Skip to main content

I'm Sick.

I'm sick of living in a world where 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused before they're even 16.

I'm sick of being told that I am no more than my body, an object of entertainment on tv and billboards to be bought and sold as men like it.

I'm sick of a world where men fear that women might threaten their masculinity, but women fear that men might threaten their life.

I'm sick of hearing people joke and throw the words rape and abuse around like baseballs when they're as heavy as concrete and hurt even more when wielded. No, I've never been raped, but i shouldn't have to to know it's wrong.

I'm sick of being powerless to fight the overbearing weight of rape culture, where girls are taught how to restrict themselves to defend themselves, but men are rarely taught not to attack.

I'm sick of the numbers that we drown in but ignore, the statistics of human beings ground into packaged pleasure, the ultimate expression of love twisted into the ultimate expression of domination.

I'm sick of living in a world where 68% of rapes go unreported and only 2% of rapists spend a day in prison.

I'm sick, physically sick, of being entrenched in a culture that's steeped in apathy when I know we all hear the cries for action.

I'm sick of hearing my friends tell me of their sexual abuse,
And I feel sick that
I'm not even surprised.

(Disclaimer- none of this is to blame men; it is to blame the negative ways culture influences people and rapists in particular.)

Popular posts from this blog

In Support of Emotional Abuse Survivors

Dear survivor: Before anything else, I want to tell you your trauma is valid. Even if you don't have bruises or scars and you feel like you don't have "proof." Even if you were only with them for a short time. Even if you feel like it was your fault and you had your chance to leave. You are not crazy or complaining for being honest about your trauma. You are not the only one who feels this way. You are not alone in your confusion, frustration, and pain. It may take you a long time to recognize that you were abused. It may take years. That doesn't mean you're making it up. It may take several therapists to properly deal with your residual feelings. That doesn't mean you're being too dramatic. Someday, you might find yourself doing things that your abuser used to do, and you start to panic and think "I'm turning into him/her." You're not. You're not like them. You're a survivor and you can change those behaviors and be b...

All People Are Born Sinful

I remember in elementary school, I attended a program at my church called AWANA. If you've gone to a church as a child, you may be familiar with it. Anyway. There was this kid who would sometimes go, and he was in my grade in school. To be honest, I disliked him. He was loud, rude, inappropriate, and was of the "angry, I-hate-authority" sort. (Now, I've gotten to know him a bit better, and sometimes he's kind of nice.) He told me he only went for the games. Frankly, I was upset that he came. My thoughts were-  " He shouldn't be allowed to come just for the games! He doesn't belong here!" "He doesn't belong here." I am very ashamed of myself for having thought that. People who "don't belong" are exactly the people that need to belong the most. And we Christians as a whole are not doing a good job of accepting people. We've gotten to the point where we think we can turn people away from God because we thin...

An Open Letter to the Gifted Kid

Dear Gifted Kid, Congrats, you're gifted. Don't ask me what that's supposed to mean. I know what you're feeling. I understand the gauntlet you're going through called "middle school." I know your struggles. And I have some things that I need you to understand. 1. You are not better than the other students. I say this with love. I know that it's so hard to admit sometimes, but deep down there is a part of you that thinks you are better than them. You are no more (or less!) of a human being than they are. You are wonderful- of course. But so are they. Reach out to them. Listen to their ideas, even if they're not very good ones. Let other people raise their hands (I'm looking at you, Little Me). I know everyone is stuffing your butt with sunshine, but you need to block their praise out sometimes. Don't let them put you on a mile-high pedestal; it hurts so  much when you fall. 2. You will fall! Seriously. Get ready. You will hit a ...