Suicide of a young woman in Taiwan
A few days ago, I read a news article about the suicide of a young woman in Taiwan. She has published a novel (房思琪的初戀樂園) this year about a girl who was raped by her teacher and after her death, her parents had revealed that the book was about her own experiences. At first, I wanted to follow the other news outlets and call her a promising writer with a bestselling novel, but after reading her thoughts about how the media had created this false image of the perfect student - successful in every area of her life - and the resulting harassment and hate she got from it, I refrained from doing that. I will see her as just a young girl trying her hardest to grow intellectually - even though her life stopped when the traumatic event happened - and to bring awareness to rape culture, the struggles of a rape victim, and the stigma of mental disorder. I hope her death won't just be a drop of water disappearing in the vast ocean, but creating a ripple and resulting to permanent change. She seems like someone I could be best friends with, so I would really want to help her in her mission. I am not a powerful person, nor am I influential enough to create big changes, all I can do is write.
If you have the time and understand Chinese (until the high demand, results to translations in many different languages), please read the novel 房思琪的初戀樂園 by 林奕含, and try to understand her pain. Become more emphatic and make sure there will be no more victims like her in your direct surroundings. It may be too difficult to change the whole world, but I know that every person is capable of protecting the people close to them.
For the people who can't read Chinese, you can read the book "Luckiest girl alive" by Jessica Knoll. It is a book, which is also based on real life experiences of the author. She has openly admitted that she is a rape victim and that on itself is already an act of enormous strength and courage. It opened the road to healing and I hope everyone can just openly talk about their traumas instead of suffering all alone and in silence. I also hope that everyone can be more understanding and kind to them instead of bullying them, calling them liars, promiscuous, and attention seekers, seeing them as crazy people/damaged goods/poor victims who will never get better, and hurting them more than they already were.
There is also the Netflix tv drama "13 reasons why", which you can watch. Although some advise actual victims to not see it as it doesn't have a good ending and it may trigger something, people around them can learn something from it and try to understand them better.
Movies from Asia with a similar topic: Hope (aka 素媛, 소원, So-won, 2013, Korea) and (Sex) appeal (aka 寒蟬效應, 2014, Taiwan).
If you have the time and understand Chinese (until the high demand, results to translations in many different languages), please read the novel 房思琪的初戀樂園 by 林奕含, and try to understand her pain. Become more emphatic and make sure there will be no more victims like her in your direct surroundings. It may be too difficult to change the whole world, but I know that every person is capable of protecting the people close to them.
For the people who can't read Chinese, you can read the book "Luckiest girl alive" by Jessica Knoll. It is a book, which is also based on real life experiences of the author. She has openly admitted that she is a rape victim and that on itself is already an act of enormous strength and courage. It opened the road to healing and I hope everyone can just openly talk about their traumas instead of suffering all alone and in silence. I also hope that everyone can be more understanding and kind to them instead of bullying them, calling them liars, promiscuous, and attention seekers, seeing them as crazy people/damaged goods/poor victims who will never get better, and hurting them more than they already were.
There is also the Netflix tv drama "13 reasons why", which you can watch. Although some advise actual victims to not see it as it doesn't have a good ending and it may trigger something, people around them can learn something from it and try to understand them better.
Movies from Asia with a similar topic: Hope (aka 素媛, 소원, So-won, 2013, Korea) and (Sex) appeal (aka 寒蟬效應, 2014, Taiwan).
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