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photo by Sheri Dixon

Sunday, September 2, 2012

"Some Scenes of Graphic Violence"= I'm Changing the Channel Now

So I'm reading this book, and it's clicking along pretty well- it's a little sort of 'end of the world as we know it' book, and it's extra fun because I know the author.

First few chapters behind me, I turn the page...and there it is.

The requisite (apparently) chapter where the good woman gets raped and killed by the roving marauders. And I wonder why the hell?

Why the hell is that necessary? Oh, I know all the stock answers- they're the same ones I hear to justify violence in movies and TV shows...other forms of entertainment.

It's assumed that I shy away from that sort of stuff because I'm all girlie girl and liberal (see post re:Why I'm a Liberal and you'll see where this is going)and just float along batting my eyelashes through my rose colored glasses and waiting for unicorns to show up.

That I don't wanna see 'that stuff' because it's distasteful and I just don't want my pretty little fluffy head filled with ugly images- none of that stuff will ever happen anyway, right?

That I'm unrealistic and idealistic, juvenile and clueless.

Let me help you to understand.

I was talking to a male human about the fact that female humans never quite get over being abused and/or assaulted, sexually or otherwise.

I was told in a sort of condescending manner that HE'D been shot, and stabbed, and beat up, and it hurts, but he got over it.

I asked him how many of his assailants he'd known personally. Zero.

I told him quietly that I've never been physically hurt by someone I didn't know and trust. Read it again and let that sink in.

That's a whole different ball game- with a whole different set of reactions, defenses and rules.

It's a different world if you're female.

Say you're a male and you're walking along and see a bunch of construction workers harassing a passing female. You think, "Geez, whatta buncha assholes" and keep going.

If you're that female, you think, "Geez, whatta buncha assholes" and keep going...with a low rumbling of fear in the pit of your stomach.

So for all you guys who write books about the end of the world- we get it. It's going to be lawless and stressful and unpredictable and awful. The strong will prey on the weak and dogs will eat dogs. Zombie kittens will roam the streets. Children will die. Women will be raped and killed.

We get it.

We get it because we're already the 'weaker sex' as far as bulk and strength and we are aware of all the above every single stinking day of our lives. Somewhere in the back of our minds, no matter how brave, or bitchy, or bossy, or confident we appear on the outside we know. We know we're vulnerable to being hurt and worse.

I shy away from violence in entertainment not because I don't think it can happen for realsies and I just don't want to look at "icky stuff".

But because I KNOW it can happen for realsies. Because it already has. To me.

Why the hell would I willingly sit in front of that shit for ENTERTAINMENT???

How can we seem so sure of ourselves and conduct our lives with such efficiency and bullheaded cheerfulness?

The same way any of us give birth more than once.

Love and Life are stronger than Fear.

We all have a limited amount of moments in our lives. It's a horrible, evil waste of those moments to spend even one of them on violence- even pretend violence- willingly.

Peace.





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