Kevin Kantor - People You May Know
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- Опубліковано 4 кві 2015
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Kevin Kantor, performing at CUPSI 2015 in Richmond, VA.
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"My brother asked me, too,
'Why didn't you fight back?'
I am, Adam. Right now. I promise."
ugly crying
Prince Eva *cries in spanish*
Christian Nicholas *gently hums the Macgyver theme in malaysian*
you're not alone, I was choked throughout the poem but that verse broke the dam.
like the ugliest crying of my whole LIFE
"no one comes running for young boys who cry rape" I was crying from beginning to end. this was so brave, this man poured his heart into this poem and it left me speechless
That line like breaks my heart.
I've seen you in so many other comments on poems. TØP is my favorite band, I just really love your icon.
Your profile pic
+Genesis Barrow to be a boy screaming and crying in pain and no one hears you defies all imagination
But let's not pretend anyone comes running for young girls who cry rape either...
Referring to the guy as 'The Wolf'
And then saying the line:
"No one comes running for young boys who call rape"
Made it my favorite line in the whole poem
+broandsis77 same here... such powerful words
me too...I love this so much
+broandsis77 Woah, thanks man, I didn't even fucking catch that at first. It's the small details really that make things beautiful, and treasures since they are so easy to miss
+broandsis77 Same here, and also #beastmodeselfie
+broandsis77 also, the 'flock of sheep sitting in my mouth'
"I am, right now, I promise. Every day I write a poem titled, 'Tomorrow.' It is a hand-written list of the people I know that love me, and I make sure to put my own name at the top."
This was an amazing end to a breathtaking poem. You're wonderful.
+Arianne Christian G. Tapao Its literally that. Breathtaking. At every turn. And i agree. That really was the climax of the poem.
I cried at this
I was thinking the same thing. So beautiful and empowering.
The amount of courage this man had to go through to stand up and speak this poem in front of the crowd must have been enormous. Respect.
It's healing for them
@@jazechun7184 doesn’t mean it was easy.
Saw this live. For those who don't know, this was at the College University Poetry Slam Invitational Finals stage. Kevin did this poem in Colorado's preliminary round. All the coaches had a meeting to decide awards. Everybody who was in that meeting who also saw this poem in prelims, knew that this poem had to go up on finals stage. It was too well written, to well performed, and to important for prelims. This poem won the Best of the Rest award, and as such, Kevin got to perform it on finals stage to open up the last two rounds of competition. It blew up the room and completely shifted the direction of the poems that followed. This poem definitely made CUPSI a worthwhile experience for me, and the kids I was coaching.
wow
I would love to see him do this live. I am speechless and in awe every time I watch Kevin. He is an amazing talent!
I tried to do this poem for my theatre class and I was told that it was "inappropriate," because it might make people uncomfortable.
I had never been so outraged.
oh my god
fuck them
I actually understand this as someone can be easily triggered by this hence 'uncomfortable'. Also in schools, lots of parents want to shelter their children so topics like these are nonexistent.
Yet it's a great poem so i wish they had let you frankly.
I guess reality is inappropriate then
Took my fucking breath away. This is an issue. People can't expect boys to fight back just because they're boys. Just because they're boys, does that mean they don't experience that feeling young victims have described so many times of being unable to move, unable to believe it's really happening, and somehow feeling like it's still their fault? Paralysed in fear. And yet instead of relieving these worries that there was something they could have done to prevent the crime, these people who have been trusted enough to tell such a personal and terrifying and for some, even embarrassing thing, still pose questions of such injustice like "What were you wearing?"
^^^^^^^
word. Couldn't agree more.
***** Your comment hit me as hard as this video did.....
***** Male rape victim here. You nailed it. Thank you.
***** You are not a victim, you're a survivor. ;)
***** Thank you for that message... I would have simply gone with "WhitemaneXX you're a fucking idiot" But your response was far more eloquent.
I have been assaulted twice, once when I was 16 years old and then again when I was 25 - What hurts most is my assault at the age of 25 was by the only man I ever told about my experience at 16 - The only man I trusted enough to speak about being raped - My husband. Though we were divorced at the time of his assaulting me. Both times I've been suicidal - The second time having a complete and utter break from reality and almost losing custody of my children as a result. But it was 1 visit to a support group that touched me the most, made me cry the most and it wasn't at my own pain. But at the pain of the male victims - There were about 2-3 of them in our support group and they were, well destroyed. It was heartbreaking. The things they got told...
