Each week I write a column for The Clifton Courier.

I keep it light and trivial because with so much serious stuff going on about the place, I’m primarily there to make people laugh – or, as least, exhale slightly heavier in a begrudging display of slight amusement.  

I like writing funny things; it’s a great distraction from the real world to get stuck into my trifling little rants. But I’ve been finding it really hard to think of anything trivial or funny to write about lately.

Because I can’t stop thinking about what’s going on in Australian politics right now. 

I can’t stop thinking about the allegations I’ve read. Of the stories women are sharing. Of the responses people in power have given. And I’m just so fucking angry.

I don’t want to be angry. I don’t want to have to think of this. But with all these stories going around, it’s practically impossible not to be. 

I’ve seen a few articles floating around about how a lot of women are in distress right now. They go into how stories about sexual assault allegations can bring up traumatic memories for women. They point out that so many women have either dealt with or helped a woman they love deal with sexual assault. And how seeing the kinds of stories that are dominating the news cycle right now are making women anxious and depressed. 

And I suppose the knock-on effect of that is that it makes it hard for women to function in other aspects of their lives. Because thinking about these things takes up a lot of brain power. Being angry about these things burns up a lot energy. And trying to deal with these situations just takes up so much time. 

I often wonder how much productivity is lost because of all the extra stuff woman have churning over in their heads that focusing one hundred per cent on their jobs or their studies or their passions is straight up impossible. 

Imagine, just for a second, how that energy could be better spent if women didn’t have institutional sexism to be riled up about. Imagine if the energy in that burning rage could be directed towards athletic performance or fuel a creative passion?

Imagine if, instead of all those conversations between women trying to make sense of their experiences and consoling one another, they could talk about literally anything else. If, instead of being supportive of their friends about sexual assault, they could be strategizing about their careers or discussing the stock market or planning grand adventures?

Imagine if, instead of women thinking about how they should respond to a situation or trying to work out how to articulate their feelings so that people understand it, they could be focusing on their course material or figuring out how to better do their jobs. If, instead of digesting horrible stories or having graphic details playing on a loop in the background of their brains, they could be listening to a lecture or coming up with a time-saving idea or just, perhaps even more radical, were simply enjoying themselves, blissfully oblivious of how much freedom the undisturbed peace in their heads affords them.

It’s impossible to quantify how much this is setting women back, and that’s part of why it’s so infuriating – we’ll never know what these women could have been without this handicap.

This news cycle is distressing but it feels like we’re on the verge of something big here. These stories are fuelling a movement that feels like it could bring about real change. It’s electrifying and unifying, but I keep thinking about all the things we could be doing instead if we didn’t have this to deal with.

There is so much that we could be thinking about. That we could be devoting our time and energy to. That we could be writing funny, entertaining columns about.

But here we are. 

Also, it’s International Women’s Day tomorrow. If you’re looking for a charity to donate to in honour of the day, here’s a link to the Queensland Women’s Legal Service.