I Have Been Abused
My theory is that a larger percentage of abused people than is normal are on SW.
SW is an anonymous site, or at least as anonymous as anything can be on the Internet.
Abused people, especially children, learn that they cannot talk about their abuse to anyone. If they do, they face punishment from the abuser. And, for various reasons, people may not believe them.
Often people don't want to believe the abuse is actually happening because they are dependent on the abuser financially, socially or in some other way. Maybe the abuser holds the purse strings in the family or maybe the abuser is the boss of a powerful company and can fire anyone who challenges him or her.
The truth is that in many cases bullies have a lot of power. Trying to report a bully often only makes things worse for the victim.
With that kind of abuse victim background, people get into the habit of being very careful when it comes to telling anyone they know about their lives or feelings. SW provides a safe place to talk to people and allows people privacy.
Although the abuse may have ended years ago, the habit of secrecy remains engraved on the emotions of the former victim. And I am sure that some people on here are current victims in need of a place to vent or a way to feel less alone without the risk of making things worse.
Posting on here--even with a life so strange that some are not able to believe it--has made me feel stronger and less alone. I hope it has done that for others as well.
SW is an anonymous site, or at least as anonymous as anything can be on the Internet.
Abused people, especially children, learn that they cannot talk about their abuse to anyone. If they do, they face punishment from the abuser. And, for various reasons, people may not believe them.
Often people don't want to believe the abuse is actually happening because they are dependent on the abuser financially, socially or in some other way. Maybe the abuser holds the purse strings in the family or maybe the abuser is the boss of a powerful company and can fire anyone who challenges him or her.
The truth is that in many cases bullies have a lot of power. Trying to report a bully often only makes things worse for the victim.
With that kind of abuse victim background, people get into the habit of being very careful when it comes to telling anyone they know about their lives or feelings. SW provides a safe place to talk to people and allows people privacy.
Although the abuse may have ended years ago, the habit of secrecy remains engraved on the emotions of the former victim. And I am sure that some people on here are current victims in need of a place to vent or a way to feel less alone without the risk of making things worse.
Posting on here--even with a life so strange that some are not able to believe it--has made me feel stronger and less alone. I hope it has done that for others as well.
70-79, F
