Therapy for Tyranny

[XLFD]

Dr. Hale enters a room with 'Xavier', where four men already sit around the room's perimeter lined with six chairs spaced at least six feet apart.  They take the last two seats, the doctor glances at the clock, looks around acknowledging all that are present and begins talking

DR. HALE:  Good evening.  Let's start the July 16, 2020 meeting of our support group for male victims of domestic violence.  As you can see, we have a new member tonight in with us.  I have talked with him one-on-one just like I have all of you, and he will hopefully share with us some of his experiences tonight, and we can be supportive of his efforts to make it this far, and help him get to a point of full recovery.  Please, welcome Xavier.

ALL (but Xavier):  Hi Xavier, welcome to our group.

DR. HALE:  Xavier, this is Victor.  Sitting across from you is Wally.  Next to him is Yannick.  And lastly, Zach (greetings exchanged).  Wally, it would normally be your turn to share updates and observations with the group first, but due to this being Xavier's first time, and being that he wanted to share with the rest of the group his background first so that we can better understand the struggles he is going through, I hope you don't mind giving him the floor to introduce himself and his abusive relationship?

WALLY:  No problem.  Xavier, we're here for you like we hope you're here for us.

XAVIER:  Thank you so much, Wally, Dr. Hale.  I guess I should go back to the start when I first met Gret--

DR. HALE:  Xavier, remember, we don't need to know her name, it only empowers her more.  We just call our abusers 'Karen' here.  It gives everybody the ability to relate other's experiences to their own violent partner.

ZACH:  'Cept my woman's actual name is Karen.  Just sayin'. (laughs) Sorry, floor's yours, X man.

XAVIER:  OK, I first met 'Karen' back in 2018.  I can't really say I was attracted to her then, but other people around me apparently thought she was good for me.  After hearing she beat this one guy in November, I had her move into my Lansing house a couple of months later.  

VICTOR:  Wait... if you knew she was violent, why did you invite her into your life?

XAVIER:  I really felt like I had no choice.  She told everybody she was good at fixing things.  It became one of the first problems in our relationship when I told Gr-- Karen that we didn't have the money to fix everything right now.  She went out and borrowed more than we could afford because she wanted work crews to fix every damn thing now.  

YANNICK:  My Karen likes the best things in life, too, that's why I work two jobs, still got no money.  You're not here just to tell us she spends all your money, are you?

XAVIER:  No, no.  I guess we were going along okay until March.  She turned into a whole new person.  She didn't want to let me out of the house, told me a lot of my friends were non-essential.  She told me it was just for a couple of weeks, but if I didn't do exactly what she said that it could be more, and there could be other-- consequences.  She said she would provide for me, but my needs were ignored...

VICTOR:   Sounds very controlling.  Did that just happen for two weeks?

XAVIER:  No, she suspected me of going against her wishes even when I wasn't.  So after those two weeks, she adamantly refused to let me out of the house and see any of my friends.  I was going to call a lawn service over just to have somebody to talk with while they cut the grass; she wouldn't have none of that.  When my aunt died, she wouldn't let me out to pay my respects at her funeral.  When I asked whether I could take my boat out alone on the lake, she asked me whether my boat had a motor.  After I told her it did, she flew into a rage and said no.

ZACH:  Wow, that's crazy, dude, some of us have been there.  Shoulda flew.

DR. HALE:  Zach, do I have to remind you of not following your own advice over the last two years.  Let's listen to Xavier's full story before rendering any judgments or advice, and keep those supportive when you do.  Xavier?

XAVIER:   Anyhow, after every two weeks, she would say things would be different in two weeks, but near the deadline, she would just keep on extending her control over my life for another two weeks, always letting me know that she was in full control.   I protested but she only laughed at me and threatened me with more discipline.  In order to show her dominance, she started making me cover my face with a veil like the men make women do in some Islamic countries.

WALLY:  That's a niqab, only very fundamentalist Muslims make their women wear them.  Was she Muslim?

XAVIER:  I don't know, but she hung around and got close to a lot of people wearing niqabs over their face right after I started acting up.  She implied that these would be the same people that would pay my friends and their businesses a visit if I acted up again and that it wouldn't end pleasantly.  

VICTOR:  Did you ever get the police involved?

XAVIER:  I tried, but every time they assured me that she was only doing what was good for me, and that I should obey her unquestioningly.  They said everything's going to be normal in two weeks.  But it's now been 18 weeks and it's only getting worse (sobs).

DR. HALE:  As you have heard, Xavier is in a very controlling relationship with a very threatening and abusive partner intent on separating him from his friends and the rest of society, with no where to turn.  He is at great risk just being here and by not wearing the veil in front of his face when speaking to you. 

YANNICK:  We're with you all the way, brother.

WALLY:  This is why we're all here.

VICTOR:  Let us know what's the best thing we can do to help.

ZACH:  Been there, done that! Gets worse before it gets better, dude.

We can all recognize the warning signs of abusive and controlling behavior when we see it in the relationships between other people.  But can we all not recognize the warning signs of abusive and controlling behavior when the government does the same thing to all of its people?  Michiganders, read the warning signs above and see whether you're in such a relationship with a domineering woman, or more than one.  Let's talk this over and help each other get out of the negative relationship we have allowed ourselves to get into.

[Willy]

One of your best posts X. With the right character actors this would make great skit on stage at the LACA. I wonder if masks would be required to watch the performance. 
Thinking about the absurdity of the situation I wonder if masks are required at nudists camps? 

[XLFD]

Thanks, Willy, I had a little fun with a serious subject, and hopefully it will alert some of our fellow statesmen and stateswomen that the current relationship we have going with our governor and her complicit minions is far from a healthy one.  Maybe we can round up a cast and go to a future Friday Night Unplugged in downtown Ludington for performances, since LACA is likely off-limits for a couple of more phases, thanks to Gret-- Karen.