Fear, Control, and the Fragile Listening Ear

During Ama’s time, being emotional was frowned on. It was devalued to such a profound degree that it was perceived as a weakness and something to be overlooked, rather than addressed. Ama could now see she lived in a world community filled with angry men. But which men? This Ama could see why women were afraid of most men. Ama came to a point where she was most scared of white men because she knew they were the destructors and would destroy what was in their path with anger, hatred, and the like. Ama also knew this is not who these men truly are; this is a symptom of The Model and the societal narcissistic social disordering. Many men were unable to see it and would shrug it off.

Ama traveled, and there were times she’d stay in rooms with many people and in environments where there were communities. In groups of young men and women, she’d say this. “Margaret Atwood, (a famous and poignant writer in this era) is quoted in saying men are afraid women will laugh at them and women are afraid men will kill them.”

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Then she’d pause, but barely a second went by when a young man would say, “That isn’t true!” But the women, all of them, would purse their lips, and most of them would lower their gaze to the floor. Ama could see the women knew this to be true. The men wouldn’t even show concern for this statement or the sheer inequity within it. They wouldn’t enquire about how the women felt about it, showing Ama, it’s true. Men are not invested in or concerned about the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of women. This deeply concerned her.

One young man was cooking crepes when Ama told him this, and he stopped and turned to Ama and said, “Wait, I want to sit across from you so I can hear that fully.” This young man was making crepes and offering them to anybody who was around. He said his mother taught him and his siblings to cook because it is easier, better, and less expensive than eating out. He, from a culture that values food, made his mother’s effort an easy one. The young man had ridden his bicycle some 2500 km to be at this point in his journey. He sat in front of Ama and, with gesturing hands, said, “Please say that again”. She did, and he gently said, “Is this how women feel?” Ama told him the reaction from every female she’d met. He was astounded, but for Ama, out of all these men, he was the only one who listened, wanted to know a woman’s experience, and understood.

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Published on October 30, 2025 05:02
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