I want to highlight a Reddit post. Yes, a Reddit post. Titled “Women: Why are we tolerating this?”, the poster on slash MSP begins with
Of the MSP conferences I’ve been to, 2/3 have included unwanted physical touching (I couldn’t even begin to fathom counting all of questionable remarks).
What do we do? Tell them to stop? – sounds easy, but it’s not.
I wish I could tell the men that did this how awful it makes us feel. Powerless. Defeated.
I won’t dig into the comments here and leave that to you. You likely can guess many of the responses, as it’s the entire spectrum.
Why do we care?
In this case, my first and most important statement to those who have been assaulted is that I see you. I see you.
Everyone has or should have the right to feel safe. Consent is consent. And this isn’t just an issue for women.
It’s easy to offer quick advice that individuals should speak up or go to the organizers or authorities. That’s also a hot take that misses understanding humans.
I include a link to an article shared with me from Psychology Today entitled Understanding Fight, Flight, Freeze, and the Fawn Response, which dives into the fourth response that is lesser known, which is the response to try and please a person to avoid conflict. It’s insightful.
My simple thought … see others as humans, as people. Treat them well. It goes a very long way.