Strike the Match
It's Time for Women
I’m so furious. Every day since November 2024, I ebb and flow between violent rage and deep couch-fusing depression. I’m also exhausted. This emotional roller coaster is taking a toll on me in every way. I know I’m not alone in this, so I write this for me, but also for you. Any of you who are triggered by the non-movement on the Epstein files. The fatigue that comes from knowing that nothing will be done, and yet the ever-present hope that maybe this time will be different. Will anything actually change? Does it ever?
Women and girls (remember girls = children) have been systematically sexually abused since the dawn of time. Girls in modern times have been taught that their only value is their sexual attractiveness, and then are vilified for being sexually attractive. Our existence is for the consumption of men, who are somehow so famished that they must force their indulgence regularly without consequence. Dating back to the fucking bible, we shame women for being party to men’s sexual appetites. How is it that a woman can create life and yet millions of people worship the boy that literally came out of her? Hang on, the Virgin Mary wasn’t a woman; she was a child, between 12 and 16 years old. The baby a little girl conjured out of thin air, is regarded as a miracle. Not the magic human creator of life? How very interesting. If that is actually true (ahem), then people should be worshiping Mary as a literal god on Earth. Of course, the real story is probably more along the lines of, considering her age, she was raped by a man who got away with it, again.
It’s not unrealistic for women to clock men as dangerous until proven otherwise. Even, no, especially when the men and boys we trust the most are often the monsters in our stories. Yet we will forever hear the cry of the affronted good guy: “not all men”. But here’s the thing: women protect women and girls. That has always been the case. The matriarchy protects, it does not harm. So when men nobly proclaim that they are our protectors, it is at best a naive and unfounded proclamation taught to them by previous, equally misguided men. At worst, an outright lie that is used to create a false sense of security in women. Honestly, I’d say women and girls experience both of these scenarios equally.
White men are the number one predators of women and girls, sitting at 57.7% of sexual criminals in the United States. Their victims? According to RAINN 34.1% are indigenous women, 24.4% are mixed-race women, 18.8% are black women, 17.7% are white women, and 11.9% are Latina women. As a whole, women can never fully experience safety in the presence of men. White women report their victimization at a rate of 80%, but because these are white women and we are meant to keep the status quo in favor of white men, we are often told something along the lines of, “Why would you want to destroy this young man’s future over a single mistake?” We all know that sexual violence is wildly underreported, most likely because 60% of victims know and trust(ed) the abuser. These statistics showcase white male supremacy perfectly. Powerful white men, like those listed in the Epstein files, or average white men who envy ultimate power, violently abuse women of color. The practices of this country's inception have never gone away, no matter that Disney turned the long-held tradition of raping indigenous women into a romantic story for kids. Or we gloss over the history behind the sex rings on plantations of enslaved women and children.
“It was a different time then.” No, it wasn’t. Women were human then, too, and deserving of safety. “People got married earlier in the olden days.” No, they didn’t. But girl children were regularly married off to old men. Is that what you mean by people? “It just wasn’t polite conversation.” No, it’s not. You’re correct there, but the problem is that politeness is the weapon of the powerful used to bludgeon society into looking the other way so that white supremacy can continue to thrive. How about this? The vile people in the Epstein files, and those who have protected them for 30 years, are keeping to the traditions of America.
The white supremacist patriarchy will always be the hierarchy of destruction and willful ignorance. The average white man is subordinate and cuckolded by the powerful men, just trying to reach closer and closer to their orbit. Looking the other way when they KNOW these men are committing horrible crimes. Just for the chance to be part of the club. This fucking circle jerk of misplaced male superiority is what harms all of us. And so many of us work hard to maintain it. How do I know this? Maybe because we knew about Epstein and his cohorts for thirty fucking years! How is it that we have court documents exposing the absolute horrors of the white elite class for decades, and only Epstein and Maxwell have been arrested? Yes, there were women involved in this gruesome cult of power, too. When we all learned of Ghislaine Maxwell’s contribution to rich and powerful men, I think many of us were shocked. A woman led these girls to their demise! How could a woman do that to other women and girls? But of course, obtuse women hold up the patriarchy. They are the ones who spit venom at the idea of feminism, who blame their fellow women and girls for falling victim to male-driven carnage. Ignorant white women are the stewards, the only way for white supremacy and patriarchy to survive.
Reading the Epstein files is a wildly triggering, a practice in successfully keeping down your meal, and not resorting to existential dread and helplessness. But again, will anything actually happen? I can’t say with any confidence that I believe justice will be served. Children and very young women were gang raped until they died (Epstein & Levite). Parents sold their children to this ring of rapists (Epstein & Job). Victims are shamed for not speaking out sooner, for not crying out for help, by people who couldn’t possibly understand their situation (Epstein & Deuteronomy). I mean, really, this is some biblical shit! When I say women and girls have been systematically sexually abused since the dawn of time, I mean it is in the first printed book to exist. And this book is where white supremacy and patriarchy siphon power. You need only to look to the Catholic church, the Evangelical churches, Mormon temples, and Christian Nationalists. All of which have a proven history of sexual abuse of children. And so now here comes the Heritage Foundation, ready to cement biblical teachings into government, already with success in many republican led states. If the horrors of the elite white men of our world are not held to account, if white supremacist patriarchy is not torn down and ripped out by the roots, now. I don’t believe there will be a time when women and our children, our daughters, experience peace and safety.
It is time for women to lead. Not for revenge. For compassion, healing, and protection of everyone.