African American
In reply to the discussion: I literally went to bed stressed out and crying last night [View all]mercuryblues
(14,532 posts)and all the members of this group. Amazingly enough some of the replies in this thread proved your point.
What this group has done for me, as a white person. I have learned, a lot. How did I accomplish this? 1st by the many excellent posters in here, 2nd by shutting up, even if I did not understand something. Just because I do not understand something does not mean it is not true or someone else's reality.
Much the same way men defend their "right" to walk up to me when I am deep in thought and tell me I would look prettier If I smile and cat calling. I am told how much I should enjoy that, it is harmless and I will miss it when it stops. They really mean no harm and I should enjoy someone disrupting my inner thoughts on serious matters.
As a woman, many of the experiences I can relate to and empathize with. Does that mean I absolutely know how the AfAm community feels when they experience not only the blatant racism, but also the micro aggressions. NO. Just as any male can not know how it feels when a woman experiences the same. But we sure can, if we want to, see it and better ourselves through learning. Does it mean I am perfect no. But it sure does mean that if I say something stupid, when corrected, I sure as hell will take a step back and think about it, not double down. I place more importance on why what I said was perceived wrong instead of insisting I am right.
That is what this group has taught me. So well in fact that on another board during a debate over why something is racist the other person told me that it is "black people like you" .....
So I you.