Revenge Porn from Issue 94
In the paper today, a young woman
filmed by her boyfriend as they were
having sex. When she left him, he
posted the video to porn sites; now she’s
scrambling to stanch the numerous
replications. She’s prosecuting him,
but no amount of money or jail time
takes away the pain once a nail goes
in; nothing fills and smoothes the hole
once it’s removed. As a young woman,
I thought I knew what Kierkegaard
meant: it belongs to the imperfection of
everything human that man can only attain
his desire by passing through its opposite.
I’d been alone, then found love, I’d
experienced both states. But no, the
opposite of love isn’t its absence,
but hate. I can
only wish for her life more opposite
extremes: where the inevitable
exposure to hatred ensures she’ll continue
to seek sanctuary in love.