Whenever my grandpa does something that annoys me, my mind goes back to a ton of the stuff he's said about me that was...well, in no way the appropriate manner to refer to your "granddaughter." While it doesn't bother me the way it used to, I hate knowing there's these little wounds that can be reopened even after years have passed.
In giving it some hard thought, I also came to realize that my bad experiences with men in my family are the reasons why I hate when people glorify bad stereotypes about men, or fondly joke about them. I absolutely hate when people expect me to act like an aggressor, or to be more overtly sexual, dirty, loud, etc. While most men may be harmless even when they do fulfill these stereotypes, the fact is, the reason that so many men have been able to hurt me is because "that's what guys do" and everyone just accepts it like it's OK. And it's not. Even men in my family were allowed to make sexual comments about me when I am a blood relative, men have bee able to become physically violent with me, etc, because people say that's how men are and that it's not an issue. Well, it is.
Besides that, I'm a guy and I'm not like that. I never will be. but people seem to see me as less of a man because of it, as if I am somehow a lesser person than those who've left me with mental and emotional scars. I'm sick of it.
