I marched tonight because as a small white female, my parents never had to warn me about how to act around police so that the people meant to protect me would actually protect me.

I continued marching tonight because, when confronted with a line of police clearly there to stop our progress, my first thought was, “certainly they wouldn’t arrest or attack me,” and even though I’ve known about my privilege for about a year now, it wasn’t until that thought popped into my head that the full weight of it smacked me right across the face.

I marched tonight and choked up as I thought about a girl in my lit class last year talking about her and her parents’ fear of her brother being in danger if he walked alone at night wearing a hoodie, because even though he is a student and I’m told kind and wicked smart, all a stranger might see meeting him in the street is the dark color of his skin.

People can debate the facts of some of these crimes until the cows come home, but it is absolutely undeniable that racism is still alive and well in this country. White people know it, I think, somewhere deep down. People of color certainly know it. And that needs to end. And the more we let these issues go quietly without annoying, disruptive, demanding, loud action, the longer they survive.

That’s why I marched tonight.

anonymous asked:

Ugh I'm so sorry for men being like that. I am a man but I'm kind of an androgynous ball of anxiety so the thought of offending a woman by touching her without consent makes me hyperventilate like I'd hate if I were that guy, but I've had to stop going out with my dude friends cause they literally try to pressure me like "you'll never get a girl like that go dance against that girl *shoves me*" like I just want to dance and not inflict myself on people and not condone assholery

um i appreciate that you are considerate and dont intrude on womens space and that its really tough to have friends who pressure you to, and anxiety sucks, but please dont apologise on behalf of a privileged group you are a part of. this may sound a bit harsh and maybe i should be more tactful, but its a bit meaningless and perhaps you having to resist the pressures of society to harass someone is hard, but its not as hard as it is to be harassed you know? its not ‘offensive’ to me when a dude touches me non-consensually it can literally ruin my night. im sorry i just dont have the emotional fortitude to be very sympathetic towards you tonight.

owlsandtea asked:

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha My white privileged ass is already going to the rally because I don't believe in fucking police brutality. Jesus Christ don't take my comments out of context, you have no clue what you're fucking talking about. Oh and p.s. Not everything in the world is about being black or white. I'm not "privileged" just because my skin is white.

You literally said you’re going to the protest to talk to her. And you really thought that would be the appropriate place to discuss whatever it is you two needed to discuss? Are you fucking kidding me? 

“Oh and p.s. Not everything in the world is about being black or white. I’m not “privileged” just because my skin is white.”- lmao I bet you call yourself an “ally” and shit lol this is why I’m so weary of white allies because they act like their down for the struggle and then say shit like this. 

anonymous asked:

ally what are your thoughts on eric garner and mike brown?

I don’t think I really need to even answer that, it should be pretty clear how horrible it is. Kara and I talked about it for much of today (and other events over the past week too) and I discussed it with mum tonight too where I was almost in tears. It’s so disgusting and sad and just absolutely gut wrenchingly terrible, and I so feel very powerless to do anything. It’s unnerving to know that someone who looks like me could walk into a movie theatre or high school and shoot everyone in the place but still walk out alive and be seen as someone who was ‘a nice kid’ and ‘struggling with mental illness’ but another human can be murdered simply for living and having a different race. I’ve never been more aware of the privilege of my skin colour than this year, which is really disappointing to have to be in 2014. It really feels like all of the fighting done in the 60s (and before and after) is just unravelling before our eyes. It’s scary, it’s heartbreaking, and I really just don’t know what else to do or say except to continue the discussion. Don’t let those victims stories be forgotten. Don’t let the heat of our anger die out. It’s easy for us white people to move on to the next social issue that arises in a week or two, but people of colour are facing this discrimination and it’s consequences every single day of their lives. Mothers are losing their children. Wives are losing their husbands. People are killing people and we can’t let this just slip away unnoticed. I think we have to keep fighting. Educate your friends, sign petitions, participate in walks or peaceful protests. Keep the talk and the fight alive.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead.

Let me talk about a thing.

This screenshot is from the app Timehop that shows you old Facebook and Instagram posts.

3 years ago I said this on a public forum. Knowing the affect and effect of using words like this in a derogatory way I wish I could go back and stop myself from using it.

That’s the thing though, I didn’t know. my privilege and own failure to come to terms with my own sexuality until less than a year ago stopped me from seeing what the use of these words can do to people.

I was 19 at the time and although that is quite a lot older I still had a lot of growing up to do and since then I’ve educated myself on the use of these sorts of words and how they make people feel and how they should make me feel.

