Thank you for this post. Even years later, it is difficult not to regularly blame myself for not having “seen” things earlier.

Another reason is that a woman who says, “He’s an abuser and I would never want him in my child’s life,” is seen as unforgiving and abusive herself.  She will be told she’s not “giving him a chance” to parent and that children need both parents, etc.  Societal messages are regularly coopted by the abuser and even if…

Oh yeah, the “you shouldn’t hold a grudge” thing is major - and then you’re basically evicted from the family since the abuser is welcomed to all family events but you, the grudge-holder, are not.  Or you have to see the abuser at every event.  So standing up for yourself is exile.

yep, what rings truest is his admission, “I know I often blamed you...”

Lots of high school and college students, judging by what they tell me.  Although they are still open to learning about how they’re being manipulated.  Other than that, yes, as others say, the family members most likely to read and believe what is shared in their network.  That’s what makes it most dangerous.  Fake…

She was mentored by Larry Summers.  Anyone who hasn’t seen through her before was looking for a savior figure.  

You can practically hear the principal rolling his eyes and saying, “Women....”

Totally agree.   She killed someone through narcissistic desire to be “that” earth mom.

A shout-out to the pediatricians for including humiliation and shaming in their research. While both parents hit me, it was far less frequent than the regular humiliation in so many different forms, which my siblings continued. The shaming was pervasive - “What kind of person would do X?” where X was something like…

I’m surprised that in 2018, we don’t have, at the very least, tax credits for people successfully completing a Parenting Ed class - preemptively offered at the doctor’s office or hospital or in online modules. We mandate car seats and then we give infants zero human rights that matter, like the right not to be sent…

In my somewhat well-informed opinion.....

What I fundamentally don’t understand is how on earth an English Lecturer can keep up with his classes or dissertation research, file all these lawsuits with innumerable pieces of evidence gathering, and get his grading done!  Comp is known to break excellent students trying just to finish their programs.  I think his…

No one is “entitled” to street parking. Manhattan is an island with a limited number of on-ground parking spaces. If Baldwin can’t or won’t pay for a private space in a building, he needs to get over himself and realize he won’t always find one conveniently.  Ditto for the guy he fought with.

Why is it that Baldwin can’t afford a nice valet-assisted garage a block from his house?  Why is it that he doesn’t live in an apartment building WITH a garage?

So now that they’re dead, the family doesn’t have to go to back to Saudi Arabia?  That sounds like motive.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Hollywood, Angelina calls the paps because she’s taking the kids to a movie/arcade/WholeFoods/toy store/anywhere but dad’s house.

Eh, I don’t think he’s wrong - I’ve thought the same thing, beginning with the 80's “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” which completely normalized excess and made greed aspirational, which it hadn’t been since the Gilded Age.

My bad.  Yes, she got none of the sane Doria, unfortunately for her.

No wonder that sticks in the craw of the crazy step-sister.

Should add - do it like the Queen, and pick a new date with better weather that’s better for public celebrations.