I’ve found when I can recognize the way the patriarchy has precisely “weaponized” privilege - that shining a BRIGHT and LOVING light, as far as I can manage at least, is the start of unraveling the disconnection. It’s the beginning OF connection in fact.
So that doesn’t mean I’m less wary on the hiking trail solo. But it does mean that any cautious response I make in a defensive posture can also come from a place of compassion.
Can you even imagine living the life of a man so desperate for … whatever, that they’d willingly attack a random woman on a trail? Oooof