Makingsenseofwhathappened - Makingsenseofwhathappened

“It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work.” — Wendell Berry

Theodor von Hörmann - Forest path (ca. 1878-1880)

“Justice," she said. "I've heard that word. It's a cold world. I tried it out," she said, still speaking in that low voice. "I wrote it down. I wrote it down several times and always it looked like a damn cold lie to me. There is no justice.” — Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea

Being sexually harassed is less like you were running and tripped, and more like someone pushed you. Replaying everything you did or didn’t do doesn’t actually help you to prevent it from happening again.

You don’t have to be perfect to be harmed.

Maybe you’d had a drink. Maybe you laughed along. Maybe you told them they were cute once. Maybe you texted back. Maybe you said yes to one thing, but not to what happened next.

Maybe you tried to be polite when you should have run. Maybe you didn’t run because you were scared. Or tired. Or frozen.

None of that means it wasn’t harassment. None of that means it was your fault.

Most people think of harassment as a “moment.” But it’s what happens after — the isolation, the doubt, the silence — that changes your life.

“You don’t have a right to the cards you believe you should have been dealt. You have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you’re holding.”

It wasn't a secret. It was a system.

Tree swallows.

Birds around New York city. 1942.

Internet Archive