r/politics • u/OkayButFoRealz • 29d ago

Soft Paywall Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell survivor testified she met Donald Trump at age 14

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/trump/2025/07/29/jeffrey-epstein-survivor-testified-she-met-donald-trump-at-age-14/85407198007/
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u/housewithapool2 29d ago

Ruined means permanently beyond repair. People can lead wonderful lives after being assaulted. It's damaging to tell people they are ruined.

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u/Human_Cheesecake4337 29d ago

I take your point.

Virginia Giuffre killed herself. I think its fair to say they at least ruined her life.

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u/housewithapool2 29d ago

It feels like the used gum analogy or not being a virgin on your wedding. I don't think we need to use language that tells children because something happened to them they are worth less. It's abusers logic. You got hurt now you are ruined. The things children hear become the truths they tell themselves.

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u/Internal-War-9947 29d ago

I get where you're coming from but a lot of survivors deal with suicidal thoughts their entire life. It's proven up to 40%. I know survivors and many have gone through with it, the rest have daily struggles. There's also medical evidence that sexual abuse of minors restructures the brain, weirdly enough having a correlation ending up with a fibromyalgia diagnosis.        

So, no they aren't like "used gum" (that's stupid anyway -- sex doesn't use people up anymore than your hands going bad because you touch things) -- but from personal experience & studies; it is a life "ruiner" for at least half the victims. 

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u/housewithapool2 29d ago

I am saying if we didn't talk about them as being ruined maybe they would feel less ruined. It's worth a shot.