Why didn't you fight back are you gay or something?
Guys can't get raped don't be dumb...
one young man was about 17/18 an Asian boy... Disowned by his father for having brought shame on their family because his uncle raped him as a child.
All pride, all dignity, all sense of self gets stripped away during an assault. No one talks about rape to "save face" and rape isn't the "easy way out"
Any survivor of rape carries a burden with them. But for some even those closest to them can betray them when they call for help and that's never been more true than when it comes to male victims.
I've never been able to put myself at the top of that list and I'm 31 - But I have enough strength to put my kids there and keep going for them.
I absolutely love this poem. It speaks right to me. I was a victim of sexual abuse in high school and my abuser showed up in People You May Know more than once because we went to the same school. Everything that this poet was saying I could relate to especially about seeing how my abuser was a kid once and there's people liking pictures of him that have no idea he is a monster.
Brittany Patterson I hope you're as well as you can be x
you are so, so strong. I can't imagine what you are going through but my thoughts and prayers are with you. stay strong
i hope ur doing better now
That must be painful
I was watching The Oscars and I saw you on the background when Gaga performed and all the survivors went out there with her. I saw you and recognised you from this, I remembered your story and thought of all the stories on that stage and I couldn't stop crying. Thank you for your art.
+tiatijeras Oh my God me too. I just looked at him and his poem came to my mind and I cried so much.
I was 5. My brother's friend would try to do things to me and 9 years later I told my mother and she said, it could of been worse, she didn't hug me, she looked at me as if I had done something wrong. I looked in her eyes I remember just feeling as if every time she said I love you and would never let anyone hurt you was a lie. I don't know what it's like to be raped and I am so sorry to those who do. But just because he didn't doesn't mean he didn't mess me up, doesn't mean I don't fear of who may try and come to do things to me at a friends house or in my own house. When men are around I get extremely uncomfortable and I'll usually find a way to leave. I wouldn't let him do it. I'm so sorry to those who have been.
You're way stronger than you think...
I'm so sorry you had to face that, nobody deserves it. You're extremely strong and I admire you so much for it. Don't ever give up. Always stand for what's wrong no matter what people say, you don't deserve this.
Alma Foster I hear you. I was molested by another kid when I was in the fourth grade. When I told my mother about it, she said "Oh, sure, you can fight with your brother, but you couldn't fight this kid?" and she walked off in disgust.
For the longest time I felt that she was right and I deserved what had happened because I should've fought the kid harder. She was wrong, and so was your mom. I hope you are doing better and know you are an amazing person.
My best to you, Alma
How old was he?
im so sorry for what you have been and what you still going through , it was so brave to break the silence and tell your mom but since she wasnt supportive it must have got things even worse , what i want to say is dont become socialphobe , you have to fight back and dont let this drag you down bcause i believe you are sich a strong person and you should not lose hope in humanity and love and affection from people around you , you are you only true hero and you can carry on in this life , much love and support
From the first line, I had chills!!
Same
i became very suicidal after i was raped. 1 year on and i am doing better than i thought i ever i could. this poem saved me and its so strange/surreal rewatching it. thank you kevin kantor
Glad you didn't go through with it ❤️
****hugs.
Ailsa Bennett much
Incredibly powerful. Kudos.
***** Huh. Didn't expect to see you here. Keep up the good work! ;)
***** HUGH!!!!
***** HUGH
hughwizzy For real though. ✋😒😒 the flashbacks are too real. Tge oain is still here. Traumatized for life.. ruins every relationship. Ruined sex. Ruined everything. And I'm still not over it. Never being able to ha've sex unless you're drink or high to ease the oain.. to not picture it being him the one on top of you.. holding you down. Forcing you to do what you don't want to.
just stumbled upon this poem, as a male abuse survivor this hits Hard. Everything you look at turns into a messed up tainted memory of them, and and it's brutal. I don't even have words for how this poem wrenches your heart
only want to say ONE thing! My best friend tried to fight back. And now she is dead because she was murdered with a knife by a stranger who was already in prison 2 times before (because he tried to rape 2 young women in the 80's - but here in Germany you only get 2 years for it). You see, sometimes it could save your life to not fight back! But please, NEVER EVER let people say about a victim that they don't count, that they aren't a brave person, that it is all their fault and all this BULLSHIT!!! Because of her Death this sick man now is in lifetime extended term of imprisonment.. AND THANK YOU, KEVIN KANTOR, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART ! ! ! - Since your crystal clear voice was getting loud the world now is moving to a higher level.
natassjaineternalove applaus applaus für diesen Kommentar! Es tut mir Leid, was mit deiner Freundin passiert ist.
natassjaineternalove Du bringst es genau auf den Punkt..
