Grace Tame posts Instagram birthday message in support of 'national hero' ... trends now
Today is Brittany Higgins' birthday. We spoke privately earlier and she consented for me to share the following words with you.
(This past week, I've been reflecting deeply following events that have jolted an already turbulent sector. For many within or near it, these may have cause re-traumatisation and/or fresh trauma.
Generally speaking, social media galleries are curated highlight reels which don't reflect what happens most of the time offline.
For this reason I wondered whether it was appropriate to share these nuanced thoughts here, in this context.
It depresses me how flippantly the majority consumes disturbing news nowadays.
High-speed devices are simultaneously diminishing our collective attention spans, desensitising us to delicate content, and distorting our boundaries.
We've been conditioned to move so quickly from one focal point to another that it's a wonder we are able to fully absorb anything at all. This is an increasingly artificial world we are living in.
So many constructs are being reengineered by the invisible arm of technology: time, personal space, common courtesy, speech patterns, and more.
The aftermath of shock in online spaces often feels like a virtual stampede that leaves its subjects alone in the dust.
I have seen this happen to Britt repeatedly.
I have seen Britt's and others' well-being assumed, and assumptions are typically a far cry from reality.
I am constantly weighing the flaw of social media against its benefits.
The voice of doubt is growing ever lounder, but it is almost impossible to reach the digitally dependent masses via any other means.
In such circumstances, who's to say what is the right time or place?
All of us would seem to be damned if we do and damned if we don't. I can only speak to my own experience, but I believe this clichéd yet very real dichotomy is amplified for people living in the spotlight – almost to the point of paralysis.
Exaggerated multidirectional pressure creates a paradoxical feeling of detached entrapment that can lead us to the brink of self destruction.)
Happy birthday, dear Brittany. Warrior. Human. My friend.
The first image is nothing like the reality of that day. It was anxiety, distress, exhaustion, invasion of personal space, and a quarter of an hour spent in the bathroom decompressing afterwards at dinner. It was tears.
The role is nothing like what it may appear to be at times. Such is the truth of public life behind the scenes, and of life in general: it is not glamorous. It is brutal. For every human being.
Over the past 18 months of getting to know Brittany Higgins personally, as a close friend, I have had the honour of seeing a side of her I rarely see in digital or print media. Let that be a lesson.
Every salacious article I see about my friend, I can't help but take personally. I have to think carefully, and ask: what is the safest, most constructive course of action- as a friend, as an advocate, as an individual?
On the one hand, I feel duty bound to speak up, every time.
However, if I take the bait, I risk legitimising
