If you’ve experienced BEING non-white, feel free to tell everyone else who is non-white that you disagree with their seeing racism in places you don’t.
If you’ve experienced BEING gay, feel free to tell everyone else who is gay that you disagree with their seeing homophobia in places you don’t.
If you’ve experienced BEING a woman, feel free to tell everyone else who is a woman that you disagree with their seeing misogyny in places you don’t.
If you’ve experienced BEING disabled, feel free to tell everyone else who is disabled that you disagree with their seeing disability-discrimination in places you don’t.
If you’ve experienced BEING working-class, feel free to tell everyone else who is working-class that you disagree with their seeing classism in places you don’t.
If you’ve experienced BEING Jewish feel free to tell everyone else who is Jewish that you disagree with their seeing anti-Semitism in places you don’t.
Otherwise, just bloody well ask them why they feel the discrimination, LISTEN to them, ask what you can do to help make their life a little easier, and then act accordingly.
Don’t think that just because you vote for liberal values in the voting booth you’ve done your bit.
Or that because you call yourself a feminist you’ve done your bit.
Or that because you hashtag #BlackLivesMatter you’ve done your bit.
Or that because you’ve put one of those rainbow filters on your Facebook profile picture you’ve done your bit. *
Just bloody LISTEN, and if, WHILST LISTENING, you realise that part of your behaviour is helping contribute to the status quo, then ADMIT IT TO YOURSELF AND MAKE A BLOODY CHANGE.
Or don’t, but if you won’t walk the fecking walk, shut up with the fecking talk.
And if your bottom lip is quivering, and you’re about to tell me that you have a right to freedom of speech and freedom of thought, I’m not going to argue with you.You are absolutely 100% right. You do. And I have the right to think you’re a hypocritical ass-hole.
*Or that because you’ve lost your rag and written a ranty blog post you’ve done your bit.
(I’d like to thank Sean Penn, whose beautiful new poem was the trigger for this rant. And The Internet as whole who is banging on about everyone who doesn’t understand that a pug dog being trained to give a Nazi-salute when it’s owner says “gas the jews” is just a harmless joke. You are my inspiration. No, seriously.)
My Name is Not Debbie 