Small Town Wren

One of the first and, to date, one of the most-bitter fights Daniil and I have ever gotten into had to do with something most people would probably raise an eyebrow or two at. It was a bitter, drawn out affair that resulted in somewhat of a compromise. To this day, though it only occasionally comes up, we struggle and butt heads about it.

You see, when I met him, he was not registered to vote. While some might not care, to me this was an issue of great and dire importance. It still is. He finally caved and registered right after last year’s elections (sigh). The compromise was he very adamantly insisted that though now he was registered and I should be happy, he would never, never, ever exercise his right to vote. And, as far as I know, he hasn’t.

And this still troubles me. Perhaps even more so than it did a year ago. Why?

I’ve noticed–and I’m not the only one–that politics is become a lot more like TMZ every day. And no one seems to care. We happily swallow up Trump’s birtherism, giggle about Jon Kyl’s ‘non-factual’ statements, and snicker about Rep. Weiner’s…well…weiner. And while we process what is happening with these news bits, we simply move on without, well, doing anything.

But then things like this happen:

They happen and we don’t notice because there’s nothing entertaining about it, and we want to be entertained. LZ Ganderson wrote on CNN:

It shouldn’t really matter which side of the fence you stand on regarding abortion: that tone, that rationale, has no place in the debate. That more people, more women, were not angered by DeGraaf’s statements only highlights just how little we are paying attention to lawmakers.

He’s right. We’re not paying attention, and crazy whackadoo lawmakers have figured that out. As long as political news coverage is actually entertainment in content, these politicians can do and say whatever they like. My 4th grade teacher always said that who you are is the person you are when no one is watching.

No one is watching what’s going on. No one is watching and the masks are coming off. And since no one is watching, no one notices when they change the law in ways we don’t like, to reflect values we don’t believe in.

I am shocked and horrified that it’s okay, politically and socially, to say things like that, to say that you should plan ahead for rape. I’m upset this isn’t more news worthy. I’m ashamed that we could stand for it in this country.

Politics isn’t entertainment, people. It’s real life, and it has very real consequences. And sadly, punishing women and making the lives of women more difficult has been a common theme of late (or almost forever, really). But it’s not just women, it’s happening to the poor and to the brown, too. It’s only going to get worse if we continue to view politicians the same way we do celebrities.

As a side not, it was pretty ingenous of DeGraff to sugges his wife and daughter would “never need an abortion” if they were raped. Last time I checked, ‘never need’ was not synonymous with ‘I will forbid’.

It’s a little old, but very relevant to my life at the moment. Seeing as my recent reading selection has had a lot to do on the subject and I’ve been dealing with this stuff in my personal life, it feels appropriate to link it. A diary entry over at Daily Kos discusses Rape Culture. Here are some pretty disturbing statistics:

According to the findings, around 25% of people believe that women who have been raped are at least partly to blame because of how they dressed, how much they drank or how many sexual partners they have had.

The survey revealed that:
-38% believe that a woman is partly to blame for rape if she walks through a deserted area.
-37% think a woman is partly to blame if she flirts extensively.
-30% think a woman is partly to blame if she flirts with a man at all or fails to say no clearly.

It also found that 10% of people feel that a woman is completely to blame for rape if she has had a number of sexual partners.

Read the rest of it here.

Not too long ago, I started writing love letters to those who have wronged me. I did not intend to share any of them. However, a few people asked me how I could possibly write a love letter to my rapist. It was actually two letters to different people, but they relate. Seeing as I have never spoken to any of these people since then, this is probably the closest I will ever get to confronting them.

Dear Edward —

It’s been a long time. Do you remember me? Of course you do. I “took” your virginity. That’s not the right words, though, is it? You made me take it; no wasn’t an option.

How has that been working out for you? I mean, not very many people spend their entire sexual lives as rapists. Is every encounter rape? I hope not because no one gave me the opportunity to stop you. I genuinely hope you are doing better.

I’m not writing you to berate you. Quite opposite. I love you. Our chance encounter at summer camp changed my life forever. I was angry for a long time, but I cannot live my life ruled by it and, by extension, you. In so many ways I’m glad it was me. It didn’t ruin me and it was never the worst thing that happened to me. Yes, it changed me, but I’m glad it wasn’t someone who would have been destroyed.

And I do love you, because without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I wouldn’t know how strong I am. I wouldn’t know how to refuse to be a victim. I wouldn’t have been able to care for my friends as I did when their own traumas surfaced.

You made me a better person. You made me a worse person, but I cannot ignore how good you made me. Without you I don’t know where I would be, or who I would be. I know I relate to others better than I did. I know my compassion and ability to forgive is nearly endless. You taught me these things.

I am the woman I am today because of you. Thank you for letting me become myself.

All my love,
Wren

I have never named him publicly before. I have never named these guys publicly either:

Dear Jakub, Dan, Chadd, and the Others Whose Names I No Longer Know —

Good evening, gentlemen. I doubt you know why I am writing you after all these years. Rape was pretty funny to you boys at 17 so I doubt you committed your crimes to memory.

This is not about that, though. I do not wish to judge you. This is my time now.

Thank you for teaching me that I need to be more self-reliant. When situations get sticky, I now know that I must be able to handle it myself. People will often not do the obvious right thing.

And I love you for showing just how important doing the right thing is. You laughed when my rapist told you his plans. You laughed and did nothing. Well, you laughed behind my back when I walked by, and avoided my gaze when you found me crying afterward. Because of you, I always do the right thing. Even when it is hard or inconvenient. I am a good person because I have learned from your mistakes.

I love you, even though you are a bunch of douchebags.

Love,
Wren

This is what accountability and release looks like.

I’m constantly trying to be a better person, to rise above the negativity in my life and move on. While in theory this sounds like an easy thing to do, in practice it is a very difficult battle that I fight every single day. I do it gladly, however, because I can see the person I want to be, and I’m willing to fight hard to become that woman.

One of my big problems is holding on to anger and resentment. I’ve made huge steps on this end over the past few months, but there’s still so much room for growth. I’m certainly a more patient person than I was, and a more open person, but it still isn’t enough. I’m still not where I want to be.

I’ve found something that has been helping, however. I’ve been writing love letters to all the people I have felt have wronged me. Instead of clinging to that rage and letting it eat me alive, I have been trying to find why these so-called betrayals are things I should be thankful for. I have forced myself to re-examine my life and find the positive instead of focusing on the negative.

It’s a very good exercise, but also a very surreal one. The other day, for instance, I wrote one to someone with the dubious title of “The Other Woman.”  Today I found myself writing to my rapist. It’s something I thought I would never do, but to find the positive in such horror has been so freeing.

To find the good in it all is life affirming. This exercise in love and forgiveness has really given me the chance to refocus my life. I refuse to be gripped by anger and negativity for any longer. I cannot remember the last time I was fully free from resentment. Pessimism is not the answer; it has proven to be a dead end. The opportunities to turn that hatred inward are too great, and I can see where I have been led down that path too many times.

I’m taking a stand. For the person I want to be and the person I know I can be. It is far easier to continue to live the fearful life, to stay where we are comfortable and with what we know. I reject this idea. I have not been happy, and there is no reason for this to continue. I am brave and I am ready to start walking forward.