I am so sorry for your loss. Your story is valuable. Thank you for sharing
German law only imprisoned rape 2 years? Yikes.
Condolence
I'm in tears. And I don't cry often. Men are looked down o if they don't push these experiences out of their heads, if they don't pretend they never happened, if they don't become stone cold walls. Men are told to keep quiet, more so than woman. It's not "manly" that say. But it is. This man who read this poem is so brave and courageous to speak about it. He's bold. And he's strong. This was beautiful.
Sorry. I was too emotional to check for spelling errors. So many typos. Oops.
This hit so extremely close to home...I have the utmost respect for this poet.
Kevin, in performing this, you fight back. Not only for yourself, but for all of us: for all of the boys who have cried rape.
Thank you ❤️
I've been listening to this poem on and off for years. It's just as powerful everytime. But this is the first time I've listened to it since being sexually assaulted and now it...hits harder than normal.
I've never heard a story so devastating and tragic sound so beautiful. What a brave way to shine light on such a dark problem.
I was raped 6 months ago & didn't cry until I watched this tbh. Y'all got some witch craft or something brewing. Amazing poetry.
Ruelay xo message me if you need to talk. you are loved.
Ruelay xo Hang in there beautiful :) you have people who appreciate you xx
Ruelay xo Just like Holly LA said. Message me if you need someone to talk to. If you need to scream, cry, etc. I know you may have close friends and family you can talk to, but I'm here if you need me ^-^ . Please: keep in mind that what happened that day DOES NOT make you less worthy. Stay strong
"Everyday I write a list of people that love me, and I make sure to put my own name at the top." THIS IS MY NEW MOTTO, PREACH KEVIN 🙌🏼🙌🏼
That was absolutely brave and heartbreaking and I'm incredibly impressed
the fact that he was close to crying made it that much more powerful. This was one of the most amazing poems yet, and this channel uploads a lot of amazing works.
This whole thing gave me chills but as soon as he said "Adam, I am right now." It absolutely killed me. I've been watching this like five times a day for a week and a half and I still cry every time. Absolutely no one deserves this.
you could hear the entire audience collectively breathe in after the first line, this poem is so powerful and the only thing that came to mind after i heard it was 'holy shit'. he deserved so much better and i feel so sorry for him
One of my favorite poems. "I write my own name at the top". So true. People who claim to care are often all talk. At the end of the day, you can only rely on yourself 100%.
This is a courageous shout out for all of those who have experienced acquaintance violence and assault of all kinds and had to deal with the societal and institutional response, effects, and repercussions.
At the end of the video I was about to add this to my favorites playlist, but then I remembered I already did in the middle of the video.
"Two police officers told me I had to give a name to his act or it didn't happen. That obviously I could have fought back which is to say no comes running when young boys who cry rape."
I've listened to this like, 50 times and I still cry every single time I hear it.
What a fucking powerful, rousing piece.
I decided to click on this just because I wanted to hear a poem, and I am so glad I did. Very powerful words.
Here i am, years later, and this is still the most powerful poem i've ever heard.
This video brought me to tears. His words are so powerful. His words are stronger than any monster.
I cry every time I listen to this and yet I can't seem to stop myself from listening to it again and again.
I got goosebumps & tears & god damn, man. You said it, you're fucking fighting back.
Beautifully said! Sexual Assault affects All of Us! Men & women, children & elders, poor & rich, Black & White, everyone.
Wow... I loved how unique and unpredictable it was, as a rape poem. He has a beautiful way with words, and I loved how it ended positively, he's fighting back. It really clicked with me.
Broke me into pieces. Such a beautiful piece of art. People should take this social issue seriously.. my heart goes out to him
Oooo
I remember seeing this from BuzzFeed and every time it slams my chest
OMG!!! These poems are so intense. I love it!!! I got to find a Poetry Slam to attend because these poems touch on all the intangible issues that people seem to ignore or dismiss.
