The Great Divide

 

It’s tough enough transitioning into adulthood without having to negotiate sex and power, but there it is — an additional challenge when you’re already trying to figure out how to interact with adults who aren’t teachers or friends of your parents.

 

Right about now, there are a lot of uncomfortable people out there, worried about how far this conversation will go.  They are recognizing that they are as guilty of abuses of position, power, confidence and social responsibility as anyone else. 

 

These folk would be eying the exists, if there were any.  Thing is, there aren't.  There's no way out.

So next up is the need for an explanation, a justification, a confabulation about how they aren't bad people - what comes next will be a variation of "I didn't know" or "that's not the impression they gave" or "I wasn't in control."

 

In many cases, this is true in ways the speakers won't even realize.  See, we assume that we are in control - rational actors making rational choices.  I mean, what's the alternative? 

 

Communication isn't easy, especially when we don't empathize.  We don't know ourselves - not like we assume we do.  And we aren't in control. 

 

And we can't be.  Not on our own.

 

Which leaves us with a choice.