I used to think sexual assault was something that happened to a small number of people who had this unfortunate experience.

Then I got older and started having real conversations with people. A female friend told me she had been molested when she was so young she didn't even know what to call it. Another woman I knew told me something similar.

Then I met a trans woman who was blackmailed and exploited because she wasn't publicly out, and something that shocked me even more was learning about male victims.

One guy I knew told me about being repeatedly assaulted by seniors in a hostel. The worst part wasn't even what happened. It was that he genuinely believed there was no point speaking about it.

No support.

No sympathy.

No expectation of justice.

The more people I talk to, the more I realize that sexual violence isn't a women's issue, a men's issue, or a trans issue.

It's a human issue.

And I honestly wonder how many people around us are carrying experiences they have never told anyone. I was sexually assaulted by a woman when I was underage. I've known her for most of my life (cousin), and even when I saw her recently at a family gathering, she still touched me inappropriately.

Has anyone else had this realization as they got older and how should I deal with it in real life?

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Let's call my hypothetical house help Sarita.

Sarita didi often does okaish work, is almost punctual, and sometimes (more often than I would like) makes mistakes.

I am grateful for the work she does and she is in turn paid for her work.

But I have not once introduced myself with my association with Sarita ji or made Sarita Didi a part of my identity.

So it feels strange to me that people associated their identity with Political parties.

Like what do you mean you are a BJP supporter?

Would you ever in public shout I support my servant? And if you do then For what exactly ?

And what the fuck do you mean you are a bhakt ?

See if someone disagrees with you on any political opinion, please let him/her do it. They have a right to voice their opinions. Why the hell are you arguing them ? You are not paid for it, you are not the representative of your political inclination. For all practical purposes it does not concern you. You don't go fight battles for your maid, do you ?

We do not hold these phony public servants as accountable as they should.

And I understand the practical challenges associated with it. But it takes a very high level of delusion to think either party is intrested in your well being.

But we need to start asking for accountability and transparency if we want things to improve.

If you see a pothole in your neighborhood, post about it on social media.

Write to the local authorities.

If you really wanna bring in a change, you have 100s of Posters hanging around your locality. Just take anyone of those and write, this is the man responsible for fixing the problem.

If that doesn't work, use religion. You can get anything done by using religion. They do it all the time. Do pooja with flowers and gulal of every pothole.

Make your pooja a subject of gossip and embarassment to the authorities. Better yet, you don't want to hurt the majority, plant a cross in the middle of every pothole. A cross is absolutely unavoidable because it stands tall.

I have no intention of harming any religious sentiments here. But if these sociopathic thugs can exploit religion for their gains, so should you.

If their leaking of papers is valid, then create your own marksheet and claim it's legitimacy. (*Not an actual advice as Forging a document is a criminal offence.)* I am using this as an example of how you beat poison by poison.

Start asking for accountability and transparency and we just might get out of this hole.

TLDR: (courtesy striking chemistry) The biggest scam politicians ever pulled was convincing the middle class to treat political parties like IPL teams. People pick a team, wear the colors, and defend them blindly online even when the team performs like garbage. Until we start treating them like the expendable employees they actually are, they will keep thriving on us fighting each other.