Why are we all feeling broken?

Thank you for sharing this. A lot of it resonated very deeply for me on a personal level.  At 55 years old, I'm basically sick and tired of the patriarchy we're stuck inside.  It doesn't work (for us, anyway- works just FINE for them), but since they're in charge, they're not going to give it up anytime soon.  


"We’ve been subjected to constant pressure to be "always on" while simultaneously being told to "set better boundaries." There’s the expectation that we'll handle everyone else's emotional needs while never having any inconvenient feelings of our own.

I've watched men repeat my ideas in conference rooms like they're discovering brand new continents, claiming territory I mapped months ago. I've smiled through gritted teeth in doctor's offices as they tell me I’m imagining my symptoms and maybe I just need to drink more water."

...


"They sold us empowerment wrapped in millennial pink, then mocked us for buying it. Told us to speak up, then called us aggressive when we did.

We're not just tired. We're tired of being called hysterical for seeing clearly. Tired of being told to stay positive while watching our rights disappear. Tired of carrying the emotional weight of a system designed to fail us while being expected to show up every day with a smile."

Waves hands in the air to agree with all of this. 

And I'm also tired of the women who are carrying water for the patriarchy so hard they're falling all over themselves while damning the rest of us. 

I  didn't feel like retyping what you have written. I work in a church office, where I am a member. I can't tell you the times I have said something, brought up an idea or something that should be done to be brushed under the rug.  However, I gave the same exact ideas to a good friend here, who was the Admin board chair and a deacon, to bring up at an meeting. He did and everyone thought those were wonderful ideas and "yes, we should do that." I think I mentioned here on the board how I cried in frustration to the new pastor how I hate not being heard because I am a woman. Expected but these are people I know that just don't listen. He understood and came back in a bit to tell me my voice was valuable. 

I also am married to a white man. Of course, he doesn't see the issues that I am so mad about. They don't affect him. We have had countless discussions that became downright ugly at times as I tried to get him to understand how they affect his DD, his niece, possibly me in the future. He and all his friends are all good in the system. So many I am fighting for are not. 

So yes, I am tired, felt so very broken and trying to get myself back to a point I am just not angry at every person I come in contact with. It's work and why do we have to shoulder it all?

Im feeling broken just seeing what is introduced in congress, seeing how FB is getting rid of fact checking, reading about what is happening in NC (highlighted by HRC today), as well as TikTok being potentially banned. it just feels when a little bit of happy it gotten, a huge slap comes and knocks me in the face.

Right? So much hope, and then being smacked down with the reality that the majority of our fellow citizens either (a) don't care enough to vote or (b) have so little regard for you as a woman that they will vote a rapist into our nation's highest office and laugh about owning the libs.

hugs. I am in the same situation, minus the DD, niece, etc. To be perfectly frank, I am contemplating ending my marriage because my husband is similar, only with a large dose of MAGA-brand conservatism and deep-seated childhood trauma + mid-life crisis / fatalism in his outlook on life. I do care about him, but I miss the person I met... and it's very hard to sometimes. My emotional life would be a lot more calm if I was on my own.

Ohhhh, big big hugs. Same boat. He talks about how I have changed since we got married. When I was 21. Of course, I have changed! I hope so. I was naive and didn't think about anything else outside my circle. I hope I have become more compassionate and open to hearing others views and life experiences. I know I have had privilege my whole life. Others are not afforded that. I did tell him one day I didn't love him anymore. He was not the man I married. As I have heard some other conversations he has had with his best friend, I am questioning how I will make it through the next 4 years. I will not be quiet and I will talk back to the TV and heaven help him if he tries to correct me on things that come out that I warned him about. 

That’s a fair observation in my opinion. I rarely ever participate in the political threads in part for that reason. I opened this thread as it was not labeled political - and darn if I didn’t get sucked right in.

and really, in my experience at least, it's not *all* related to politics.  It's exacerbated by the current political situation, yes, but these women's issues are not political. Maybe... societal? Some other word... but not strictly political. 

Addressing the subject line...I am not feeling broken and I don't remember ever feeling that way. Does everything come up roses in my life? No and it doesn't break me. Perhaps it my personality, my upbringing, being an only child, etc. I only know how I feel. Do I realize some people feel broken? Yes

This is one of the reasons why I feel broken. Even among women, talking about rights is viewed as *political* and not common decency.

I saw a comment in an article from a banker, anonymous, about with Trump and Elon in charge he doesn’t have to be worried about using words like retard and pussy, getting cancelled, and all the Me Too stuff. So that’s where we are now, as a society.

I personally don't feel broken most of the time, at least not for the reasons listed here. But I do sometimes feel that society is broken. The issues in politics have trickled down into the rest of society and it isn't good. The comment from the banker is a good example of that. Like BridgetinMD I feel discouraged about the future for the country when I see and hear what Republicans in Congress and in state governments are proposing and implementing. I fear a lot of bad things to come for individuals, the country and the world. I also am extremely disheartened that so many are blind to it.

Understand this wasn't a comment posted by a reader in reaction to an article. The so-called "comments section."  This was a person speaking anonymously to the author of the article and quoted within the article.

This should be a gift article.  The comment is about 3/4s of the way down.

www.ft.com/content/cf876b19-8c69-498b-95f5-d018618d99ec?sharetype=blocked