and rape fantasies from right wing white supremacists that specifically target you = Too Sensitive!
Being scared when the people who want to rape and kill you bang on your office door and chase you through work? That's just normal work stuff, babe!
Being scared when the people who want to rape and kill you bang on your office door and chase you through work? That's just normal work stuff, babe!
Women are never, ever, ever allowed to react normally to stuff. If we react to 'jokes,' we're humorless. If we react to threats, we're paranoid. If we react to actual violence, we're dramatic and manipulative.
If we're actually raped and/or murdered, cue the victim blamer's paradox:
1) "An outlier incident/he was always so quiet/who could have guessed this was coming?"
and also:
2) "The Victim should definitely have seen this coming and prevented it, somehow"
1) "An outlier incident/he was always so quiet/who could have guessed this was coming?"
and also:
2) "The Victim should definitely have seen this coming and prevented it, somehow"
All these misogynist, racist, violent "lone wolves" showing up in large groups to do exactly what they threatened: CONFUSING! LET'S PROFILE THEM ALL AT LENGTH! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?
Also, do you know what the headlines that mention AOC's reveal of past sexual assault are trying to do? 'Cause I do.
They are crafting a narrative that being a survivor of past violence makes you "biased" or "irrational" about current violence.
They are crafting a narrative that being a survivor of past violence makes you "biased" or "irrational" about current violence.
They are subtly making the case that she can't help "overreacting" now because of what happened to her in the past. They're also red meat to the violent shitheads who constantly fantasize and threaten to violate her.
Combat training is partly about teaching you how to use your experience and knowledge about violence to survive future violence (and carry it out effectively, but that's another thread). It recognizes that nobody is born knowing how to do this, you need experience.
Survivors of sexual violence and gendered violence and racist violence get the *experience* without the fucking training, and get the automatic assumption that our experiences make us LESS knowledgeable about it.
Seriously, try to think of another topic where "I went through this before, this reasonably reminds me of a thing I've experienced before" means that you supposedly know LESS about it than someone who hasn't been through it at all.
If you have to run through your workplace in heels because people with weapons are looking specifically for you, to MURDER YOU, and your coworkers, you get to fucking cry about it and demand that people be held accountable. That's not "dramatic." That's not an overreaction.
You get to be upset that staffers are using the things they learned in school shooting drills to save their own lives, because school shooting drills are a thing that have to happen in our country.
You get to be reminded of the times it happened before, to you, to other people, you get to run the fucking worst case scenarios and react to *those* to save your own life.
Jesus fucking christ.
Jesus fucking christ.
I had a coworker long ago stare at me all day, follow me home in his car, offering me rides, and sit outside my house in his car for hours. "He's such a nice guy!" "I can't believe that!"
Well, I quit and he embezzled a shitload of money from them, and then they cared, I guess.
Well, I quit and he embezzled a shitload of money from them, and then they cared, I guess.
What happened to me doesn't make me irrational and overreact to this stuff, it makes me GOOD AT SPOTTING THIS KIND OF SKETCHY SHIT.
AOC's colleagues in Congress are dogwhistle fundraising off her attempted murder and our dipshit pundit class is like "lol she was raped"
And many in her party are like "healing!" "civility!" "bipartisan!"
FUCK THESE EVIL, SOULLESS PEOPLE TO HELL AND BACK.
And many in her party are like "healing!" "civility!" "bipartisan!"
FUCK THESE EVIL, SOULLESS PEOPLE TO HELL AND BACK.
I'm seeing her story described as "manipulation"
NEWSFLASH: She is a great communicator and storyteller. She is good at telling her own story. She is invested and passionate about getting it right.
We "high verbal ability' test scores kids get raped like everyone else.
NEWSFLASH: She is a great communicator and storyteller. She is good at telling her own story. She is invested and passionate about getting it right.
We "high verbal ability' test scores kids get raped like everyone else.
Members of Congress who aided and abetted the attempted MURDER of their colleagues are sitting on committees like nothing happened. Capitol Police are getting applauded for failing to do their jobs and in many cases aiding the rioters. This is DISGUSTING. This is WRONG.
I threw up and cried after I watched AOC's video. I was so angry and scared for her.
That is not "overreacting." That is not being manipulated.
That is reacting to a young political leader almost being assassinated and to a country that seems to be doing jack shit about it.
That is not "overreacting." That is not being manipulated.
That is reacting to a young political leader almost being assassinated and to a country that seems to be doing jack shit about it.
