When we speak of colonization, Tell Them You Love Me is a documentary about colonization in my view. I can only speak for me, but I am seriously angry about this story and what this woman did. There are so many layers, but no confusion for me. I have seen this documentary spoken of as being about an "affair" or a controversial "relationship". There is no confusion about this for me either. When we miss the calculation of power into our assessments of context, we miss. She had all the power and the way she wielded it is so TYPICAL!!!
I don't want to say too much here (spoilers if you don't know the story), but I will say, I was a Field Director for the Pennsylvania Special Olympics in the early nineties. I consider all human beings and how we can empower their agency. I have been and continue to be concerned about the exploitation and violation of these individuals. I even had to convince my boss to let me coach the athletes during our Summer camp because the staff was prohibited from doing this for some reason I don't remember now. I wanted to coach them in Athletics, what Track and Field is/was called in SO. I had a wonderful time in coaching them.
I went on to volunteer for the Special Olympics where I lived in Pleasanton, CA in the mid 2000s as the Clerk of the Course for a regional competition in Athletics. I remember one year a young woman who was a great runner was unable to start the race with a gun going off and I made accomodations for her and talked with her that she was able to exhibit the courage Special Olympians exhibit in their athletic endeavors that day. She was hindered by the violence she was raised with a parent firing guns around their family disregarding her fear. The next year I saw her, she came running up to me to exclaim that she isn't scared of the gun anymore and she was able to run her race undeterred.
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