re: #218 austin_blue

Sincerely, the biggest common factor in people who have been abused is being reluctant to talk about it because they fear mockery, shame, disbelief, etc. So your condolences are meaningful. Even after all these years, it’s still valuable to talk about it and it’s still valuable to have it treated seriously.

Those who just look away from it— like many at Penn State did— who prefer not to confront it, are not the worst, but they’re pretty bad. That response— that there is no one to help you, and if you talk about it you’ll be blamed for destroying a man’s life, and everyone would prefer that you just keep quiet— is what every child victim of pedophiles fears, and it is that fear that the pedophile takes advantage of.

I still cannot understand why the person who saw the rape, literally saw the rape, occur, didn’t call the police.