"She's just doing this to score political points"
NO SHIT, SHERLOCK
She's telling the painful story, knowing how people are going to double-down on hating her, so that maybe other people will DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
That's what politics is FOR
DOING STUFF
TO SAVE LIVES
NO SHIT, SHERLOCK
She's telling the painful story, knowing how people are going to double-down on hating her, so that maybe other people will DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
That's what politics is FOR
DOING STUFF
TO SAVE LIVES
SHE IS A POLITICIAN
SHE WAS ELECTED TO DO POLITICAL THINGS, PUNDIPSHITS
SHE WAS ELECTED TO DO POLITICAL THINGS, PUNDIPSHITS
I know so many people are being re-traumatized right now, but please, please, please do not let people dull your normal reactions to horrific things or tell you you're the irrational one.
Now excuse me while I rage-clean every inch of my house and read my electeds for filth.
Now excuse me while I rage-clean every inch of my house and read my electeds for filth.
Okay I'm not done:
AOC did a very brave thing and a very smart thing with her story.
Abusers, abuse-apologists, minimizers of violence, "let's all just agree to disagree," concern trolls etc. do not want you to ever describe specifically what happened.
AOC did a very brave thing and a very smart thing with her story.
Abusers, abuse-apologists, minimizers of violence, "let's all just agree to disagree," concern trolls etc. do not want you to ever describe specifically what happened.
They want to euphemize it as "playing politics" and "divisive rhetoric" and "shouldn't we focus on what's important" and "move on" etc. They never, ever want the bare, factual record of what actually happened to be the thing you discuss.
They want to time travel (to her past assault, to the fake future where everyone is 'civil'). ANYTHING to avoid talking honestly about what actually happened, to avoid naming the things that happened.
You fight them by naming *what they did.* You fight them by making *what really happened* the center of every story. She made a public record of what actually happened to her, and she's a good storyteller, so she didn't depend on the Sunday Pundipshit shows to get it right.
Every single person who reports on this story should start where she started: What actually happened? What do you want to do about it?
And ask the minimizers the same things. Make them deal with what happened and articulate what they want to do about it.
And ask the minimizers the same things. Make them deal with what happened and articulate what they want to do about it.
Make them define their euphemisms. "When you say you want Congress to 'get back to work,' do you mean that there should be no investigation or hearings about Jan 6.?"
"When you say 'AOC is being dramatic,' how is someone supposed to react to a violent attack? Are you saying that there shouldn't be consequences?"
GOP: "U can't ignore those voters!" "
"Sure, a lot of people voted for T- but more voted for Biden. I'm talking specifically about the Jan 6. attacks and election deniers in Congress, though. What consequences will you enact for sedition and violent insurrection?"
"Sure, a lot of people voted for T- but more voted for Biden. I'm talking specifically about the Jan 6. attacks and election deniers in Congress, though. What consequences will you enact for sedition and violent insurrection?"
When they talk about tone or civility or what it should mean or policing how people are supposed to feel or react or "this is not our country" etc.:
YANK it back to:
What they did, specifically
Who did it, specifically
What they plan to do about it now
On. The. Record.
YANK it back to:
What they did, specifically
Who did it, specifically
What they plan to do about it now
On. The. Record.
Ditto for AOC's past as a survivor.
"Well, it's not strange to imagine that she'd be reminded of past events. But back to January 6 and what happened to her, what is the plan for investigating and holding people accountable for that attack?"
"Well, it's not strange to imagine that she'd be reminded of past events. But back to January 6 and what happened to her, what is the plan for investigating and holding people accountable for that attack?"
Her mindset and history is not the fucking story.
What happened to her is the story. There are tons of witness accounts that line up exactly. What is Congress doing about *what happened* to her and many other Members of Congress? And what almost happened?
What happened to her is the story. There are tons of witness accounts that line up exactly. What is Congress doing about *what happened* to her and many other Members of Congress? And what almost happened?
Anybody who refuses to discuss what happened in plain, specific language is telling you that they have no plan and no intention of stopping anything like that from happening again.
Any *pundit* or professional politician, that is. Trauma survivors, you mute/euphemize/disengage at will. I love you.
"And here's why you shouldn't have to care or do anything about bad things that happen to other people, who are overreacting and deserved it anyway! Now, over to you for sports and weather!" narratives are killing us.
KILLING US.
Resist this one.
KILLING US.
Resist this one.
The world where we make surviving a workplace violence incident about the survivor's supposed "professional" demeanor in the aftermath (that means 'stoic, nonreactive, unemotional') is fucking terrible world.
White supremacists tried to overthrow the government.
White supremacists tried to overthrow the government.
Members of Congress helped them case the joint.
Leaders and staffers had to flee for their lives.
To act like "being reminded of past violence" or "appearing shaken under the accumulated death threats almost coming true" is the problem here is OBSCENE.
Stay angry.
Leaders and staffers had to flee for their lives.
To act like "being reminded of past violence" or "appearing shaken under the accumulated death threats almost coming true" is the problem here is OBSCENE.
Stay angry.
And cry if you need to. I love you.
