A series of prototype posters I did to address verbal abuse.
I was kind enough to have willing models and a great photographer. Thank you for all your help.
This is awesome. I approve.
tw: violence
Male Privilege is when I called the police on my father out of pure fear of him verbally assaulting/threatening me, trying to force-feeding me, and nearly punching me in the stomach and when the police arrived, I was the one who got in trouble instead.
My father literally talked them out of him me being the victim, made some small talk and became “buddies”. All the police were males and they just seemed so smug.
When I was asked to enter the same room as him, he played it off like everything was completely normal and that I was an insane, bratty teenage girl. He made sure to clarify that I was probably having another one of my “girl fits” right in front of my face.
The police contributed to this privilege by telling me that my dad is allowed to beat me for discipline until I have bruises, cuts, or scars. But, if he breaks a bone, then, and ONLY then, will he be guilty. They told me that since I was almost an “adult woman” and I should be helping around the house, acting appropriate, dressing appropriate, and respecting my father because he’s the man of the house.
I was forced to believe that I am guilty of disrespecting my father and that I just over reacted, when in reality I ran crying over to my neighbors house in fear just to get away from my dad and to call the police. I feel scared for my life because there’s no where to go and I’ll be treated as an over emotional woman if this ever happens again.
This experience will haunt me forever.
ANd people wonder why kids don’t report their parents
Verbal abuse in childhood inflicts lasting physical effects on brain structure
[…]
Young adults, ages 18-25, with no history of exposure to domestic violence, sexual abuse, or parental physical abuse, were asked to rate their childhood exposure to parental and peer verbal abuse when they were children, and then they were given a brain scan.
The results revealed that those individuals who reported experiencing verbal abuse from their peers during middle school years had underdeveloped connections between the left and right sides of their brain through the massive bundle of connecting fibers called the corpus callosum. Psychological tests given to all subjects in the study showed that this same group of individuals had higher levels of anxiety, depression, anger hostility, dissociation, and drug abuse than others in the study.
Verbal abuse from peers during the middle school years had the greatest impact, presumably because this is a sensitive period when these brain connections are developing and becoming insulated with myelin.
The environment that children are raised in molds not only their mind, but also their brain. This is something many long suspected, but now we have scientific instruments that show us how dramatically childhood experience alters the physical structure of the brain, and how sensitive we are as children to these environmental effects. Words—verbal harassment—from peers (and, as a previous study from these researchers showed, verbal abuse from a child’s parents) can cause far more than emotional harm.
[…]
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-new-brain/201010/sticks-and-stones-hurtful-words-damage-the-brain
AWESOME. THANKS MOM
PTSD Sucks
So I just woke up and I spent the last few minutes paralyzed because I thought my mother was gonna come downstairs and catch me awake in my room. Then I turned on the light and saw my door open and had a brief moment of panic before I remembered OH YEAH I’m A FUCKING ADULT AND LIVE BY MYSELF (I’m 30-something by the way and escaped that house at 18 so I have for many many years).
And people wonder why I hate her and have PTSD. Well 17 years of emotional abuse and 13 years of physical abuse will do that to you. I’m gonna cry.
Dear Mom:
I’m sorry you chose not to see what an incredibly strong and unique individual I turned out to be, but instead decided I’m not good enough because you wanted me to be someone I’m not. Your loss.
329. “I’m sorry mom, for not being the perfect daughter you’ve always wanted.” – fexoxo
SRS: High Yellow
Brave was really, really awful. It is abuse enabling and victim blaming. This movie was obviously written by abusers. It is NOT what the previews lead you to believe. It is not a “progressive” or “feminist” movie with a…
An emotionally abusive person may “dismiss your feelings and needs, expect you to perform humiliating or unpleasant tasks, manipulate you into feeling guilty for trivial things, belittle your outside support system or blame you for unfortunate circumstances in his…
My childhood
Image: Picture of a child holding their knees to their chest.
Image text: “Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime…” - Herbert Ward
