The End of Misogyny

This is what I'm working to overcome:

I'm highly sensitive to the fact that what I've experienced is not the worst of the worst. I hung back for a long time in silence because I didn't feel entitled to share my experiences - they weren't extremely violent - what did I have to complain about?

This silencing, this perceived safety, kept me from escaping the web of shame. I've felt responsible for the sexual predation encountered throughout my life.

I've been thinking about sexual predation a lot lately. We hear a lot about the overt predators who move fast and make no effort to conceal their intent: the Harvey Weinsteins, the guy who opens the door in a towel ready for a quickie.

The predators I hear about less often are the covert ones, the groomers. They're patient. They dangle grapes above your lips and drizzled honey coats their words. These predators persistently pursue their quarry in hopes of taking you down in a consensual manner, with overtures of love, passion and promises of a future together. It might look like an affair - ala Bill Clinton, but, make no mistake, their goal is not a long-term relationship. This predator will ride you like a cheap pony until they, for whatever reason, can no longer ride you.

It's embarrassing to think back on all the occasions I was preyed upon this way. I was naive. I wanted a real relationship. Instead I got played.

Which leads me to how these predators are usually referred to: as players. So please, let's flip this narrative. They are not players they are sexual predators.

The question begged then is: where is the line drawn? When is prosecution the solution? How do we move forward?

I don't know, but, what I do know is that women need to be taught to wholly love and respect themselves and our culture must uphold this as the standard. BOTTOM LINE: the eon of misogyny has to end.

The future of our planet depends on it. We rape and pillage Mother Earth because of the pervasive mindset that her resources are there for the taking. Awareness is rising, but the race is on. Can we heal her in time to save our species? Or, have we already ravaged her to the point of no return? Only future generations will know. She will go on, but will we?

These are the things I think about while I knit. I finished another washcloth while I mulled over the end of misogyny. Here is the End of Misogyny washcloth:

The fuck-ups are evident, but that's all part of the mission here. Fuck up, reconcile with the fuck-ups and move forward. The key is in leaving the fuck-ups behind. Dragging that shit forward is the pattern I'm releasing. Yay for me.