“Let’s be gentle with one another. Everyone else is attacking us. We don’t need to attack each other”
When I read the “bombshell” in this past week’s Tempo// Real Life story — where the narrator’s friend admitted she had invented allegations of abuse to win her new friend’s sympathy — I threw down my magazine. I tried to finish the story but found myself incapable.
While I understand the point of the story was toxic friendships, manipulation, and the sort, the choice of sharing these details was regrettable (I’m couching my words here).
Survivors of abuse have a hard enough time reaching out for help. One of the biggest concerns is, “Who will believe me?” And these fears are unfortunately not unfounded. People have a very difficult time believing victims for a multitude of reasons, and thanks to this story, they have another — they might just be lying for attention.
Using abuse as a detail in a story minimizes the suffering for abuse victims as well as gives them further pause to come forward.
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