What state are you in?
South Carolina.
This actually made me cry. Gave me goosebumbs everywhere and I was just mezmorized word by word, they way he expressed every line with more or less emotion but still making them mix and fit to perfection. Really a pity he didnt make it to the finals, he was amazing. Bravo.
"No one comes running for young boys who cry rape" -Kevin Kantor
I had the same thing happen to me when I was 8-11. I told my mom 4 years later and she asked me the same thing that his brother asked him. Why didnt you fight back? And it is a battle everyday like he says. It haunts and can hurt for a long time. But it gets better. It will always get better. Dont worry. Just remember to love yourself, even when you hate what happened to you and blame it on yourself. It was not your fault. You didnt do anything. It will get better. Find people to trust in. It can always get better.
I remember this being one of the first spoken word videos I came across online and immediately falling in love with the art form. I came back to watch this today because I just got Kevin's book in the mail and their work is so incredible. I'm so thrilled to have a signed copy. Thank you Button and thank you Kevin. ❤
Fourteen;
The number of friends my rapist and I had in common on facebook, until I deleted most of them because I couldn't stomach it. Even though most of them had no idea they had a rapist on their list. I neared a full blown anxiety attack listening to this powerful, moving poem.
I told my psychologist the only thing I can imagine making what I went through worse, was if I wasn't a girl but a guy. It is hard enough being a female victim, but what male rape victims have to go through, the judgement, the stigma, no one believing a guy can be raped... I can't imagine. My heart goes out to you, Kevin, you are incredibly brave to put this out there.
(I can't even write this from my identifiable account, so your courage blows me away)
I don't know why this resonated with me. I pray for this man who is so brave. Goodluck to everyone struggling out there
The years keep passing and I keep coming back to this video. So rarely do I find somethitn that touches my soul the way this does
the last line sent chills.
I watch this every so often, to remind myself to love myself and to be brave. To know that I am not alone in this.
A few months ago after I was sexually assaulted I told my parents. They said that they were glad I didn’t tell anyone else because it wasn’t rape because I didn’t fight back. When I came clean again, My hand was held and I was looked in the eye and was told “I believe you. And I love you.” And guess what? I am no longer the victim. I am the survivor, I thought I would die because of this, but I am alive. And I know the word No more than ever. I love myself more than I ever thought possible. And I couldn’t have been here or overpowered this without the wonderful support I had.
Five years later and this piece still brings me to tears. Five years later and this is the strongest piece of poetry I've ever seen performed.
Every time I watch this I tear up. It's so well written
Kevin is one of my students at UNC and I could not be more proud of him! His emotion in this piece is so heartfelt and strong. He is wise beyond his years and a man with so much to say. People need to listen!
I just want to say I was going through poetry videos due to a recent break up. I found myself falling into all the ones I used to play to console my high school heart and then I found this one. This poem I used to play over and over again, I knew every word by heart because I lived every word by heart. And I just want to say - thank you for I never thought I would be here. I never thought I'd be in a relationship after my assault. I never thought I'd be able to fall in love so hard that my heart literally ached and sobbed because I never thought I'd be able to trust someone again. And to be honest, I never even thought I'd live this long. I tried to stop this eventual life to happen, but because of poems like this - I learned how to cope. I deleted my facebook after hearing this poem because I knew the all too familiar feeling of seeing his name pop up and feeling my heart be crushed. Now, it takes a little bit of time to even remember his name. So thank you for writing this poem, thank you for being a voice of reason to my solitude three years ago. I don't know where I'd be without it so I'm oddly happy to find it here, today.
its like when you see a man climbing a mountain and he's almost at the summit so you want to give him a little push, but you see how determined he seems and you know he will make it- that's what that last line of that beautiful poem felt like to me.
Hats off to this man! That was so brave of him 🙌
I have watched this so many times and each time I cry. I hope he won
Jesus. I just want to scoop him up and hug him. What a strong, amazing spirit he has.
This was shown to me during a military sexual assault victim advocate course regarding male victims
I saw this on buzzfeed and I'm so glad I found it here. I listen to this over and over some days.
I relate to it a lot
I'm so proud of him.
i saw this poem live and it absolutely wrecked me goddamn this totally sums it up. thank you for this.
Not only have you fought back, Kevin, but also you've created a whole army of us supporting you... Words have power and they must know it!!!
