Ignorance and childhood

There is not just one type of ignorance. Some of it is accidental, some of it is willful, but a lot of it is taught to us as children. Ignorance is often painfully  present during the most vulnerable and impressionable years of our lives.

Differentiating between the different types of ignorance is key to eliminating it. We must ask - to what extent is this person ignorant and what in their lives contributed to that? And instead of assuming reasons for the latter, we must ask that person ourselves. 

Reflecting and stuff

Every time I come home from college, I feel more and more like I've outgrown my town. When I was a kid, the typical suburban setup was fascinating and wonderful. Everything was bigger than me and I felt capable of practically anything I wanted. 

But time passed and the suburbs lost their magic. Life here has defaulted to a certain predictable loop that I don’t particularly like. 

And because of that, coming home doesn't feel too comforting. What’s left here is a routine that I’m no longer a part of. I can handle it for a bit, but after a while I’ll be anxious to get out. 

If you ask me, this is a bad place to get stuck. 

Which is why I don’t plan on permanently coming back, even when I hit my late adult years.

Reflections of Steubenville

Trigger Warning: This blog discusses rape. 
(I wrote this post as a blog for my university's online magazine. Link to the original article is here.)

I am a female college student living in rape culture. 

I’m told that I shouldn’t take walks outside after midnight, especially in an urban environment.

Adults often say that carrying pepper spray is the only way I can stay safe. Adults rarely say that they’re thoroughly educating their sons  about consent and rape.

I’ve found that other people feel entitled to make decisions for me because I am a female college student living in rape culture. 

I grew up in rape culture.

Boys were called “girls” when they showed signs of weakness or preformed poorly in sports.

I’ve seen a grown man tell a 6 year old boy to stop crying because “boys don’t cry.” Because emotions should be reserved for girls only.

I’ve found that women are considered to be overly-emotional, weak, and things to be dominated because I grew up in rape culture.

I’m fed up with rape culture.

I ignore the way it tells me to live and know how to stay safe while doing so.

I’m writing this because change is inevitable. 

 (And saying “that’s just the way things are” will never be a valid argument against change.)

The number of free idea-sharing platforms we have access to now is vastly larger than it ever was before. They are the starting point.

If you have any opinions or thoughts related to this topic, it’s time to start sharing.