A lot of people don’t educate themselves. It can be for a myriad of different reasons, they aren’t exposed or around people who can pull them up on this sort of behaviour. They aren’t actively going out to change this behaviour or alternatively they simply don’t want too.

It doesn’t make it right or excuse the fact that they act like this in the first place. And I’m not writing this out because of recent fandom happenings I’m simply trying to convey the message that sometimes people simply don’t know. They don’t know the effect their words can have on people because they don’t know why they’re bad words.

I learnt that, I educated myself and came to terms with my sexuality but it wasn’t without unfortunately using this type of ableist and offensive language. I’m not trying to excuse this, I know it’s a terrible thing but sometimes people need to know why it’s bad and why it’s hurtful or they’ll never understand.

I never had to worry about someone mistaking my toy gun for a real one because I was a white kid living in a white neighborhood. White privilege meant my friends and I could brandish our toy guns (some of which looked real enough) in public without fear of being shot dead. White privilege also means white gun lovers can brandish their weapons on streets and in restaurants, they can harass anyone who questions their right to do so, they can even plan marches through predominantly black neighborhoods—all without so much as a raised eyebrow from police. Some even laud these open carry zealots as heroes.
—  Ben Irwin

idek i’m probably not going to articulate this well but i’m feeling like

even the fact that my post going “fellow white people pls don’t take over the ‘i can’t breathe’ chant” got like 20k notes mostly in agreement while black people saying the same thing is p much ignored or argued with is like a direct illustration of my own privilege and fact that everybody only pay attention to racism when it’s white people talking

I mean i’m glad on the one hand people are seeing it and learning but 

like why did it take me saying that to get an overwhelming positive response, when they’re saying the exact same thing. i mean we know why.

god it’s fucked up. go read and reblog some black bloggers people ok this is literally what i was saying, i/we are not the voice of ferguson and the protesting of racial injustice, they are. everything’s just so fucked up.

When I say I am “learning to navigate” it means:

Learning when to be loud and when to shut the fuck up

How to be present yet not take up space

To share my experience without self-importance

Show solidarity but understand my privilege

I am trying. Have patience with me.

i mean, i’ve suffered way more marginalization as a lesbian trans woman than as a bisexual trans girl but whatever, i guess my experience is just invalid and im an evil monosexual(even tho im ace) oppressor that needs to check my privilege.

Oh man, it’s my most cis-privileged time of the month. Good thing my socially-constructed blood and cramps aren’t keeping me from sleeping.

jk yes they fucking are oh my god fuck i’m fucking miserable

My honest opinion.

(Current Facebook status)

It is ok to be ignorant. It is natural to not know about every single issue going on in every corner of the world; it might even be human nature to know, but not necessarily care because the issue isn’t occurring in YOUR corner of the world. HOWEVER, what separates those of us with at least basic decency and concern for the human condition from others, is a desire and effort to rid ourselves of that ignorance. To extend ourselves, to be uncomfortable in the name of equality for all. I have been uncomfortable in conversations surrounding LGBT issues - why? Because my privilege as a cisgender woman is made painfully clear over basic rights denied to a transgender woman. Even though I knew it existed, was I a champion for finding a cure to Ebola before it found its way to the U.S.? No. Was I concerned after each of those cases surfaced? Yes. And in my honest opinion, this is okay because it is realistic. To admit, “I did not know,” or “I knew somewhat, but did not care because it does not apply to my race/gender/socioeconomic class and status/sexual orientation/physical ability, etc.” BUT ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO THE ISSUE(S), take the time to educate yourself. Solidarity, especially for protests and numbers’ sake, is important, but simple acknowledgement of humanity (so often denied to people of color) would only help reinforce on a societal level the value we already see in ourselves. By saying “Yes, I was/am ignorant about this, but I don’t want to be anymore” says “I value my friends, colleagues, acquaintances and strangers as fellow human beings.” Anything else, says you do not. And THAT is what is unacceptable.

"transer than thou" and "queerer than thou" people are literal human garbage but i constantly chastise myself for being less of a trans person than trans people who have transitioned and being less genderqueer than nb people because i still present as a guy even tho it isn’t totally intentional. i wear what i like wearing but i don’t wear everything i’d like to wear (ie skirts and stockings and stuff). did i mention i’m the worst trans person.

not that recognizing my privilege, recognizing that my experience is nothing like that of other trans people, and recognizing that i can’t speak for other trans people is a bad thing. but hating myself because of these things probably isn’t the best. not that i’m going to stop anytime soon.