CW: discussion of sexual assault
I think we have come to a place where we accept that discussing the founding fathers, as an example, the fact that they had deep thoughts about freedom while most of them owned slaves is important. I always refer back to Daveed Diggs saying that if someone's job is to carry you around for the first years of your life, is that the kind of privelege it takes to be able to have deep thoughts about how to reinvent government, perhaps it is.
Similarly multiple male celebrities passed on in the last few weeks and there was some discussion of whether it was too soon or too mean to discuss the sexual assault in their past.
So first, I think it's important to note that celebrity obituaries operate differently than those of others. If some reporter insisted on adding things about my dad to his obituary, I get it, I'd be like, look, this is the text. Just print it.
But public figures operate differently. I know all these folks have children, grandchildren so on. And we can talk about the fairness of celebrity some other time. If I or anyone else showed up at a family funeral and insisted on shouting out any and all crimes committed by the deceased, the family would be well within their rights to kick me out.
But I think the thing we need to grapple with, is that much like slavery, sexual assault is all over our history. So the very least we can do, is to continue to acknowledge that. The idea that there is a lot of entertainment currently available to you that is unable to be un-entwined from sexual assault (see also government, academia, and so on) is something we need to grapple with. In general people seem to dislike those who talk about it when it happens, because what if that person has a future. And they dislike talking about it after because that's in his past. So we can't listen to those people, because they have eliminated all possible times.
Similarly, we should work towards a society that allows for folks who make mistakes to make amends. But is not up to us, as the not directly harmed, to decide when someone has made enough amends. And again, acknowledging assault as part of an assaulter's history, is the very least we can to.
RAINN's CW: discussion of sexual assault
I think we have come to a place where we accept that discussing the founding fathers, as an example, the fact tbat they had deep thoughts about freedom while most of them owned slaves is important. I always refer back to Daveed Diggs saying that if someone's job is to carry you around for the first years of your life, is that the kind of privelege it takes to be able to have deep thoughts about how to reinvent government, perhaps it is.
Similarly multiple male celebrities passed on in the last few weeks and there was some discussion of whether it was too soon or too mean to discuss the sexual assault in their past.
So first, I think it's important to note that celebrity obituaries operate differently than those of others. If some reporterbinsisted on adding things about my dad to his obituary, I get it, I'd be like, look, this is the text. Just print it.
But public figures operate differently. I know all these folks have children, grandchildren so on. And we can talk aboit the fairness of celebrity some other time. Sure if I or anyone else showed up at a family funeral amd insisted on shouting out any and all crimes committed by the deceased, the family would be well within their rights to kick me out.
But I think the thing we need to grapple with, is that much like slavery, sexual assault is all over our history. So the very least we can do, is to continue to acknowledge that. The idea that there is a lot of entertainment currently available to you that is unable to be unentwined from sexual assault (see also government, academia, and so on) is something we need to grapple with. In general people seem to dislike those who talk about it when it happens, because what if that person has a future. And they dislike talking about it after because that's in his past. So we can't listen to those people, because they have eliminated all possible times.
Similarly, we should work towards a society that allows for folks who make mistakes to make amends. But is not up to us, as the not directly harmed, to decide when someone has made enough amends. And again, acknowledging assault as part of an assualter's history, is the very least we can to.
Link to RAINNCW: discussion of sexual assault
I think we have come to a place where we accept that discussing the founding fathers, as an example, the fact tbat they had deep thoughts about freedom while most of them owned slaves is important. I always refer back to Daveed Diggs saying that if someone's job is to carry you around for the first years of your life, is that the kind of privelege it takes to be able to have deep thoughts about how to reinvent government, perhaps it is.
Similarly multiple male celebrities passed on in the last few weeks and there was some discussion of whether it was too soon or too mean to discuss the sexual assault in their past.
So first, I think it's important to note that celebrity obituaries operate differently than those of others. If some reporterbinsisted on adding things about my dad to his obituary, I get it, I'd be like, look, this is the text. Just print it.
But public figures operate differently. I know all these folks have children, grandchildren so on. And we can talk aboit the fairness of celebrity some other time. Sure if I or anyone else showed up at a family funeral amd insisted on shouting out any and all crimes committed by the deceased, the family would be well within their rights to kick me out.
But I think the thing we need to grapple with, is that much like slavery, sexual assault is all over our history. So the very least we can do, is to continue to acknowledge that. The idea that there is a lot of entertainment currently available to you that is unable to be unentwined from sexual assault (see also government, academia, and so on) is something we need to grapple with. In general people seem to dislike those who talk about it when it happens, because what if that person has a future. And they dislike talking about it after because that's in his past. So we can't listen to those people, because they have eliminated all possible times.
Similarly, we should work towards a society that allows for folks who make mistakes to make amends. But is not up to us, as the not directly harmed, to decide when someone has made enough amends. And again, acknowledging assault as part of an assualter's history, is the very least we can to.
RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is available by phone or through online chat - (800.656.HOPE and online.rainn.org). More info and other resources available at their website: https://www.rainn.org.
