By Anonymous - 13/04/2016 14:04 - United States - Bel Air

Today, while opening up to a few friends about how I was sexually abused as a child, one of them blurted "Pics or it didn't happen." How did the others react? With outrage? No, just with awkward chuckling. FML
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You deserved it 2 091
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FarmerGirl420 11

immature friends. you don't need them

14 0
Magnoxidans 19

Sometimes people don't know how to react to such serious news, so they poke fun of situations. Sorry to hear OP

37 0
GamerG0DDESS 29

I agree with this. I was a victim of sexual abuse. And from what I've learned, people won't take the news well at all. I've been called harsh things, shunned for being a "liar," most would be silent and then not talk to me, others will poke fun at the situation. I found that poking fun at what happened to me made people feel more comfortable and less likely to just throw what I said away. Instead they asked questions, and tried to comfort me. Hearing something as horrible as sexual abuse causes people to lock up, and no one likes feeling like that, so they look for ways of escape. By poking fun at the situation, you allow them the space they need while also not pushing them away. What your friends did was harsh but it is a normal reaction. Give them time. I know I was extremely hurt at first, too. I never expected people to be so cruel, but I soon learned that it's not necessarily their fault for not knowing how to handle such information.

5 0
GhostFox 33

I really hope they were just "awkwardly chuckling" because they couldn't believe that person said that. I also don't think that there are many people who would have held it against you if you'd punched them in the face. There's also something inherently disturbing about someone asking an abuse victim for pictures, especially when the asked is an adult asking a sexual abuse victim for pictures of of them when they were a child being abused. That sounds like more than a bad attempt at humor, to me. That said, if these people don't believe you when you tell them something so important, you should really consider limiting or even eliminating your contact with them. You don't deserve the lack of concern or callousness they directed toward you, especially not when it's about a matter that you already didn't deserve. Good luck, do the best you can, and I hope that your path to healing goes smoothly.

59 1
tygerarmy 35

100% agree with everything you said. Depending on all of their age they might not know how to handle being told that. People were always awkward when they found out that my parents had died when I was a kid, people still are now. OP hopefully they do care and just don't know what to do. And I'm sorry for whatever you went through.

10 0
phantomxbg 17

That's horrible, your call on this one

2 6
smallandroid 26

Definitely would have got up and walked away from those "friends" forever.

8 1
lilycups 11

I'm sorry but if you wanted something more close perhaps you should have told them one by one as it's more personal than a group. Also contrary to popular belief people laugh out of nervousness so they quite frankly might not have known how else to deal with it.

6 25
freddygasman 18

there's a difference between a nervous laugh and a dumb ass comment. Anyone that makes that kind of comment or says you deserve it should spend a week in prison with their wrists shackled to their ankles

2 3
saffy66 34

Inappropriate responses don't mean they aren't horrified at what happened to you. People will blurt out things to cover heir own awkwardness, embarrassment or inability to find something suitable to say. Or it can be that they don't want to believe it because it means something too awful to contemplate has happened to someone they care about. Don't take it too much to heart.

29 1
Axel5238 29

It's still incredibly insensitive respond that way regardless of intent. How it was perceived is what matters. That old phrase "the road to hell is paved with good intentions".

9 4
LadyAthena 20

As a someone who was abused as a child, a lot Of people cannot handle the information. And that sometimes leads to "inappropriate" reactions and awkward moments as the OP has described. It doesn't mean his friends are horrible people just that they are uncomfortable. When I speak of my a use I hAve to also take into consideration who I'm speaking to. Not everyone can handle that type of information and so not everyone needs to be told

3 0