Corrupted Culture (TRIGGER WARNING-DISTURBING SUBJECTS DISCUSSED)

TRIGGER WARNING-DISTURBING SUBJECTS DISCUSSED

Imagine you are a child, and you are alone in a room. There are no windows, and no doors. Very little light. No heating, no food, no sounds, and nobody else there. You are totally alone. How do you feel?
Scared? Cold? Hungry? Confused? Lonely?

Now imagine that a group of lionesses are in that same room as you. Nothing else has changed but their presence. How do you feel now?
Scared? Worried? Anxious?
Maybe you are sweating, even shaking. Maybe you are trying to plan an escape before they attack.

But what if you can't move, think, or plan? What if you can't call for help, regardless of whether you believe anyone can help you? What if all you can do in that scenario is simply stand still and do nothing?

This is how a lot of people would be, and there is no shame in it. Your body responds that way for a damned good reason. Preservation and protection.

If you are still and quiet, the lionesses may leave you alone. They may stare at you. They may approach you. They could easily eat you. How do you know what they will or won't do next?

These lionesses are not just a representation of one person, or a group. They are also representative of society and systems. Everything from your family, your town, your council, your peers, your workplace.
How often do you find yourself agreeing to something, only to later think "I wish I hadn't."?
How often do you go somewhere or do something, and look back and think "That wasn't the best place to be, or the best course of action to take."

Consent is something we deal with every day. When a stranger asks you to watch their bags. When your boss asks you to do extra hours. When a friend offers to take you out. When you're in an intimate scenario.

Wait. When was the last time someone asked you if they could touch you? Hold your hand? Kiss you? Have sex with you? Probably never, or very rarely. This is a problem. It is a huge problem!
If you are the person who always says yes, even when you mean no, how does a potential flame know what your yes actually means? Assuming that you even talk about it first!
Of course you can say yes and mean it, then later change your mind.
But at what point do you then say "Really sorry about this, but actually I don't want to do this anymore."?
Have you ever said that to someone?
Maybe you only thought it to yourself.
Or maybe you froze like you did with the lionesses.

Just because you didn't speak out, that doesn't mean you gave a silent consent.