WHY NOT YA? | Episode 4: Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak

[@isabvIIa]

My favorite novel I’ve read.

[@jennerl.9535]

Why aren’t more readers watching this?! This discussion is so needed, so important. I love.

[@delrose7026]

This is awesome

[@elizabethdevido2081]

Such a smart, kind, lovely, woman. This is great.

[@j.n.cahill1086]

Love Laurie!

[@myme4ever]

What an incredible lady

[@JayGTheAwkwardBookworm]

Ah! Laurie is one of my favourite authors!

[@bobbykeniston7240]

This is an overused phrase, but I think Laurie Halse Anderson is a national treasure. Check out her recent poetry memoir, "Shout"...It is excellent.

[@Mistersamweller]

The point of this book is to tell women/girls to speak up when they are violated. That is not a bad message though it's strange to imagine why they would think otherwise. The laws have been on the books to prosecute violations of a person, sexual or not. If you put your hand on a person's shoulder who didn't want to be touched that's a prosecute-able crime called battery. But like all things, it's not always perfectly prosecuted and defenses are made, etc etc. I keep hearing about consent but the way most just breeze over the topic with "just get consent" misses all the nuances that are involved and effectively means nothing. Especially in a sexual context and expecting young people to fully understand that is ridiculous. What Feminism and more explicitly #MeToo have done is made it near impossible for humans to interact as humans. And what I mean is people in a sexual context don't keep getting affirmative consent. "Is it ok to kiss you? Is it still ok to kiss you. How about now? And now?" Romance is like dancing and most of it is non-verbal. Most young people screw that up because it's like learning a language. It takes lots of practice and so mistakes should be expected. The onus of responsibility falls on the person who doesn't feel comfortable to clearly state there is a problem, THEN on the person acting to stop in accordance to the ask. So first things first... women, you need to speak up. If you needed a #Metoo movement to "speak up" then the problems are much deeper. Who is telling you not to speak up when violence occurs? Society? Nowhere do I see "Have you been a victim of violence? Too bad, it's your fault". In short, I like some of what this author is trying to say but the bigger question that needs to be asked is "Who is telling you that you aren't to complain when someone/anyone violates your person." If women can't take on the responsibility of speaking up for themselves, then maybe we need to go back to the times when chaperoning was how women navigated the world like it is in Islamic cultures.