I am sure that most people have been keeping up with the latest news, especially regarding the Larry Nassar case, but I definitely can understand when life gets in the way. For those who might not know what I am talking about, USA Today broke it down with nine of the most important details from the case here.
Now that we are all caught up and on the same page, it is important to take some things with you as you move forward in your lives. The most important thing that everyone should understand from this case is that it is crucial and courageous to speak up, but it is also extremely important to listen. As we saw with so many of the women that were assaulted and courageous enough to speak up, they were often shut down and not heard. There were countless times in which the victims recalled speaking up about feeling violated when going to see Nassar, and were instantly shut down. They were told that he was a doctor and he was simply doing his job. The fact that people were not listening makes me utterly outraged.
As we go through life, we all want to voice our opinions and speak up about issues we feel passionate about. We are taught time and time again to never feel like you can’t talk to someone. However, when the person receiving the information doesn’t listen, why would they continue to open up just to get shut down again?
Although Nassar should never have touched young, innocent girls, he did. Although many people in power within the U.S. Gymnastics Team knew about this happening and should’ve done something to stop it a long time ago, they didn’t. Although many women spoke up about their abuse hoping to be heard, often times they weren’t. This is the reality of it and if we can all take away one thing from this case, it should be to encourage others to continue to speak up and encourage others to listen.