EP 224: The Case of Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman, and the Responsibility of Women to Other Women with fellow Jaguar Kristin Butler

In this episode, Kimberly Ann Johnson is joined by journalist, and fellow Jaguar, Kristin Butler to discuss the case of Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman: a celebrity couple who are currently both facing charges around Gaiman’s ongoing sexual misconduct. Kimberly and Kristin share their own personal reactions to the case, as well as the way the reporting on the story reveals common challenges for women dealing with fallout from sexual boundary rupture, particularly fawning. They explore the complexities of boundary violations, the impact of the #BelieveSurvivors movement on men, and the psychological responses for women searching for agency and empowerment post boundary rupture. The conversation touches on the broader implications of sexual abuse, the role of social media, and the importance of Activate Your Inner Jaguar work in empowering individuals to recognize and assert their boundaries. They discuss the power of embodied consent and the challenges of navigating gray areas in sexual interactions, as well as circumstances where structural power and interpersonal power fluctuate in relationships between men and women.

What They Discuss?

• Trigger warnings and disclaimers in journalism

• Fawning between young women and older men who abuse their power

• What is the journalistic responsibilities of storytelling and reporting around sexual boundaries

• An in depth consideration of Tortoise Media’s podcast series Master: the allegations against Neil Gaiman

• Fawning when the threat is not front of you

• What happens when your flight response doesn’t activate?

• How does our nervous system respond to a boundary rupture?

• Tendencies to blame oneself after a sexual boundary rupture

• Self-Gaslighting

• What’s a trauma loop?

• What is compelling me to enter certain sexual situations?

• How does activate your inner jaguar empower women?

• What is the responsibility women have to their own nervous systems and for their behavior?

• The complexity of #BelieveSurvivors

• What is too overprotective for a parent?

• Is it safe to be a sex positive parent?

• How do highly publicized extremes impact sexual norms?

• How does virtual socialization impact our in person interactions?

• How does emotional support from AI impact our relationships

• It’s become normalized to for men and women to degrade/insult men 

• The quieter forms of anti-male bias

• How does structural power and relative power play out between men and women?

• How does power play out in everyday relationships?

• The power of embodied boundaries

Links

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