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Dudley Saunders's avatar

I haven’t read anything that describes so clearly the human geography we find ourselves in now. I keep thinking how 55 years ago my mother couldn’t get a bank account without a man, but I meet young women every day who somehow feel more trapped and powerless than she did. A young man in a locker room yelled at me for being naked after a shower, even though I was dressing quickly. On one hand, we are bodiless and on the other we are too-bodied and subject to gunfire and death. And yet even a sight or touch we might have found casual a decade or two back now feels like an unrecoverable assault too. But at least when I read this piece I saw a map of our times, even if it can’t guide me out. Sometimes the only thing we can do is see. So - thank you.

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Frederick Woodruff's avatar

This darkened my mind to the point of extinguishing the few bright spots I maintain to sustain the illusion that ‘things aren’t as tragic’ as I assume — a naive chant for sure.

Also, this confirms that we’re living in what neo-Freudian Erich Fromm called a necrophilic culture*. Exacerbated into madness by electronic media. 1/2 of the shows on Netflix are all serial killer-oriented or true crime documentaries.

*As opposed to a biophillic (love of life) condition.

Thank you Mary for this rift. I’m always moved by your ability to toggle the dark and light with such grace. Your heart, too, is always front and center.

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