I showed this to my health teacher, and he started crying. This is hauntingly beautiful. I feel empathy towards him. Makes me cry each time.
I just want to hug him and support him. Nobody should have to go through that pain at all..
This is such a powerful and emotional poem.
I've been going through something similar. And its hard.
He was capable of putting everything i feel into a 3 minute and 50 second poem. Stunning.. Truly truly stunning
The poems that make you cry are always the best kind of poems
This is just heartbreakingly and hauntingly beautiful.
this was such a powerful poem from start to end, the delivery made me get so emotional. i hope he finds solace and strength in all of the people that love him.
I’ve come back to this poem a few times over the years and it always blows me away.
'no one comes running for young boys who cry rape'
this slam has to be the most brilliant thing i've ever heard. i listen to it everyday. thank you kevin kantor, for being as brave as you are, as strong as you are, thank you for sharing your strength with us. you are an inspiration and you have the gift of being able to make people both think and feel. thank you so much, i wish you nothing but the best life one can have.
did he win this ?
vohanam96 He wasn't on one of the teams that made finals, but was selected by coaches as part of the "Best of the Rest" to showcase this specific poem on finals stage.
: ) what a pity. thanks for the info mate ;) you rock !
+Darryl Garber i think he should have won!!!!
+laura gardner I agree
I love this poem so much. I'm crying so hard rn. im so proud of u love how brave u r to speak abt it and put this on the internet. i love the emotion u showed through ur voice and ur face. i love u and and wish u well for the future. hold on, things will get better.
This is the beauty of true art. such an superior poet who not only can make us cry but also bring out a message that needed to be said. Kevin Kantor, You rock the world mate! Keep doing what you do because what you do... is the best.
he just poured his soul out bleeding and we watched....this left me breathless...and covered with chills
Gosh this one hit hard.
Made me cry, I am completely overwhelmed by his braveness and his courage. I hope that oneday he will find the peace, happiness and justice that he so truelly deserves. I am certain this will help others to have faith and to be strong and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for posting this, for having the strength to speak and tell a story that really needs to be heard. Thank you. Love and light
I can't say how much this poem means to me. Kevin poured his heart out and it was so beautiful.
4 years later and I still get the same chills I did when I first heard it
This was extremely breath taking. Know that i am also on your list because I love you for your bravery and ability to fight back
This channel is one of the few things that makes me feel alive. Please don't ever stop
Having the ability to hear this poem first hand both in a quarterfinal and at the finals in the landmark, it was the first and last poem that brought tears to my eyes.(there were a few in between)
The first time I heard it, the scores were 9.8 10 10 10 10 which is a perfect, deserved 30(top and bottom are dropped in slam)
One of my favorite poems of all time.
That's what I want to know...Did you "win"? Well, HE HAS WON, INDEED, by honoring himself with "The Greatest Love of All"...His deservedly putting loving himself at the very top of his list of loved ones in his life...
I am truly humbled, honored and touched beyond words to have witnessed this young man's brave, devastatingly power story rendered as art-when art can indeed be a representation of the human soul and it's universal reaches, however uncomfortable the situation shared by be...This young man's work is of a heroic nature.
Thank you, very, very much, Mr. Kevin Kantor.
this just leaves me speechless every damn time. the emotion is just so real
I always go away and come back to this channel
This poem and poems like these are the reason I stay ❤
Makes me cry everytime.
this is and always will be my favourite slam poem
Keep fighting
this was so brave. i'm completely speechless
This was remarkably written and expressed. I wish you only brighter days ahead, Kevin.
I almost cried when I watched this. It's breath-taking. Thank you.
Saw the title not knowing what to expect from this poem but boy was I blown away. So moving
I pretty much started crying once you mentioned Facebook suggested your rapist. It did the same to me, mutual friends and all. I spent far too long looking at his wife...and child and many sleepless nights returned despite all of the time that had passed.
Keep fighting Kevin. I applaud you for the strength in your words. May you find healing through sharing.
I love Kevin so much. He speaks the words I cannot form and I look up to him. He is my inspiration and a role model for me, I am so thankful for his poetry.
This is the only thing that has ever made me feel completely understood in my experience. Every now and then I have to revisit it to feel like I'm not alone.
This was simply amazing. Thank you for sharing.
there are no words
God, I’m weeping. What a visceral experience this poem is.
This gives me chills every time I watch it.