[nineplay]

I think we're going to find that a large number of people who were shamed as "town sluts" were actually abuse victims. Every so often I see nasty comments that 'she got pregnant at 15' or 'she had two kids before finishing high school' with follow-ups blaming poor sex ed. I think people are side stepping the implications, especially if the father is otherwise unknown. Even in my day the girl who got pregnant by the volleyball coach shouldered the bulk of the blame.

[squidbeak]

What a term to use about anyone let alone people you suppose to be abuse victims. This is shameful.

[Quarrelsome]

are you unaware of the meaning of quote marks? They are quoting labels that society will place on them, primarily as a consequence of puritanical thinking acting as a cover up for abuse. What's shameful is hiding the horrors of our reality. I thought their comment was particularly poignant and reflects the actual horrors of abuse when it is uncovered in retrospect, compared to how it was perceived at the time.

We see this countless times in our history, abusers lauded, praised, with status, titles, wealth and popular acclaim. Detractors are ignored, slandered and side-lined, and after the abusers die, it transpires all those hushed whispers were true and the detractors were right all along.

[GoatInGrey]

The quotation marks weren't there originally. It read:

> shamed as town sluts

Though it was still clear what the writer meant. I'm surprised that someone ran with an uncharitable interpretation like they did.

[potato3732842]

I'm not. Willful (or motivated ignorance based) misinterpretation to create a strawman and then tearing that down in ways that cater to the community's biases is dirt common "bad behavior" in any internet comment section where contributions are scored like they are here.

[Quarrelsome]

ah, thank you for the extra context. I appreciate knowing that, its certainly an easier mistake to make without the quotes.

> I'm surprised that someone ran with an uncharitable interpretation like they did.

I am less so, maybe I'm getting old and falling into elderly tropes, but I feel like there's a growing uptick in society with people seeking a platform to moralise, while skimming the content and not understanding it. The short-cuts that were originally just amber/red flags (e.g. like the casualness of throwing out a harsh label like "slut") are starting to become the offense, as opposed to the actual behaviour (the underlying cruelty) that they originally hinted at.

[nineplay]

Too late to edit but I meant to say town "sluts". Ah well, a lesson to re-read carefully before posting

[dang]

I've edited your GP comment to say what I believe you meant, but if I got it wrong, please let us know.

[tomhow]

You should be able to edit it now, or email us ([e-mail]) with an edit we can put in. Probably best to find a different word/phrase to use. It's upsetting to people even if you didn't mean it that way.

[dang]

It made me wince as well, but I doubt that the intent was malicious.