WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL

“When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.” Socrates

Imagine living in an epistemic twilight zone

A world where your experience is misunderstood

Distorted

Dismissed

Rejected

Unbelieved

Lost in ambiguity

Envision when understanding finally prevails

Yet comprehension fails to capture the full dimension of the problem

Judged

Denied

Persecuted

Criticized

Left unprotected

A central importance of a survivor’s credibility is safety and security

Still our social and justice system disregards our stories

Discounting

Diminishing

Ostracizing

Declining

Inaccurately interpreting

Negative cultural stereotypes silence victims

Minimizing their motivations for seeking assistance

Questioning

Discrediting

Trivializing

Disregarding

Perpetuating harmful impacts

Have you stopped to exam the injury you're inflicting?

Dismissing experiences is also psychological abuse

Ignoring

Discounting

Negating

Hindering

Impeding justice

How can we still be surprised by these stories?

Do you discredit them for your own greater good?

Has the broader culture simply stopped listening?

Lapsing into a tendency to trivialize other women’s experience

Excusing maltreatment at the hands of predatory men

Devaluing the victim’s testimony

Perpetuating stories of abuse

EMH2023