Published on 12, July, 2020
Does this make any kind of sense to anyone?
For me, society seems to be present me with a choice
1. Act normal, uptight and be accepted on the surface, as a walk down the street, but feel depressed, isolated because I have internally obliterated some of the essential quirky parts of my character.
2. Relax, act a bit quirky, and have people avoid me in the street, and be treated like some kind of rapist, mad animal or wierd alien sub-species.
From my own perspective, it seems that people outside have this extra, unnecessary layer, that is like an armed militaristic assault vehicle designed to convince people of their social status - it makes them seem fake, uptight and often rather reactionary, even if they identify as progressive or left wing, because they can't see past their social conditioning needs, that they push in my face at every possible mimenf. If I try to conform to their behaviours of physical uptightness, pushing out my personality like some kind of armed militaristic assault vehicle then my body has to become extremely tense indeed, it's like I'm absorbing all their uptightness, and externally I seem to go to the extreme of their behaviour and often appear robotic or irritable or unreasonably idealistic.
So, that's my dilemma either become robotic or be treated like a potential alien-weirdo-rapist.
Sound familiar, or not?
WiredDifferently said:women typically, but not always, will react to the threat of the invading tribe, with an instinctive fear of rape.
Number said:Walking alone, in the countryside as a single male, does see me treated (in the first instance) as a rapist/murderer......in my experience.
Peter said:oh my sweet summer child. Guys get called a rapist just for looking 'funny' at a women these days.
I found reading these comments disturbing.
It's really a case of 'welcome to my world'.
I've tried very hard to keep myself safe all my life and that includes not walking anywhere alone which is isolated and especially after dark.
It actually ISN'T safe for women and I'm sorry if the repercussion of that is that you feel uncomfortable, but I can assure you it's much worse for us.
If I were walking alone somewhere that I was vulnerable and a single male came towards me (or even worse several) I would instinctively be on high alert, and with good cause.
I have the same response with dogs, not that I'm saying that men and dogs are the same, but they can both be boisterous, loud, unpredictable and potentially aggressive. I know that most dogs are fine, friendly creatures, but if I encounter one off the lead, I am apprehensive. Like James Joyce, if I'm out on a long walk , I carry a walking stick, just in case.
A dog attack can be thwarted by shouting at them aggressively.
Maintain eye contact throughout any hostile dog encounter.
These things work, except when they don't. I was approached in a rather sinister manner by a large, rather toothy fish when in the sea once. Invariably, if you flap your hand vigorously in their direction, fish will shoot away, but not this one. I had to jab it in the eye to discourage it.
I wondered if I should write a "dog attack in progress".