If you're against trigger warnings, listen up: the leaked Trump audio from October 7th reminded a whole lot of people about shit they had, blissfully, temporarily, forgotten. Look, as a straight white male capable of feeling any empathy, there's never been much good in the news. This goes beyond the pale. Millions of Americans just relived the worst moments of their lives. How's your life? How far back do you have to dig to feel confident that's the worst things have ever been? For some, those moments are never truly gone, like a veteran caught off-guard or a smoker hearing someone tamp down a pack.
I should take a moment and discuss why I'm doing this. Because I don't have to; I've never been a victim of sexual assault and I have the privilege to engage with this on my terms. At any point I can put this away, neatly compartmentalized, and go back to whatever show or video game currently seems the most interesting. What I must say, though, is that even without firsthand experience, the topic is still horrific. And to write on it means grabbing something horrific by the hair and putting your face right up to its.
Breathing it in.
It makes me feel sick. That's why, even people who empathize can't put themselves out there, and I am not writing to cast shade onto them. I, personally, couldn't stay silent any longer.
People who read voraciously like myself aren't too surprised to hear that Trump is capable of this. He's always represented the worst aspects of what has been called the patriarchy: I prefer to use "old boy's club." The power structure we all live beneath. In a way I must be thankful my life hasn't seen runaway success, because that's what leads to joining their ranks. The vulgar vernacular used by Trump isn't the worst part of what was said in that Billy Bush aside, but the framing. "When you're a star, they let you do anything you want." It's chilling. But it also wasn't the first bit of evidence that he believes this.
These men are violent and ignorant; a dangerous combination at its best. They are only able to hold power because they've ALWAYS held power. A careful, thorough review could send the entire house of cards scattering in the wind. They are unchecked, but we are not incapable to handle them. We must start with trusting women at their word. Donald Trump could have never made it into the Republican primary if we had done this very basic thing back in 1989. Warning: graphic description of sexual assault: www.thedailybeast.com/...
Actually, it's depressing fun to imagine all the ways Trump never makes it through the primaries. If a single one of those craven bootlickers had quizzed him on basic fucking trivia, his support could have withered. "Mr. Trump, you are a fan of the Bill of Rights, yes? Can you name any of the Articles?" This should have never happened, is what I'm saying. Careful review of facts and a willingness to listen to EVERYONE is going to be our way forward. A lot of people have issues with the central conceit of feminism, that women are more than objects and their voices should be heard. Well, America, this is our chance to either affirm ourselves of being a forward-thinking nation, or the regressive shitheels we never want to imagine anyone could be.
I waited until after the debate to revisit this, but nothing changed. Hillary disappointingly didn't pursue this even as aggressively as Anderson Cooper. It was noticed. mobile.twitter.com/...
