Kristi Pahr

These women are from all over the world. They are from different socioeconomic brackets. Their assaults took place during different times over the last 35 years. The victims are completely different, but the stories are all so similar. Victims of assault, rape, harassment, coming forward, being brave and telling the truth, and being stigmatized, ostracized, blamed, ignored, ridiculed. People they love, people they trust, people whose job it is to protect them, blaming them for their assault. It’s common. Almost expected. That women are assaulted, harassed by men, is a given in our culture. That women are blamed is standard procedure. Is it really any wonder that the majority of sexual assaults go unreported? Is it really shocking that a woman would want to save herself additional trauma?

I’m frazzled, y’all; I’m a mess. I’m a basketcase of anxiety and stress and I need to chill.

It seems like everyone is an introvert these days.

2016 sucked. If we can’t agree on anything else, I think we can all agree on at least that much.

I think we can all agree that there is some messed up stuff happening right now.

I’m not a TV person. I used to be, but not so much anymore.

As a mother of boys, I find this trend disturbing. Yes, we need to build up our girls. We need to empower them and teach them that they are capable and viable and powerful — that they are smart and that they matter. But we cannot devalue our boys in the process.