One of the things that folks who don’t experience prejudice fail to understand is how exhausting it is to have to carry bigots around in your head. If you’re LGBT or a person of color or a woman, you’re constantly running your actions and speech through a mental ‘bigot simulator’
“Will this action draw the wrong sorts of attention? How could this be used against me? How are my actions going to be misinterpreted?” If you don’t fear discrimination in your daily life, you never have to think about what your potential murderers are thinking. It must be nice
And this is just a toll we have to pay to exist in this society of ours. To be forced to understand those who hate and fear us well enough to predict their thoughts and actions. Do you know how much it sucks to always be running those simulations in every new interaction?
I don’t have a point to this other than to say to everyone out there that I see your weariness, and I see the unbelievable strength you bring every day just to carry on.
I’m proud of you and I love you
I’m proud of you and I love you
