Writing Letters: Jason Mraz.

[logansrogue]

Dear Jason Mraz,

http://freshnessfactorfivethousand.blogspot.com/2009/12/from-sao-paulo-to-paris.html

This is your blog post.

Rape is someone you trusted slowly twisting before your eyes into someone who is trying to take something from you. Rape is that "friend" shaking, trying to control himself, dripping with guilt but touching you anyway, and your mind is screaming out but you're too afraid to move, too afraid to make a noise, and every second you're praying that someone in the house walks in. Rape is your cat checking on you with big, large, worried eyes while he (the rapist) violates you, and weeks afterwards, some primal part of your mind wants to dash her head against a wall because those big, large eyes take you back to the moment that the rapist took your innocence and sweetness away, and you can't stand that anymore.

Rape is that moment where he goes too fair, and you stare at the ceiling and wonder, "Is this what it's like? Is this really happening?" A quiet moment of fugue where you are floating, still, in a moment of shock, and when you turn around you view the abject horror of your personhood being ripped away from you. It's a yawning chasm in your soul. It is black, it is fear, it is the darkest thing a person can ever know.

Rape is the moment of sheer panic that follows, the struggle, the fight. I was lucky enough to win that fight. I was lucky enough to pull away, to save myself. I don't know why. I still don't know. The ladies at the rape centre said it was brave and strong of me. I still don't feel brave and strong. I feel lucky that my rapist was a coward.

Rape is all those things and more.

Rape is not "Je taime". It is not "Bien!" or "Bienvenue!" It is not any word in French (other than the French word for "Rape" perhaps).

It is not Paris, not espresso, not the Eiffel fucking Tower.

Rape is rape and nothing else. Do not ever forget that.

Yours,
Random Internet Observer.

(x-posted to comments section of Shakesville and Mraz's blog).

Comments

[rm.livejournal.com]

Are all the removed comments on the blog the ones that addressed his use of the word rape?

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Probably. Is my comment removed too? Cause it was exactly the same as this one. (Apart from parenthesis added to clarify that my cat didn't rape me).

[poeticalpanther.livejournal.com]

Rock on, Rogue, that's well done and well done. Teaspoons up!

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Thanks, darling. I don't know if he'll ever read that. I don't even know if the message would get through, but if it makes one person stop before they use rape as a metaphor, then it's not for nothing.

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

Wow, that was insanely insensitive for him to use that particular word in that context. I was totally "WTF?!" when I read it. Great response, sweetie:)

[nicoli-dominn.livejournal.com]

Seconded. I did a HUGE double-take when I saw it. I don't know if that guy writes his own lyrics, but he seems to fancy himself to be some kind of writer...and when you're a writer, EMPATHY is supposed to be what makes your writing sensitive. Some people really need to think before they write.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

All he was thinking about was being edgy and worldly, I think. Screw any survivor readers he might have.

[shantari.livejournal.com]

I'm seriously starting to wonder if too many people are equating rape with sex... (One has mutual consent and is awsome, one does not and is horrible, really don't see how these concepts can be confused. Yet we have rape used as a positive word, and fuck with a to me unclear meaning because it's used either way.)

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

I know, right? Makes me want to break things.

[angriest.livejournal.com]

The thing that irks me about his post is that his use of the word in a metaphor is wildly inaccurate and quite simply bad writing. And the comments are full of people going "ooh you're such a poet", and all I can think is "if he was a fucking poet he'd know how to write a proper metaphor".

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

I know. Most of the time, offensive stuff (rape jokes, rape metaphors, racist jokes, racist metaphors, "edgy" humour) is generally creatively bankrupt and tired and old. Thousands of years old. Gimme an artist that DOESN'T fall back on these tired cliches, man. That'll be actually edgy.

[melalucci.livejournal.com]

You aren't afraid you'd ever actually hurt your wonderful protective kitty, are you? :( I'm sorry to comment just on that one part, but animal stuff is one of my personal trigger items, so I have to ask to reassure myself.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Oh hell no. I've been through the darkest bits of my pain. It upset me that it triggered me to see my cat. It was sheer panic and stress ideation, I never seriously considered it. I would burst into tears at the mere thought of it because I love that cat so much. Thankfully, it only happened in the month following the assault. I was just illustrating how powerful triggers and the survival instinct can be, that it challenges the love of those most dear in the worst circumstances. How much damage this event did to me, that I even THOUGHT about hurting my darling little fluffy baby.

Sorry if that upset you. :(

[melalucci.livejournal.com]

::hugs:: No, it didn't really, 'cause I didn't think you would ever do anything like that. But yeah, I have a soft spot in my heart for kitties. Thanks for explaining. :) Love you. And I'm so glad that you're healing. You deserve it!