I have always wondered why people seem to want to discredit the survivors and not the abuser. We have seen it in the Catholic Church, Penn State, schools, sports team until the evidence and frequency of these abuses become evident. Even then, there are those that continue of their path to discredit the survivor. Are these people controlled by the institution, celebrity status of the individual, fear or their own abuse they may suffered in life. Whatever, it is wrong to continue to punish and hurt the survivor for they have lived a lifetime of pain. Denial of the survivor only allows abuse to continue and puts the survivor at risk. Your mention of R Kelly--years, decades of abuse and many turned a blind eye--outrage should be expressed over and over.
Jaybro you are right it is time for non-survivors to recognize and understand what abuse is and how survivors act and strive to survive. More importantly non-survivors who deny the abuse only support abuse in my mind because they are willing to inflict pain on the survivors. I think the media needs to focus more on the survivors than the abusers--so the world can learn what survivors live from the onset of the abuse. I also believe and I talked with many medical professionals who agree trauma training and understanding by the medical professionals is lacking which only serves to harm survivors and allows non-survivors to formulate opinions and actions that are hurtful to the survivor. Too much misinformation out there. I remember being in the ER with a dissociative fugue episode. I had come out of the fugue and I was speaking with a nurse, whose first name I remember to this day, who was knowledgeable in trauma. I asked how she knew so much and she explained it was from her graduate studies and not her undergraduate studies that she took several courses in trauma and behavior. She said being in the ER all the doctors, nurses and staff should be required to be trained in how to treat trauma victims. I remained in the ER for several hours before being transferred to Neurology. I was appalled at how some doctors and nurses treated a trauma victim, I could hear the nurses laughing and mocking the victim. The police were just as bad. It was not all doctors, nurses, staff or police but a higher percentage than I could have imagined. There is such ignorance on trauma. I have lived it and heard it.
I tried to watch it and I had to turn it off. I was being triggered. With all the news about the Cardinals in the Catholic Church--one defrocked for sexually abusing boys in the past and another convicted of sexual abuse in Australia, it was too overwhelming. I have heard commentary and seen some clips and it is appalling and devastating. How can only imagine it is not true.
I am not sure how the masses become educated on abuse and trauma.
Kevin