The Destructive Culture Of Silence

It is the silence that we have somehow glorified and normalized. It is the secrets we are made to carry…sometimes to our graves. This past week I heard of two disturbing examples of this cultural norm which is destroying us.

A good friend was assaulted by a stranger in broad daylight. Naturally, knowing her rights and feeling the throbbing pain in her throat from where he hit her so hard that she saw stars, she reported the matter to the police immediately. Thankfully, with a new culture of the police taking Gender Based Violence cases seriously, he was arrested and spent a night in jail. Sadly, the story took a turn that many others take. When influential people in her life got wind of the story, she was advised to drop charges. Because of her position, it didn’t serve a workplace agenda.