I'm so glad this post was shared in the Hive account@naturalmedicine Monday post! I can relate to so much of this. I cringe at so many things going on in American culture right now (especially here in the South, though it is definitely not totally regional anymore). It amazes me that after all our mothers and grandmothers accomplished, we have gone backwards in so many ways.

Some of my co-workers were having a heated discussion about the #metoo movement yesterday. I didn't catch the beginning of it, nor did I have the time or energy to stick around for the end, but some of the gist was they were talking about if actual physical violence is worse than systemic patriarchy and more subtle forms of disrespect to women's bodies and minds. Neither were saying either is positive, but I think the one was talking about the disparity in punishments. That some men who are convicted domestic abusers can make it back into the celebrity limelight while others like certain politicians perhaps, are shunned for making lewd comments but having a squeaky "clean" record as far as actual reported abuse.

It got me thinking about my own life experiences. I consider myself very lucky to have never been the victim of violent physical or sexual abuse, but I think the subtle daily oppression can be quite destructive in and of itself. I don't think anyone condones physical acts of abuse, however the patriarchy that you speak of continues for generations because in many cases we don't give it enough credit for the disservice it does to our culture as a whole! We brush it under the table because it's not bad enough to warrant close inspection. I don't know if I'm even coming close to articulating my feelings about all this, nor do I think I've even uncovered all of them! Thank you for sharing your experience, though, and I look forward to continuing the conversation both on here and in my own life and relationships.