Waiting for the other shoe to drop
Many have reached out to me with anxiety about the political ramifications for sexual assault victims/survivors
A few days after 9-1-1, the therapist I was working with at the time expressed anxiety about the possibility of “the next attack.” My therapist said, “It’s like we are all '“waiting for the other shoe to drop.” Many Americans were on edge donning gas masks and aggressively checking the Red-Yellow-Green color scheme for terror threats.1
At the time, I glanced up at my therapist and said, “That’s exactly how children in abusive homes feel all the time.”2
To all my beloved survivors, remember: You have survived worse.
There is nothing, not even death, that is as bad as the sexual violence and assaults you survived as a child. Nothing. Since you are reading this, and are here, you have survived. And, if you can survive that, you can survive anything.
Many of my closest friends have stated that I’m the original #metoo person.3 I am keenly aware of this wave of the voices speaking out against sexual assault, branded #metoo. Last fall, PBS did a piece on the future of the #metoo movement:
The future of #MeToo as Donald Trump returns to power
There’s a noticeable pattern across some of President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees: allegations of sexual misconduct or assault. Trump himself has been publicly accused of sexual misconduct and found liable in civil court of sexual abuse, and his return to office is raising questions about the future of the #MeToo movement. Law professor Deborah Tuerkheimer joins Laura Barrón-López to discuss.
I’m here to tell you: as long as there is sexual assault, there will be survivors, and many, many of us will tell our stories. Brand it however you want, #metoo, whatever. We will never go away. As long as innocents are slaughtered or attempted to be slaughtered: there will be many voices telling their own stories and speaking out against the domination of the innocents.
Even if “the other shoe drops” you’ve survived much worse. It’s just a shoe.
Don’t give up. Don’t be afraid. You’ve experienced the worst that life can dish up. No matter what the political climate, you can thrive and heal. You can have a fulfilling, vibrant life. No one can scare you out of it.4
We are all connected. If and when you feel comfortable, come out of the cave of darkness and dance in the light.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_Security_Advisory_System
See detailed depiction in Paperdolls & Cowboy Boots
Maybe, I really look up to Maya Angelou for inspiration. She went through it as well, and spoke far more eloquently about it than I have.
The abusers, oppressors, and those dazzling with magic tricks of smoke and mirrors to cover it up are the ones who should be scared.