A Fearful Existence
Tullian Tchividjian once said, “The deepest fear we have, 'the fear beneath all fears,' is the fear of not measuring up, the fear of judgment. It's this fear that creates the stress and depression of everyday life.” The fear of the physical pain that things such as sexual harassment and violence can cause the surface fear, but beneath that is the fright of judgment caused by these events. Sexual harassment and violence can cause psychological effects of fear and insecurity in victims. These effects in turn then keep the abusers “safe” in society as well as further motivate them.
When a person starts to encounter an mistreater, initially they are unaware of what they will confront long-term, and instead focus on the unease …show more content…
Due to her experience with the molestation, a permanent sense of apprehension instills itself into her that could be triggered by certain things that remind her of it. The impact of having this terror within her made Melinda’s life limited. Under these circumstances, she lives in constant worry of being victim to the same incident again so she became closed off. The worry blocks her off from the world because she feels too scared of the potential harms in the world. Another example from the short story, “Am I Blue” by Bruce Coville involves the main character, Vincent who struggles with brutality from bullies because of his unsure sexuality. Vincent walks, around the city with what he thinks is a “gay target” on his back and panics for his life that potentially lies in jeopardy. But as Vincent encounters a gay fairy godfather of sorts to grant him three wishes. Vincent’s perspective on his sexuality soon changes because he no longer has to wallow in fright. For instance, in the beginning, he very uncomfortably comments about the way Melvin, the fairy godfather walks, asking in a conversation with Melvin, “Do you have to walk like that… so swishy?”
Tullian Tchividjian once said, “The deepest fear we have, 'the fear beneath all fears,' is the fear of not measuring up, the fear of judgment. It's this fear that creates the stress and depression of everyday life.” The fear of the physical pain that things such as sexual harassment and violence can cause the surface fear, but beneath that is the fright of judgment caused by these events. Sexual harassment and violence can cause psychological effects of fear and insecurity in victims. These effects in turn then keep the abusers “safe” in society as well as further motivate them.
When a person starts to encounter an mistreater, initially they are unaware of what they will confront long-term, and instead focus on the unease …show more content…
Due to her experience with the molestation, a permanent sense of apprehension instills itself into her that could be triggered by certain things that remind her of it. The impact of having this terror within her made Melinda’s life limited. Under these circumstances, she lives in constant worry of being victim to the same incident again so she became closed off. The worry blocks her off from the world because she feels too scared of the potential harms in the world. Another example from the short story, “Am I Blue” by Bruce Coville involves the main character, Vincent who struggles with brutality from bullies because of his unsure sexuality. Vincent walks, around the city with what he thinks is a “gay target” on his back and panics for his life that potentially lies in jeopardy. But as Vincent encounters a gay fairy godfather of sorts to grant him three wishes. Vincent’s perspective on his sexuality soon changes because he no longer has to wallow in fright. For instance, in the beginning, he very uncomfortably comments about the way Melvin, the fairy godfather walks, asking in a conversation with Melvin, “Do you have to walk like that… so swishy?”