I've been internalising a really complicated situation in my head...
How do those of us who experience such horrendous situations as homicide - rape - sexual abuse - continue to stay mentally capable especially when the personal experience then collides with the political understanding of the situation we find ourselves living through?
Take for example Jordan's murder. As a young Māori rangatahi his death crippled his whanau. But his death also spoke about this county's attitude to poverty, discrimination, colonisation and racism.
The marrying of the personal horror of such a horrendous event with the political fabric that underpinned his death - the racist courts that failure to dish out justice due to centuries of institutional racism - the poverty - colonisation - violence in society from males towards males - classism - joblessness - the devastation of small rural communities and issues of masculinity - meant that whilst I sat in court wanting nothing more than to rage against the gang member that killed him another pat of me would look with horror on the complexity of all that was.
Sexual abuse - the personal effects of abuse can be long lasting and for many the scars are so deep they may never fully heal. but when some of us mostly those of us who are politically minded towards social justice begin to unpack the issues that rest around and behind abuse we can again find ourselves in a grey spoace were an ongoing battle between
yet our political analysis means we demand justice for the victims and the perpetrators - yet silently wish our own fathers to be beaten to death. Or spend years living with the guilt of leaving our siblings behind as we finally made it out the gate.
These issues are constant in my life but have been fully reignited after watching The Poker House - the intersection of the political and personal is mindfucking for those of us who have and do live on both sides of the political and personal.
I know there are no simple answers - those who follow that road do us the victims of these horrendous life experiences an injustice and if the answers were that simple well there would be only one group needed SST (yes I think sst is devoid of any political analysis of the complexity of some peoples lives mainly Māori - poor - queer - women's lives) - so I realise there is no bandage to place on such open wounds - just thinking aloud as FB allows.
I am trying to work through this dilemma as part of a book I am trying to write
How do those of us who experience such horrendous situations as homicide - rape - sexual abuse - continue to stay mentally capable especially when the personal experience then collides with the political understanding of the situation we find ourselves living through?
Take for example Jordan's murder. As a young Māori rangatahi his death crippled his whanau. But his death also spoke about this county's attitude to poverty, discrimination, colonisation and racism.
The marrying of the personal horror of such a horrendous event with the political fabric that underpinned his death - the racist courts that failure to dish out justice due to centuries of institutional racism - the poverty - colonisation - violence in society from males towards males - classism - joblessness - the devastation of small rural communities and issues of masculinity - meant that whilst I sat in court wanting nothing more than to rage against the gang member that killed him another pat of me would look with horror on the complexity of all that was.
Sexual abuse - the personal effects of abuse can be long lasting and for many the scars are so deep they may never fully heal. but when some of us mostly those of us who are politically minded towards social justice begin to unpack the issues that rest around and behind abuse we can again find ourselves in a grey spoace were an ongoing battle between
yet our political analysis means we demand justice for the victims and the perpetrators - yet silently wish our own fathers to be beaten to death. Or spend years living with the guilt of leaving our siblings behind as we finally made it out the gate.
These issues are constant in my life but have been fully reignited after watching The Poker House - the intersection of the political and personal is mindfucking for those of us who have and do live on both sides of the political and personal.
I know there are no simple answers - those who follow that road do us the victims of these horrendous life experiences an injustice and if the answers were that simple well there would be only one group needed SST (yes I think sst is devoid of any political analysis of the complexity of some peoples lives mainly Māori - poor - queer - women's lives) - so I realise there is no bandage to place on such open wounds - just thinking aloud as FB allows.
I am trying to work through this dilemma as part of a book I am trying to write
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