Some things to try to remember, to keep the newest wave of SFF discourse from breaking your brain: two things can be true at the same time, and there don't have to be tidy answers to questions of harm.
An example of two things being true and not feeling particularly satisfying: a person can experience harm at the hands of others while also being a profoundly unsafe and abusive person within their community. The latter doesn't cancel out the former; these facts can coexist.
Another example: a person can explicitly, frequently talk about their intent to manipulate others for access to power.
That same person can also get hurt in the process of artlessly trying their hand at that manipulation.
Both can be true. That pain is real.
That same person can also get hurt in the process of artlessly trying their hand at that manipulation.
Both can be true. That pain is real.
If you learn that someone is cruel, exploitative, vindictive, and has a pattern of predatory behavior, you don't have to also dismiss the ways in which they've been harmed. People and communities are layered, and there is lots of space for complicated injury.
Please try not to break yourselves on the question of who is Good and who is Evil. You don't have to choose a single injury to acknowledge. You don't owe anyone an undying allegiance.
Above all else, take space to care for the holes in your own hearts first. ♡
Above all else, take space to care for the holes in your own hearts first. ♡
