I really don’t think it’s true that abusers always know they’re abusive or that if you’re worried you’re being abusive, that automatically means you’re not.
There are patterns of harm we can fall into without really realizing what’s going on. We live in an abuse culture that justifies and even celebrates certain kinds of abuse and makes them seem normal.
Maybe when you’re trying to protect yourself from harm you set your boundaries so far out from your own autonomy zone that you’re infringing on someone else’s. Maybe you think you’re being fair because you aren’t thinking about what it’s like for the other person, you’re too focused on staying/getting in your own comfort zone.
Maybe you’re so used to dysfunctional interactions that every conversation is a power struggle, and you don’t even realize that when you’re “winning” all the time you’re grinding someone else down—you’re too busy being relieved that you’re not “losing” all the time anymore like you did in the past with someone else.
Maybe you think you’re being “funny” and it’s “banter” to constantly tear down someone in your life. Maybe you assume they’re having fun with it too and that this is how you act friendly towards someone.
Maybe you believe lies about what rape is or what abuse is. Maybe you grew up being told men always want sex and you don’t even realize when you’re pressuring him into it that he genuinely doesn’t want it and it’s not a game. Maybe you believed the lies that women say no to seem modest but if she “gives in” that’s how you know for sure she wants it. Maybe you thought physical arousal was the same as consent.
Maybe you thought being mean when you’re in a bad mood wasn’t abuse as long as you don’t hit. Maybe you grew up in an environment where any conflict meant you had to hurt the other person as much as possible emotionally in order to “win”.
Maybe you’re a parent who learned that spanking or scaring your kids is how you keep them in line, which seems necessary to protect them. Maybe you don’t realize how cutting some of the things you say are, or how thoughtless or unkind you’re being. Maybe you never learned gentleness before you had kids, or don’t understand what’s age appropriate.
When you’re an abuser or a rapist who didn’t realize at the time how much harm you were doing, it can cause serious cognitive dissonance to realize the impact of your actions. It’s easy to get defensive and decide that since you don’t think of yourself that way, there’s no way you could possibly be an abuser or a rapist.
It’s easy to say that if you don’t want to be an abuser, you’re not. But it’s not always true.
It is absolutely vital that everyone learns how to interact in safe and respectful ways. We’re all responsible for figuring out how to not harm other people.
Believing that it’s impossible you’re harming other people can make you MORE likely to harm them, because you’re not checking yourself to make sure that you’re not.
i get so scared. and i get scared again. yuo are never gonna calm me down. i get so scared. and i get scared again. you are never gonna calm me down. i drink a nervous drink. i drink a frightened drink. i drink an anxious drink, i drink a scary drink. i fear the scares that remind me of the scary times. i fear the scares that remind me of the horror times
I’m a survivor of the terror attacks who lived 4 blocks east of the World Trade Center. I lost my home that day, spent years homeless and destitute, and I carry a Zadroga Act diagnosis of 9/11-connected PTSD. If anyone who’s doing this RP needs character coaching or if you need help with authentic scenarios, I’m available for consulting services at reasonable rates. DM me here or leave your number on the men’s room wall at any leather bar and it’ll get to me in 24 hours. Happy 9/11 y'all, and remember fireworks are unsafe and illegal in most jurisdictions.
