What do you do when the people around you hold completely different views about what is happening in the world?
Misogyny feels rampant in this administration, and it sometimes appears that women in positions of power mirror the same male-dominated roles they rose within. Their perspective on the treatment of women often seems very different from those who are not in those positions.
I find myself wondering why.
Is it the mentality of letting someone else be the target—as long as it isn’t me?
Or is it a kind of blindness, an inability to connect the dots that if someone treats others that way, eventually they will treat you the same?
Or do they fundamentally believe—perhaps because it’s been deeply ingrained—that “boys will be boys” is simply the way things are? That maintaining their position, influence, or wealth requires turning a blind eye to misogyny, because speaking up would cost them everything?
I witnessed my ex treat people with disdain, bullying them into submission. No amount of reasoning or pleading from me changed his tactics or approach. I was naïve enough to believe that his behavior would never be directed at me—after all, I was his wife.
But underneath it all is their truth.
And if you are willing to listen, it is often shared very loudly.
Abuse.
Rhetoric.
Hatred.
Mocking and belittling.
These are not harmless behaviors. They are signs of a personality that cannot simply be overlooked.
I have lived in the reality where male-dominated institutions—agencies and court systems—refused to acknowledge that their actions and decisions enabled the abuse of women and children.
Sometimes I wonder if real change will only come when the system itself collapses—when “boys will be boys” is no longer an acceptable explanation.
Because for far too long, women being women has been dismissed, diminished, and discarded.
But here’s the thing! The BIG THING! We will keep going!!! Because we get things done!
This Sparkle Up Blog is part of the…
Fear Waves: Gentle Tips to Steady Your Nervous System Series
When fear gets loud, the body feels it first. This series offers gentle, grounded tools to steady the nervous system—one moment, one breath, one choice at a time.
Helping you to Build your own Fear Waves Toolkit
