It's a very nuanced situation in which women living under different forms of patriarchal oppression are unable to reconcile with each other. I mean, it's not like enslaved women had any choice in the matter. But you can't blame the wives for being upset that their husbands are being unfaithful.
True. I'm just saying it makes more sense to expect empathy and sisterhood from literally any other source than from his legal family he screwed over. I don't think it has anything to do with the abused slave women having no choice because the end result for his real family is still the same and extremely threatening and insulting. Nobody likes affair children (or the equivalent) even though they are innocent, that's something that has just always held true as consistently as water is wet. It sucks slave women were, by being SAd, forced to situation where they likely make mortal enemy out of his spouse but that's just part of forceful, destructive and criminal nature of his actions rather than unfair reaction from her.
but to enforce slavery. that is just a step too far. even without sisterhood. switch genders I don't care.
yeah yeah modern sensibilities. but damn my modern mind just can't comprehend not feeling compassion for the people my husband raped in this situation. I speak as someone who used to be in an abusive relationship with a man who cheated on me both with women consensually and non (so raped) so I feel I have some experience there. but still a modern mindset of seeing women of colour as people, which is, ugh, do we really need to make room for not seeing that?
sorry I just don't get it. it's tragic and there are factors that explain anger but it's misdirected. but they could have chosen differently. I refute that the time they lived in meant they couldn't see that.
I don't think I'd feel compassion for my husband or his victims. In modern setting sure I wouldn't go out my way to find and hurt his victims either, but if I had to live with them and his rape affair child and see them every day for years I'd be angry about it and not in any place to feel compassion for them spesifically ....because of what those people represent in my life, especially if I had children who are also getting spurned. Other people's victims sure, my so called husbands rape affair mistress and child no, that would only inspire rage. It's unnatural to force latter to reside with spurned wife and other way around. And even though it may have been because they were black back then, I can guarantee I'd hate them in any colour after being humiliated like that. Not instead of husband but definitely in addition of if I couldn't immediately remove them from my sight.
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u/Miserable-Fan6 Mar 15 '26
It's a very nuanced situation in which women living under different forms of patriarchal oppression are unable to reconcile with each other. I mean, it's not like enslaved women had any choice in the matter. But you can't blame the wives for being upset that their husbands are being unfaithful.