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Three violent things adult men said to me when I was a young woman and teenager and how no one said anything
When I was younger, in my late teens and 20s, maybe it was my age, or maybe being pre #Me Too, adult men often spoke to me in violent ways. Three of the incidents hover in my mind. They make me think, what else happens out there? Well, we all know the statistics about rape and assault against women. But many violent acts are expressed in everyday, offhand comments.
1. If you don’t agree, I’m gonna hang you from the rafters
Even as I write this, I can hardly believe this one. When I was around 26 years old, I was called into jury duty in a small, rural town in Western Massachusetts. I was excited to deliberate a legal issue among my peers, something I had never done before.
The case was simple. The defense claimed that a man who had destroyed property while under the influence had only consumed what would “fit on the tip of your pen.” No one bought what he came to sell.
After the case was presented, we filed into the jury deliberation room. We made introductions and then got down to business. Most of us thought the defense’s points were extremely weak and filled with logical gaps. Forty-five minutes passed, and we were ready to go around the…
